Ashwagandha has been labelled "King of the Ayurvedic herbs". Ayurveda is a traditional medical system that works to bring the body back into balance based on the constitution that it presents with. Herbs is one of the methods used to achieve this.
There is a growing body of evidence that is showing benefit of traditional herbs like Ashwagandha for anxiety, cortisol balancing, insomnia, athletic performance and more.
Read on to find 5 ways that Ashwagandha can support full body health.
RELIEF OF ANXIETY
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen - it helps to enhance the body’s resilience to stress. It has some evidence showing benefit for relieving anxiety (1,2,3,4,5).
2. BALANCING CORTISOL DYSREGULATION
It has also been shown to break down cortisol efficiently (3,4,5,6,7,8). In studies where cortisol was lowered, other outcomes, such as anxiety, weight management, fertility, cognition, sleep, and/or quality of life, have also shown some improvement.
3. COMBATTING INSOMNIA
More evidence is now showing the efficacy of ashwagandha for improving total sleep time and sleep quality in people with and without insomnia (9).
4. BOOSTING ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
There is promise for its benefit in athletic performance in both athletes and non-athletes (10,11,12)
5. SUPPORTING FOR OTHER SYSTEMS
There is mixed benefit seen for immune health, as well as sexual and reproductive health.
Naturopathic Doctors understand the dosing of herbs used in the research to achieve a specific health goal. Immune support is a common service that we provide and we accomplish this through nutritional changes, lifestyle strategies, botanical herbs, and supplements. We are also trained to determine if there are any interactions between herbs and medications you may be taking or health concerns you may be experiencing.
If you're curious whether Ashwagandha would be a good fit for your mental health and sleep, book an appointment today!
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REFERENCES
1. PMID: 25405876
2. PMID: 32282308
3. PMID: 31517876
4. PMID: 34858513
5. PMID: 32021735
6. PMID: 23439798
7. PMID: 27055824
8. PMID: 34838432
9. PMID: 34559859
10. PMID: 30463324
11. PMID: 33600918
12. PMID: 33670194
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