What Is
Ashwagandha?
This herb has many names. It's also known as the winter
cherry or Indian ginseng. Ashwagandha is a popular Ayurvedic herb from India,
but women all over the world use it for a variety of health reasons.
If you translate the word Ashwagandha, it means “odor of
horse”. Sounds pretty weird, right? But there's a logical explanation for this!
Ashwagandha got this funny name because of its distinct
smell, which is similar to horse sweat. According to many users of the herb,
the smell is so strong, that taking the herb in its raw form can sometimes be
intolerable. Aside from this, Ashwagandha gives you so much energy, endurance
and strength – just like a horse!
In Ayurveda, this herb is known as Rasayana. It helps
calm the mind and body and lengthens life. Ashwagandha also belongs to the
class of small shrubs called Solanaceae where tomatoes and eggplants are part
of. You can identify this herb because of its red berries and five-petal
flowers.
Although most of its parts are usable, its roots are the
most important part of the plant. They are made into powders, tinctures and
extracts.
Grown in harsh weather, sunlight and extreme
temperatures, ashwagandha, also known as “Indian Ginseng” or “Winter-cherry”,
is capable of managing stress and boosting immunity. Interestingly, researchers
have discovered more than 200 benefits of this herb!
How It Works
Ashwagandha has adaptogenic properties, which means it is
a stress fighter. Menopause herbs such as red clover, red ginseng and
ashwagandha have no direct effect on estrogen levels and thus, do not generate
an estrogenic balance in menopausal women.
However, as mentioned before, practitioners do use it as
tonic. Ashwagandha helps manage menopause symptoms by directly stimulating the
central nervous system. Since it is an adaptogen, it works in your brain to
reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol is one of the stress hormones in your body,
which in high levels causes a person to become increasingly anxious or depressed.
Ashwagandha is a fabulous herb for those fighting with stress, especially
menopausal women who are more vulnerable to negative emotions at this stage of
their lives.
In addition, ashwagandha has a similar effect to GABA
(Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid), which plays a role in calming the brain and the
body. According to the Denver Naturopathic Clinic, GABA is a natural
tranquilizer of the body.
Therefore, unlike most menopause treatments, ashwagandha
doesn’t tackle vasomotor symptoms directly. However, since vasomotor symptoms
such as hot flashes and night sweats are linked to stress, using ashwagandha
can help relieve these symptoms too. Furthermore, adaptogens do a great job at
improving sleep and treating insomnia. They can also be used to minimize mood swings
and panic attacks, not only during menopause, but in all stages of a person’s
life.
Ashwagandha and
the menopause
Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for
millennia to treat a wide range of health problems, including menopausal
symptoms. Thanks to its adaptogenic properties, ashwagandha has been shown to
help the body adapt to stressful situations, whether that’s environmental
stressors or hormonal changes.
Ashwagandha has also been shown to play a role in calming
the brain, by boosting the production of GABA – an important natural
tranquilizer that boosts calm and reduces anxiety.
As many symptoms of menopause are directly linked to
elevated cortisol levels, reducing stress naturally can help minimize many of
these uncomfortable problems.
Here are just a few ways ashwagandha can help:
Boosts mood and
improves sleep
According to the National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine adaptogens like ashwagandha are the most effective herbal
remedies for treating sleep problems and mood swings in menopausal women.
Boosts sexual
potency
Thanks to ashwagandha, you don’t have to go through a
long dry spell even after being hit by menopause. Ashwagandha has been
mentioned in the Kama Sutra as a natural and powerful aphrodisiac. According to
research, ashwagandha promotes sexual health by increasing the flow of blood to
all parts of the body, including the genitals. And it reduces muscle tension.
Women who take ashwagandha usually talk about the effect it has on their
libido.
Decreases stress
A recent study has suggested that Ashwagandha, or
Withania Somnifera to use its scientific name, could help to decrease stress.
After conducting a series of cold water swimming stress tests on albino rats,
the study concluded that those rats that had taken Ashwagandha demonstrated
higher levels of stress resistance. This ability to decrease stress could be of
particular value to women experiencing the menopause.
Boosts energy
levels
Many women experiencing menopause complain of low energy
and fatigue. However, a 2011 study has suggested that ashwagandha can boost
energy levels by tackling problems associated with high stress levels.
