Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), “Indian Ginseng”.
Ancient Answer to the Stress of Modern Life
Herb with a long history
Ayurvedic medicine is the oldest, intact, surviving traditional medical system. The system originated in ancient India some five thousand years or more ago. One of the main thrusts of Ayurvedic medicine since these early times has been the use of tonic herbs. Ashwagandha is just one such tonic/adaptogen and it is described in the early texts as a tonic, anti-ageing, anti-exhaustion, rejuvenating and aphrodisiac herb.
The modern word for tonic is adaptogen and refers to herbs that help the body to cope with and overcome the effects of all kinds of stress, physical or mental, and restore lost energy without interfering with the bodies functions, and have no side-effects or adverse reactions.
How it works
Ashwagandha has been studied extensively. Its roots and leaves contain alkaloids and steroidal lactones, such as the withanolides. The alkaloids in ashwagandha have been shown to be sedative and to lower blood pressure. The withanolides are anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and protect the liver against damage by toxins. The most interesting effect though is its anti-stress effect.
Stress, Stress, Stress!
When we are stressed, physically or mentally, the adrenal glands situated just on top of the kidneys release a hormone called cortisol.
This mechanism evolved in humans thousands of years ago to overcome the temporary problems like running away from dinosaurs or fighting for your life! Cortisol does some useful things in our evasion of stress factors, such as taking some protein out of muscles and other body tissues and converting it to energy giving blood sugar to aid our swift departure from danger and fuel the brain for quick thinking.
Continuous, excessive production of cortisol though, as in continuous stress can lead to the loss of protein from muscles and other tissues leading to weight loss, weakness, lethargy and even worse, peptic ulcers. Add high blood pressure, lowered immunity and insomnia to this and you have the picture of typical modern man!!
Added to this is the fact that it is the adrenals that also produce adrenaline. This adrenaline is of course released when we are stressed, and its effect is to make us more stressed, anxious, remove our appetite, burn up even more of our tissues for energy and push the blood pressure higher, thus, further intensifying the damage of long term stress.
The main function of ashwagandha is that it delays the release of cortisol and thus prevents the negative effects of long term stress, whilst preventing adrenal exhaustion.
Ashwagandha is also sedative and lowers blood pressure. It is effective in stopping the formation of stress induced ulcers. Ashwagandha also increases the numbers of immune cells known as T and B cells, thus helping to fight infections. All these actions directly oppose the effects of stress.
In one study, in which ashwagandha was given to groups of elderly men, it was found to increase red blood cell count, improve haemoglobin levels, increase endurance and stamina and increase lean weight. Over 71% reported an improvement in sexual function.
Natural anabolic training aid
Another area where Ashwagandha is becoming popular is in sports and athletics. When you train hard you walk a very fine line between over training and just enough training. Training by itself, even in perfect circumstances, is a stress on the body and to get maximum performance from your muscles requires just the right amount of training coupled with the appropriate rest and recovery periods. Over training means too much cortisol which means muscle protein is eaten up and performance suffers.
Endurance athletes such as distance runners and cyclists etc are very prone to infections. This is due, in part, to the excess cortisol produced in response to the heavy training load suppressing the immune system and it can also lead to muscle and tendon tears as the muscles are weakened due to protein loss under the influence of cortisol and the excessive exercise.
Ashwagandha, by blocking the effect of cortisol preserves your muscle mass and protects you from the detrimental effects of excess training. It’s the perfect natural anabolic edge.
Cautions
Ashwagandha is a very safe herb and is safely administered to children.
The only time caution needs to be exercised is if you are also taking tranquillisers, sedatives or sleeping tablets from the doctor.
Don’t use: If you are pregnant
