Ashwagandha Background and Benefits
Ashwagandha is Sanskrit for "smell of the horse." This name refers to two properties of the plant: first, the fresh roots give off the smell of a horse. The second is the widespread belief that a person who ingests ashwagandha extracts can develop strength and vitality similar to that of a horse.
The botanical name of Ashwagandha is Withania somnifera, and it is also known by several other names, including Indian Ginseng and Winter Cherry.
The ashwagandha plant is a small shrub that bears yellow flowers is native to India and North Africa. Extracts or powders from the root and sometimes the leaves of the plant are used for medicinal purposes.
Ashwagandha is one of the most important herbs in Ayurveda, a form of traditional medicine based on Indian healing principles. It has been used for over 3,000 years to relieve stress, increase energy, and enhance thinking and concentration.
Many of the health benefits of ashwagandha are attributed to its high concentration of naturally occurring compounds called withanolides. Since their discovery in 1965, more than 900 types of different withanolides have been discovered. Withanolides exhibit remarkable and diverse biological activity, for example, reducing inflammation across several key inflammatory pathways.
Ashwagandha root contains about 40 withanolides as well as a variety of other compounds, including 12 alkaloids, several flavonoids, and another group of compounds called sitoindosides.
Ashwagandha is called an adaptogen, meaning that it helps the body adapt to or cope with stress.
Stress is a condition that results from external physical or mental overload. It can make a person feel combative, nervous, anxious, or otherwise less able to respond fully and normally to the demands of the environment. Prolonged stress can lead to both psychological and physical ailments such as depression or high blood pressure. In addition, elevated stress hormones cause a physiological change that causes the body to store more energy in preparation for the next stressful event - resulting in increased appetite and fat storage, leading to weight gain.
Stress is part of the human normal state. Evolutionarily, the stress response is a survival mechanism that enabled our primitive ancestors to respond quickly to life-threatening situations. The physiological response to a perceived threat triggers an almost instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological reactions that help humans ward off the threat or move to safety.
Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressures, and family problems.
Several hormones are involved in the body's stress response, most notably the rapid release of adrenaline. The rapid release of adrenaline in stressful situations allows people to do things like swerve to avoid an oncoming car without thinking about it.
After the immediate release of adrenaline, a number of other hormones are released, with the end result being the release of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Cortisol is the hormone that keeps the body in a state of stress for extended periods of time.
Ashwagandha has been clinically proven to lower cortisol levels in stressful situations, reducing chronic stress. By lowering cortisol levels, ashwagandha not only reduces feelings of stress, but also creates related benefits such as reduced stress-related weight gain, improved sleep, and better cognition and memory.
Uses of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is the most sought-after Ayurveda ingredient in recent years. Ashwagandha is found in a variety of products including supplements, superfood powders, gummy bears, and even chocolate!
The most common reason for taking ashwagandha is to cope with stressful situations. It is also used to support sleep, for stress-related overeating, and to help women with hormone-related mood swings such as PMT and menopause.
