Native to India and North Africa, Ashwagandha is a type of medicinal plant that has been used for over 3000 years. It is extremely potent and is capable of providing a range of health benefits, making it a common ingredient in many traditional remedies. These features of Ashwagandha have earned it the title of ‘King of Herbs’.
Now, you too can enjoy the positive effects of this herb on health and well-being with health products like ashwagandha capsules.
The History of Ashwagandha
In Ayurveda, ashwagandha is classified as a rasayana. This is any plant that is capable of promoting happiness, longevity and vitality. Traditionally, ashwagandha extracts were given to children. The powdered root was mixed with milk, honey and ghee and offered as a bedtime drink.
It is believed that Ashwagandha balances the air and space elements, known in Ayurveda as vata. This keeps your joints healthy, maintains healthy and supple skin and even improves your cognitive function.
Let us explore the benefits of this herb which has made it one of the most important herbs in Indian medicine.
Benefits of The King of Herbs
Ashwagandha is not only the most popular but also one of the most heavily researched herbs that we continue to use in the modern day.
These studies have shown that Ashwagandha can deliver a spectrum of health benefits such as:
- Stress relief : Ashwagandha is often known as an adaptogen. This is a type of herb or medicine that can help you cope with stress better. In simpler terms, adaptogens can build your resilience towards stress. They help maintain homeostasis within the body by regulating the immune, endocrine and nervous system.
One of the most significant benefits of ashwagandha is the reduction of stress hormone, cortisol within the body. This alleviates the symptoms of stress and helps you relax more.
- Improves cognitive health: A study conducted in 2017 showed that memory was markedly enhanced with regular use of ashwagandha for 8 weeks. Even traditionally, this herb was often used to improve memory and concentration in children. Ashwagandha has the ability to boost cognitive functions, giving you more focus and better mental well being.
- Helps you lose weight: Ashwagandha does not directly aid weight loss. However, in the case of individuals with chronic stress, habits like food cravings and lesser activity levels can lead to a significant amount of weight gain. In these cases, ashwagandha can be very useful. By improving your energy levels and keeping the cortisol levels under control, Ashwagandha also helps you improve your overall lifestyle. This can lead to significant weight loss.
- Maintains good sexual health: Ashwagandha is particularly beneficial in improving the sexual health of men. It boosts the testosterone levels alleviating issues like low sperm count and sperm mobility. It has several benefits for women as well. Supplements like HK Vitals Ashwagandha by HealthKart can reduce symptoms of female sexual dysfunction by improving the production of Follicle Stimulating Hormone or FSH.
- Keeps you active and energized: The antioxidant benefits of Ashwagandha reduce free radical damage. This provides multiple benefits. It boosts your immune response and keeps you stress free. But, most importantly, it improves the energy levels significantly. For this reason, the herb was given the name of Ashwagandha which means scent of a horse.
There are many more benefits of using Ashwagandha supplements, including:
- Better sleep cycle
- Improved muscle size and strength
- Better training performance
- Prevention of degenerative diseases of the brain.
Today, ashwagandha is available in the form of different supplements like powders and capsules. It is easier to include in your regular diet and enjoy all the benefits mentioned above. You also have a combination of different ingredients to give you a range of health benefits.
When used along with other herbal extracts, the benefits of Ashwagandha become multifold. For this reason, it has been given the title of ‘King of Herbs’.
Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub that grows in Asia and Africa. It is commonly used for stress. There is little evidence for its use as an “adaptogen.”
Ashwagandha contains chemicals that might help calm the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, and alter the immune system.
Since ashwagandha is traditionally used as an adaptogen, it is used for many conditions related to stress. Adaptogens are believed to help the body resist physical and mental stress. Some of the conditions it is used for include insomnia, aging, anxiety and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses. There is also no good evidence to support using ashwagandha for COVID-19.
Don’t confuse ashwagandha with Physalis alkekengi. Both are known as winter cherry. Also, don’t confuse ashwagandha with American ginseng, Panax ginseng, or eleuthero.
Ashwagandha, scientifically known as Withania Somnifera, is an evergreen shrub that has been used in Ayurvedic treatments for thousands of years and is also administered as a dietary supplement.
In Sanskrit, the word roughly translated to “the smell and strength of a horse”.
Ashwagandha is grown in India, the Middle–East, and some parts of Africa. It thrives in temperate areas.