Elevates mood
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine assessed the effectiveness of six herbal medicines for the management
of symptoms related to menopause. Researchers found that the use of ginseng for
sleep problems and mood swings in menopausal women had the strongest evidence
out of all the other botanical treatments. Since ginseng is also an adaptogen
and has similar effects to ashwagandha on the body, it can be assumed that
ashwagandha is equally beneficial in treating menopause symptoms. Of course,
research has been done on ashwagandha too.
Researchers from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi,
India describe the use of ashwagandha as follows:
“The roots of Withania somnifera (WS) are used
extensively in Ayurveda, the classical Indian system of medicine, and WS is
categorized as a rasayana, which are used to promote physical and mental
health, to provide defence against disease and adverse environmental factors
and to arrest the aging process.”
The researchers studied the effect of ashwagandha on rats
and compared the results with benzodiazepine lorazepam, a clinical drug used for
the management of stress, anxiety, insomnia and alcohol withdrawal. The rats
were given a daily dose of 20 and 50 mg/kg of ashwagandha versus 0.5 m/kg of
lorazepam.
The study was published in the 2000 issue of
Phytomedicine and researchers found that the effects of ashwagandha on the lab
rats were comparable to those of lorazepam thus, showing that ashwagandha can
be used as a mood stabilizer to manage stress, anxiety and insomnia. Menopausal
women fighting mood swings and sleep problems can greatly benefit from the
regular use of this herb.
Improves vasomotor
symptoms
Although ashwagandha doesn’t have a direct effect on your
estrogen levels, studies do show that it can help in reducing vasomotor
symptoms that are associated with estrogen decline. A couple of these symptoms
include, you guessed it, the dreaded hot flashes and night sweats.
This is mainly because your stress levels have an effect
on how frequent and intense your hot flashes are. The more you stress, the more
you flush.
One study involving 51 menopausal women published in the
2012 issue of Ayurveda, showed that daily intake of ashwagandha supplement
resulted in a significant improvement in symptoms of menopause syndrome, such
as hot flashes, mood swings and anxiety.
Prevents memory
impairment
According to modern research, ashwagandha may help reduce
memory decline in aging and menopausal individuals. This isn’t some magic
memory improvement gimmick, however. How ashwagandha works is complex yet
simply put, it protects the brain from oxidative stress and thus, inhibits
neuro-degeneration. You need to take ashwagandha regularly to reap its benefits
and protect your brain.
One study showed that the herb relaxes the body and mind
and fights stress. Stress is a strong degrader of memory and therefore, regular
use of this herb has been linked to improvement in visual memory in the long
term.
Helps relieve
inflammation
Although many studies support the use of ashwagandha for
the treatment of menopause symptoms, it is still a subject of ongoing study.
Researchers believe that ashwagandha may help fight
inflammation in the body, indicating that it could be used as a treatment for
rheumatoid arthritis, which is common among middle aged women.
In addition, ashwagandha may help improve cholesterol
levels, blood sugar levels and immune system function – but further research is
still needed to validate this.
Dosage
Usually, experts recommend a dosage of 500 to 1000 mg,
twice or thrice a day however, a recommended daily dosage has not been established
yet. Therefore, it is always best to follow the instructions given on the label
or instruction sheet of the supplement.
How much you should take depends on the form of the
product you take too, because it’s available in powder, capsules, tea and tincture
form.
Side Effects of
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has been used for over 5000 years in Indian
traditional medicine and has been mentioned in the oldest book related to
sexual wellness, Kama Sutra. It’s a herb that was used years before an idea of
a good dosage was developed and no side effects have been reported, except for
occasional drowsiness or gastrointestinal problems.
Animal tests have been conducted with extreme doses, such
as ¼ of the daily diet, which resulted in toxicity. However, this is true for
almost any other herb. Too much of anything can be detrimental so it’s always
best to follow instructions and not go crazy!
Women who are pregnant should avoid ashwagandha and
always take supplements under their doctor’s instructions.
Ashwagandha powder may lead to some mild gastrointestinal
problems so if at any point, you feel some discomfort with its use, reduce your
dosage and gradually increase it to your complete daily amount. Another option
if you experience side effects with the powder is to switch to tincture or
supplements.
Since it has a calming effect on the body, it may lead to
drowsiness in some people. If you’re sensitive to the herb’s sedative effect,
try taking it to the night only and adjust intake accordingly. Some people
report that the supplement makes them more energetic, in which case, you can
have it during the daytime only or have a smaller dose in the night.
Sources and
Additional Information: