Top 16 Health Benefits of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha, scientifically named Withania somnifera, is a plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. There is a wide range of benefits of Ashwagandha that you can experience by consuming them either directly as powder or as a concoction.

However, like other medicines, Ashwagandha also has some limitations. Also, there are certain people who must avoid the consumption of Ashwagandha to keep from its negative effects.

There are several uses of Ashwagandha in the medicinal field since it offers an array of benefits to its loyal users. These include:

1. Keeps a Check on the Blood Sugar Level:

Ashwagandha plays an effective role in controlling blood sugar levels in patients suffering from diabetes. A compound known as Withaferin A present in Ashwagandha has potent anti-diabetic properties. This compound stimulates the body cells to take up glucose from the blood to keep blood sugar levels within a normal range.

2. Resolves Stress and Anxiety Issues

If you are suffering from stress or anxiety, you can easily opt for Ashwagandha to get some relief. Over the years, researchers have conducted several studies on different groups of people with positive results in stress relief. They do so by controlling the level of heat shock proteins, JNK-1 and cortisol.

3. Enhances Memory and Focus

One of the several advantages of Ashwagandha is that it positively influences cognitive functions such as attention and memory. This greatly aids students in retaining information for a longer time. Additionally, it enhances the information processing speeds to understand and take immediate action to gain maximum benefits from a situation.

4. Helps in Increasing Muscular Strength

Ashwagandha increases muscular strength in men to a considerable extent. Additionally, it reduces the percentage of fat in the body and increases the muscles of the chest and arms. People engaged in a rigorous workout can also benefit from Ashwagandha as they cure micro tears in muscles caused post-workout.

5. Increases Testosterone Level in Men

Ashwagandha plays a key role in enhancing male fertility by increasing the testosterone level. In addition to this, Ashwagandha also enhances the quality of sperm. Thus men suffering from the problems of infertility can take Ashwagandha. The increase in muscles is also a result of increased testosterone in males.

6. Takes Care of Your Heart’s Health

Maintaining good heart health is extremely important to avoid strokes. Ashwagandha significantly aids in the process by lowering high blood pressure, relieving chest pain and controlling different heart diseases. Additionally, root extracts of Ashwagandha have a proven effect on cardiorespiratory endurance.

7. Increases Libido in Women

Women experiencing sexual dysfunction can benefit massively from Ashwagandha. Many Ashwagandha consumers have experienced its effects on arousal, orgasm, vaginal lubrication, and satisfaction, thus significantly improving their sex lives.

8. Improves Mental Health Conditions

Ashwagandha has shown prominent results in relieving depression and schizophrenia in many patients. Ashwagandha also cured people who have bipolar disorders to a certain extent.

9. Reduces Inflammations

Ashwagandha intake has prominently resolved inflammations in people. They contain a compound known as WA that targets inflammatory pathways of the human body. They mainly modify the signal molecules such as NF-κB and Nrf2 to reduce inflammations significantly.

10. Benefits People Suffering from Insomnia

People having sleep disorders often opt for Ashwagandha to induce sleep. Ashwagandha also has prominent effects on reducing anxiety levels, inducing sound sleep, and helping you wake up fresh in the morning.

11. Provides Relief from Arthritis

One of the significant health benefits of Ashwagandha is that it provides relief from joint pains. It inhibits the central nervous system from transferring the pain signal, thus acting as a pain reliever. Hence, it is popularly used during the treatment of arthritis.

12. Used in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers have gotten some evidence of Ashwagandha significantly benefitting people who have Alzheimer’s disease. However, you must consult your doctor before taking Ashwagandha as a medicine during the same.

13. Plays a Key Role in Boosting Immunity

If you take Ashwagandha daily, you will notice a significant improvement in your immunity. But you must only take it twice a day and avoid consuming in excess to avoid harmful effects.

14. Improves Athletic Performance

Athletes can benefit immensely from Ashwagandha as it plays a significant role in improving their performance. Ashwagandha acts as a significant substitute for harmful supplements that have a negative effect on health.

15. Keeps a Check on High Blood Pressure

During stress, ACTH hormone is released. This subsequently increases the secretion of cortisol hormone in the blood, thereby resulting in high blood pressure. Ashwagandha acts to keep a check on the cortisol level so that the problem of high blood pressure is resolved.

16. Used in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

People who have Parkinson’s disease have damaged nerve cells which disrupt the smooth conduction of signals. One of the medicinal benefits of Ashwagandha is that it acts as an antioxidant and shields the damage of nerve cells reducing the problems associated with Parkinson’s.

Ashwagandha can be intaken as both powder or capsule. Mostly the roots of Ashwagandha are taken in powdered form to gain maximum benefits. You can simply grind the roots in a mixture grinder to obtain the powdered version. This powder is often mixed with milk or honey to enhance its taste. You can also mix ashwagandha powder with your food or juices.

Alternatively, you can even directly boil the dried Ashwagandha root in one cup of water till the water comes to a simmer to prepare an Ashwagandha tea. This saves time as you don’t have to take the additional step of grinding the roots.

You can also intake Ashwagandha in the form of milkshake or laddoo or shrikhand to make a healthy twist to make it tasty. You can opt for a maximum of 600 mg to 1000 mg per day that too divided into two dosages.

However, you must avoid consuming Ashwagandha in excess to avoid its side effects.

Like other herbs, Ashwagandha too has several side effects if its intake is not carefully monitored. You can become prone to the following if you do not keep a check on ashwagandha consumption:

• Congestion,
• Constipation,
• Appetite changes,
• Cough and cold
• Excess increase in libido
• Increased chances of miscarriages 

Additionally, if you consume Ashwagandha in large doses, there can also be more severe adverse effects such as:

• Diarrhea,
• Vomiting,
• Nausea,
• Drowsiness, and
• Stomach upset.

You must take the following precautions to avoid any severe side effects:

• Avoid taking large doses of Ashwagandha to prevent side effects.
• Avoid intaking large doses of Ashwagandha if you are pregnant to reduces the chances of miscarriages.
• Consult a doctor to specify the dosages to avoid side effects.
• Avoid Ashwagandha intake if you are suffering from any kind of disease.
• Monitor blood pressure regularly to prevent fluctuations.

Hence, you can consult a doctor before deciding your dosage or to know if your current medical condition permits you to have Ashwagandha.

Although Ashwagandha has a vast array of advantages, there are several groups of people who must avoid having Ashwagandha. They include:

• People with excessively high blood pressure.
• People allergic to Ashwagandha.
• Pregnant women, to avoid any sort of allergic reaction.
• People who are suffering from stomach upset or nausea.
• Anyone suffering from stomach ulcers.
• People suffering from autoimmune diseases. 
• Individuals who feel drowsy during any activity.
• People with severe thyroid conditions.
• Individuals undergoing surgeries.
• If you regularly consume anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, barbiturates.

Now that you have known all the benefits of Ashwagandha, you must also consider avoiding them under the above mentioned conditions. In case you have doubts regarding preparation or dosage, you must consult a doctor before proceeding with the concoction.