Then there’s the other modern habit, staying up late on phones or other electronic devices. The blue light from those devices interferes with your body’s production of melatonin, the key hormone for sleep further throwing off the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, Ashwagandha helps in getting rest full sleep.
Research shows that ashwagandha supplement can be useful in supporting adrenal function and helping you to overcome adrenal fatigue. So it also works as a adrenal support supplements. (1)
One surprising ashwagandha benefit is its ability to increase your muscle mass and strength. So it can also be a helpful tool for people engaging in resistance training and other forms of exercise that can be tiring for your muscles.
When feeling stressed, the body goes into a “fight or flight” response and secretes increased amounts of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This occurs through HPA Axis, a central hormone pathway, which includes pituitary gland, and adrenal glands.
A prolonged stress response can disrupt the hormone levels in body and can lead to a number of different stress-induced symptoms.
Ayurveda knows Ashwagandha extract for its ability to reduce stress. Researchers reported that it blocked the stress pathway in the brains by regulating chemical signaling in the nervous system. (2)
Several controlled studies show that it can effectively reduce symptoms in people with stress and anxiety disorders as well. (3, 4, 5)
A 60-day study on 64 people with chronic stress, those in the supplemental group reported a 69% average reduction in anxiety and insomnia, compared to 11% who didn’t took ashwagandha. (6)
In another six-week study, 88% of people who took ashwagandha reported reduced anxiety, compared to 50% of those who didn’t. (7)
Studies show that ashwagandha may help improve heart health by reducing cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
One study found that it ashwagandha lowered total cholesterol by 53% and triglycerides by 45%. (8) (9)
In another 60 day study of chronically stressed adults, the group taking the highest dosage of ashwagandha experienced a 17% decrease in “bad” LDL cholesterol and an 11% decrease in triglycerides.(13)
Stress can alter the sleep cycle, throw off blood sugar, flood the body with stress hormones, disturb the microbiome and deplete the body’s energy reserves — all factors linked to healthy sleep.
Ayurveda believes that sleep issues are linked to the body lacking energy reserves, rather than having too much energy. The Ayurvedic strategy for sleep is not to sedate an already exhausted body, but to rejuvenate and rebuild its reserves so body has the energy it needs to sedate itself and sleep deeply, naturally.
Withanolides in ashwagandha are used to improve cognitive function. Studies suggest that ashwagandha can reduce memory and brain function problems caused by injury or disease. (29, 30, 31, 32)
In one controlled study, healthy men who took 500 mg of the herb daily reported significant improvements in their reaction time and task performance, compared to men who didn’t. (33)
A eight-week study in 50 adults showed that taking 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily significantly improved general memory, task performance and attention. (34)
Researchers found that ashwagandha extracts can boost and improve cardiorespiratory endurance at 8 and 12 weeks of treatment. (17)
In one study it improved swimming performance during a physical endurance test.
Scientists believe that it’s ashwagandha’s anti-stress properties that help to improve your stamina.
Ashwagandha can be very effective for the people engaged in resistance training and other forms of exercise that can be strenuous on your muscles. Heavy workout alone is not sufficient for a stronger and better body, a proper diet inclusive of all the essential nutrients is also very important and Ashwagandha can play a key role in it.
Researchers found that those receiving Ashwagandha displayed significantly greater muscle size increase of the arms and chest and had a significantly greater reduction of exercise-induced muscle damage as compared to those who didn’t consume Ashwagandha at all. Research also shows that Ashwagandha may improve body composition and increase the overall strength of the body. (4, 22)
It also helps in reducing the body fat at a faster rate. (20)
A study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that
supplementing with Ashwagandha was correlated with an increase in white blood cells in the body. No doubt, Ashwagandha is one of the best herbs in the world to be included in our daily diet for its innumerable health benefits.
After chemotherapy, the decreased count of white blood cells in the patients’ body is one of the major concerns for doctors because it puts the patient at much higher risk of health issues like contracting an infection. In such cases, Ashwagandha may serve as a complementary addition to conventional cancer
treatments. (12)