What is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha, often called Indian Ginseng, is a powerful ayurvedic herb used for thousands of years to support the body in stress situations, strengthen vitality, power and strength in addition to inducing a calm sleep (write an article on how to sleep better(using Ayurveda)).
Why is it widely used in Ayurveda?
In addition to the benefits mentioned above, ashwagandha is an adaptogen which adapts our body to its natural state i.e. balance, even in stressful situations hence the name ‘adaptogen’. Hence, this magical herb is widely used to help us develop stress management, promote better sleep and support vitality.
Scientific proof:
An extensive study published by the Medicine Journal in September 2019, depicts that the use of ashwagandha in stress relief and overall well-being does not impart any placebo effect rather it is a well-proven herb living upto its promises.
The study that was done on 60 stressed adults depicted the reduced stress parameters after administering 240mg of standardized ashwagandha extracts per day regularly for 60 days. Moreover, it was also noted that all the participants completed the trials without any side-effects.
Linked to Ayurveda:
In the sacred texts of Ayurveda, such as Charaka Samhita, Ashwagandha is highly valued for its capabilities to balance Vata Dosha. As per Ayurveda, Vata Dosha governs our movements, nervous system and mental activities.
Benefits of Ashwagandha explained:
1. Stress management and Mental Calmness: As mentioned above, ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb which helps to lower the elevated cortisol levels (body’s stress hormone) and literally helps the body to adapt to regain normal balance in the stress situations promoting a sense of calmness without causing drowsiness.
It is found to be highly useful for the people experiencing work pressure, mental overload, burnouts or emotional stress.
2. Improves Sleep Quality: Since ashwagnadha associated with balancing vata dosha which governs our nervous system, it relaxes our nervous system helping individuals winding down at night and promoting good sleep quality.
3. Useful in strength building and physical performance: It is recommended to be included in wellness routines of people aspiring active lifestyles as it is believed to support muscle recovery, strength and power.
4. Reduced Fatigue: In case of stress situations, our body’s central stress response system gets activated which happens at HPA Axis- Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis. What ashwagandha does is it calms down the HPA Axis reducing the body’s response to ‘fight or flight’ which does tires the body.
However, reducing body’s response to stress situations does not mean that the body loses its ability to fight or respond in survival situations. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen not a sedative, it does not shut down reflexes or adrenaline it just brings body to its natural state i.e. balance.
5. Better Immunity: Ashwagandha promotes better immunity in a regulatory way not over-stimulating it. Reduced cortisol levels helps build strong immunity by removing stress-related suppression in the body.
Ashwagnadha is also believed to nourish body tissues including those involved in immune system and promotes the production of anti-bodies which signals the body of healthy immune system. Resulting in an alert and efficient immune system.
6. Overall Energy and Longevity:
Ashwagandha is known to the herb which builds Ojas, in simple language energy, strengthens the vital energy and balancing vata which directly impacts the immune system.
The Key Take Away:
In Ayurveda, Ashwagandha is highly regarded for its capabilities to bring body to its natural balance by reducing stress, improving energy and overall well-being. It is not a hype or magic just a well-studied and trusted adaptogenic herb used for thousands of years. It when used mindfully and in prescribed amount can work wonders on an individual’s overall well-being.
