In today’s world of constant bombardment with pollution, subpar food, and chronic stress, certain health problems have become widespread. Some of these are anxiety, difficulty sleeping, low testosterone or otherwise imbalanced hormones, diabetes, and the ever-tough belly fat. Not fun to be plagued by any of these!
To the rescue is the super herb Ashwagandha. The only contraindications for taking this beautiful herb are pregnancy or lactation and taking Rx sedatives. It belongs to a family of herbs called adaptogenic, which means it helps your body’s adaptation response. If you’re too “jazzed” it can calm you and if you’re too depleted, it can lift you up. Some people are “wired and tired”, having both imbalances. The beauty of an adaptogenic herb like Aswagandha is that it can help to correct both of those symptoms at the same time.
Ashwagandha is native to India and has been used in that country’s ancient healing technology called Ayurvedic Medicine for thousands of years. Its roots and/or leaves are powdered to be used medicinally. Here’s what it looks like:
Lots of studies have been done on the effectiveness of Ashwagandha. Here is a partial list of the benefits those studies have shown this super herb can bring, and they’re downright amazing!
· Brought significantly higher stress symptom relief than placebo.
· Supports healthy lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides)
· Helped to prevent osteoporosis.
· Protects the brain from oxidative stress (damage from pollution/toxins) and actually lowered Alzheimer’s risk.
· Improved memory and cognitive function.
· Helped proper thyroid function.
· Reduced blood pressure.
· Reduced inflammation, which is a huge contributor to chronic disease and aging.
· Nourished and protected the liver.
· Promoted healthy immune function.
· Aided treatment for ADHD.
· Helped restore insulin sensitivity, which helps both diabetes and belly fat.
· Helped both rheumatoid and osteo arthritis.
· Supported sexual and reproductive health in both men and women.
To me, this is why natural healing is so profound. Who would think that one plant could provide such a huge variety of benefits?! And think about this- it does so simply by supporting your body’s adaptation response. That’s it. Your own body is what does the healing; the herb just supports its ability to do so.
If you’d like to try this herb for yourself, (and are not pregnant, lactating, or on any Rx sedative) here’s what you need to know. Most of these studies used a 3 to 4 month time frame. The standard dose for an adult has a pretty wide range- from 250 mg to 2,000 mg per day. I’m a fan of starting at a dose of 400 to 500 mg twice a day for an adult. Children should take only under practitioner supervision. We have a great organic Ashwagandha on our Wellevate site, where you can get a 10% discount on any order. Here’s the Wellevate link. In the search bar, type Organic India Ashwagandha and it will pop up. 2 caps give 800 mg, so you can start with 1 cap twice a day. Tap into the healing power of nature!
Disclaimer: This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: I am not a medical doctor and nothing in this newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Discuss all medical issues with your own MD.
