Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a medicinal plant of the Solanaceae family, native to India and Afghanistan. It is popularly known as “Indian ginseng”. The plant is used in traditional Hindu medicine as an aphrodisiac, tonic, and sedative. Ashwagandha is one of the most widely used herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. Its roots and bark are used to treat various health problems, such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, depression, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases, among others. Ashwagandha is also known as “Withania somnifera”, “Indian ginseng”, or “Winter cherry”.
plant-based
Itself
Herbs, Roots & Barks
18-60, >60
May be toxic in high doses
What are Ashwagandha benefits?
Ashwagandha has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine to treat various health problems, including insomnia, anxiety, depression, and stress. Ashwagandha is known for its adaptogenic properties, which means it helps the body adapt to stress and increase resilience; it is also known to increase melatonin production, which can help improve sleep directly, or indirectly by controlling anxiety, depression, and stress.
Table of relations
| Dietary supplement | Consistent Effects | Strength of Effects | Scientific articles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashwagandha | See all 7 studies | ||
| Ashwagandha | See all 8 studies | ||
| Ashwagandha | See all 4 studies | ||
| Ashwagandha | See all 7 studies | ||
| Ashwagandha | See all 7 studies | ||
| Ashwagandha | See all 7 studies |
Ashwagandha and Sleep
Sleep is a very important physiological process, as it regulates the body's functions. It is responsible for promoting / facilitating energy conservation, synthesis and secretion of hormones and proteins, learning and memory through brain changes. Sleep is mainly driven by the circadian cycle, which involves exposure to light, hormones such as melatonin, and hypothalamic activity. The compounds that help regulate sleep work in different pathways, they can facilitate the process of falling asleep, increase the duration of continuous sleep or improve the quality of sleep.
Ashwagandha and Sleep Latency
Sleep latency is the time it takes between being awake and actually falling asleep. More importantly than many think, sleep latency is linked to and impacted by the stages of sleep. Fortunately there are natural solutions to improve latency and quality of nightly rest.
Ashwagandha and Early Awaking
Early awakening is a form of recurrent sleep disorder and can cause exhaustion. This problem is commonly associated with anxiety and can impair performance the next day, especially in tasks that require focus and attention such as work and physical activities.
Ashwagandha and Sleep Duration
Sleep duration refers to the total amount of sleep obtained, either during the nightly sleep episode or during the 24 hours. Getting a full, uninterrupted sleep can be difficult and is considered a disorder, but there are natural solutions that can help.
Ashwagandha and Stress
Stress can be understood as a situation in which the individual is physically or mentally overloaded, which can cause pain, tension and physical injury, as well as emotional fatigue, tiredness, reduced productivity and attention. The substances that help control stress act on hormonal regulation (for example, cortisol), on the circadian cycle and promote physical and mental relaxation.
Ashwagandha and Anxiety
Anxiety is the body's natural response to stress. It's a feeling of fear or apprehension about what's to come. It can be triggered by a specific situation and not last long - which is very common and ok - or it can be a generalized disorder (which is considered a illness) that can bring harm to everyday life and also cause other conditions like depression.
Ashwagandha and Depression
Depression is a chronic and recurrent psychiatric condition that produces mood changes characterized by deep sadness, mood swings, loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
