Ashwagandha Benefits and Side Effects


Ashwagandha Benefits

Commonly known as Indian Ginseng, Ashwagandha is a herb that helps in treating a variety of conditions. The herb has been listed under different remedies of the traditional form of medicine which is nothing but Ayurveda.

As far as the Ashwagandha benefits are concerned, it is known to enhance energy and is recognized for stress-relieving properties.

In the Sanskrit dialect, Ashwagandha means ‘smell of a horse’. The name was derived because the herb was considered to strengthen a stallion and was prescribed to individuals who had to enhance the immunity to fight illness or diseases. While Ashwagandha extracts contain many compounds like fatty acids, choline, amino acids, and sugars, the pulp from the tuberous roots is used for numerous herbal remedies.

So, as you scroll ahead, you can go through the ashwagandha health benefits.

Incredible Health Benefits of Ashwagandha

Acts as an Adaptogen

Primarily, Ashwagandha serves to be an adaptogen because it keeps the body stable and balances different types of physiological processes. The herb works wonders when there’s a change in the environment and the person has to fight back stress.

While the stress levels are reduced substantially, the person can always perceive a difference in the blood cortisol levels, body mass index, and the body weight.

According to a test conducted for a trial, it was observed that if the person took Ashwagandha for 60 days then it helped to manage chronic stress and everything else that affected mind. Apart from combating fatigue, the herb makes the person feel energetic and increases concentration in whatever he is engaged in.

Enhances Thyroid Function

If the person’s thyroid fails to function in the best way, then Ashwagandha certainly helps to neutralize the thyroid hormone balancing effect. When the root extract was administered to mice for 20 days, researchers found that it had helped to increase the level of thyroxine and tri-iodothyronine.

While thyroxine is a hormone that boosts the overall functionality of the liver and kidneys, tri-iodothyronine impacts the physiological processes and increases the metabolic activity as well as the heart rate. To put in better terms, the herb helps in reducing hypothyroidism caused due to the hormonal imbalance.

Aids to Manage Sugar and Insulin Levels

Way back in 2015, a test was conducted on rats when they were given fructose. But, there was hardly any difference when Ashwagandha root extract was given in addition to fructose. In other words, the onset of diabetes-like-symptoms could be brought under control when the person takes Aswagandha regularly.

Moreover, one of the incredible benefits of ashwagandha is that it increases the liver enzyme 6-phosphatase level which helps in controlling the blood sugar level.

Aids in Neutralizing Harmful Radicals

As the herb plays a vital role in boosting the immune system, the damage to the liver due to free radicals in very much reduced. With the organ being protected, the effect of lipid peroxidation is thereby reduced. At the same time, the herb enhances the activity of antioxidant enzymes which are present in the liver. Owing to the reduction of malondialdehyde, ashwagandha extracts always enhances the overall antioxidant capability.

Ashwagandha Root Benefits

Ashwagandha Root BenefitsPromotes Aging

In case a woman has been consuming ashwagandha root extract, then the herb can dramatically affect aging. She would never look old due to weakness and wrinkles while she is taking the juice.

Supports Menopause

As the hormone balance is maintained, the herb affects the endocrine system in a positive way and reduces the chances of mood swings and anxiety. In fact, the individual would be at peace when the mind remains stable all day long.

Enhances Memory

As per a recent research, Ashwagandha protects the brain from oxidative stress and degeneration of neurons. While the herb enhances the ability of combating stress, the person may feel relaxed and be able to improve memory.

Increases Fertility

Hormonal imbalance, stress, illness, and nutrient deficiency can always affect the female reproductive system. But, once ashwagandha is administered, the fertility is increased along with regulation of hormones and reduction of stress. As an aphrodisiac, the herb helps in reducing the condition due to erectile dysfunction. In case of men, Indian ginseng not only increases the sperm count but also sperm mobility once the quality of semen improves significantly.

Ashwagandha Tea Benefits

Since Ashwagandha tea is rich in oxidants, it empowers the person in many different ways.

Boosts The Brain Functionality

The active ingredients present in the tea aids the brain to use certain chemicals such as acetylcholine. This eventually helps in restoring the memory and speeding up the neural communication especially when people start becoming older.

Enhances the Cardiovascular System

The healing properties along with the antioxidants help to make the heart even more stronger. Besides, the person can observe an increase in the blood circulation as the integrity of blood vessels is maintained over a period of time.

Helps to Fight Cancer

Quite surprisingly, ashwagandha helps to treat cancer in a better way. Due to the anti-tumor activity, the herb is considered to be the best alternative and of course a treatment.

In the end, the plant can be used for treating patients with color blindness and cataract. The anti-inflammatory properties can actually help in getting rid of rheumatologic problems like arthritis. Regular consumption of tea aids in reducing the swelling around the joints.

If you wondering about ashwagandha root powder benefits, then the herb aids to tone the skin and speeds up the healing process for wounds. The anti-aging properties prevent the formation of wrinkles in aged people.

Ashwagandha Side Effects

In case a lady is about to give birth to a baby, then ashwagandha may lead to miscarriage. Having said that, breast-feeding might get affected if the dose of the herb is quite high.

In people who have diabetes, the herb may lower down the sugar level. But, the consequences are bound to be different if the person has been taking medicines. As the sugar level goes down, he or she might suffer from hypoglycemia and start feeling dizzy.

Since the herb can bring about an irritating sensation in the gastrointestinal tract, it’s is never recommended for people with stomach ulcer.

Finally, an overdose of the herb can be the root cause for auto-immune diseases and hyperthyroidism. In case the person is undergoing surgery, then he should stop taking ashwagandha at least 2 weeks before the operation.

Hardip Koradia

Hardip Koradia is a pro health blogger with years of experience in writing resourceful articles on different health topics like alternative health, natural health, home remedies, yoga, diet, etc. His passion for health inspired him to start AyurHealthTips, a growing health blog.

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