10 Immense Benefits of Ashwagandha & Uses and side effects of Ashwagandha!

Today we will talk about one of the most beneficial Ayurvedic herb known as Ashwagandha. The key highlights of today’s information will be based on Ashwagandha health benefits, Ashwagandha, uses, and the side-effects of Ashwagandha. We will also discuss how Ashwagandha helps in weight loss

In Ayurveda, herbs have been used for thousands of years and even studies say the benefits of herbs to heal various types of health-related issues. And Ashwagandha is one of the promising herbs that is used for its immense benefits. 

Ashwagandha is also known as Winter cherry and Poison gooseberry, but in India, it is famous with the name Ashwagandha. The name Ashwagandha derived from the Sanskrit language and this word is a combination of two words, ‘Ashwa’ meaning horse and ‘Gandha’ meaning smell. This means that the Ashwagandha herb has a strong horse-like odour. This herb is extremely beneficial to treat sleep disorder. 

Ashwagandha is mainly grown in India, China, Nepal and Yemen. Ashwagandha herb is grown from greenwood cuttings and seeds, if you are using seed then you need to sow it earlier in the spring season and if you are growing Ashwagandha using greenwood cutting, then you need to plant it later in spring. 

Ashwagandha requires stony soil and sunny to partial shade. Ashwagandha is popularly known as Indian ginseng, and this herb belongs to the nightshade family. However, botanically ginseng and Ashwagandha has no relation. Ashwagandha is also known for its rejuvenating properties. 

10 Benefits of Ashwagandha 

  1. Fight stress: Ashwagandha stress has adaptogenic benefits means this herb can help our body to adapt a lot of physical and emotional stress. High cortisol level which leads to stress hormones can be reduced with the help of Ashwagandha. 

2. Balance blood sugar level: Ashwagandha has properties that can be helpful to balance lower blood sugar level. Ashwagandha not only helps to balance blood sugar level but also helps to reduce fasting blood sugar level. 

3. Get rid of anxiety and depression: If you consume Ashwagandha in the right amount on a daily basis, this will help you to get rid of depression, anxious mood and anxiety.Also, Ashwagandha is helpful to calm the central nervous system, which is the reason it helps to tackle depression and anxiety.

4. Fight cancer: Ashwagandha has beneficial anti-cancer properties that help to delay the growth of new cancer cell and induce apoptosis programmed death of cancer. Though there are no confirmed studies on the results that people get from this amazing herb, but Ashwagandha is indeed used to fight cancer from several centuries.

6. Control cholesterol levels and triglyceride: If a person with high cholesterol consumes Ashwagandha, there are chances that he/she would be able to control their cholesterol level and triglyceride.

7. Anti-inflammatory properties: Ashwagandhahas beneficial properties that help to improve the immunity that further helps to reduce inflammation and fight infection.

Ashwagandha is also helpful to reduce the risk of developing heart diseases.

8. Improve attention in children: If you child had ADHD which means Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and you are looking for a powerful herb to improve this condition then Ashwagandha can be helpful because Ashwagandha help to aid impulse control and attention-related problem in children. 

9. Improve memory and reaction time: If a person has a problem with memorising, and wants to improve his/her learning abilities, then Ashwagandha can help with this. Ashwagandha has antioxidants properties that can be helpful to protect the nerve cells from harmful free radicals. 

In Ayurveda, Ashwagandha herb is used to boost the memory, and this herb is used for the same benefits till today. 

10. Reduce OCD symptoms: Ashwagandha is helpful to cure the OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder) also it is beneficial to aid OCD when it is taken with prescribed medications. 

And here you can know how much Ashwagandha powder, root or tablets you need to take?

You can easily buy this herb in an Ayurvedic store and Ashwagandha is available in all forms like tablets, powder, and roots. 

If you are consuming Ashwagandha tablets, then you can have it easily with water like any other tablet, but if you consuming Ashwagandha roots or powder, you need to add this in your daily diet. 

If you talk about the classic way of consuming Ashwagandha powder, then it is mixed with ghee or honey and then you consume it. 

You can also use other methods in which you roast an ounce of Ashwagandha powder in ghee. Then you add a tablespoon of date sugar with the roasted Ashwagandha powder.

Then you can consume this mixture at least 20 minutes before you have your breakfast. You can also consume this mixture afterwards with milk during the daytime. 

Here is another way to consume Ashwagandha:

You can use homemade curd and tie the curd in a soft muslin cloth and hang it somewhere for 8 hours. 

Then, you need to take out the curd from the cloth after 8 hours and then divide into four portions and add sugar and Ashwagandha powder in all the four portions. 

Knead these fours portion and make a smooth paste out of it. Put the mixture into the refrigerator and consume it whenever you want. 

How does Ashwagandha help in weight loss?

  1. Ashwagandha herbs rich in natural antioxidants, that helps to boost the overall health and also improve fat burning capability indirectly. 
  • Ashwagandha has properties that help to improve our immune function because if our immune function is not good, then losing weight also becomes a problem. Hence, a good immunity eases our way to a weight loss journey. 
  • So, if you are looking for a healthy way to lose weight, then Ashwagandha herbs have some beneficial properties that can really help you to get excess fat. 
  • As you know that Ashwagandha helps to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and this help to maintain a healthy weight. 

Side-effects of Ashwagandha: 

First of all, you take Ashwagandha in the right amount, then you do not have to worry about the side-effects. 

  • Though the long-term “effects of Ashwagandha” herb are not confirmed, there are no severe side-effects of this herb. 
  • In case a person takes a large amount of this herb, this can lead to diarrhoea, upset stomach and vomiting. 
  • It is advisable to consult your doctor before you start consuming Ashwagandha because Ashwagandha side-effects differ from person to person. 
  • As per some evidence, females who are breastfeeding and pregnant women should not consume this herb because this can lead to miscarriage and premature delivery. 
  • Though no study proves any effect of this herb on lactating women but still to keep women in such conditions on a safer-side they are advised to not consume this herb. 
  • Ashwagandha herbs are known for many benefits and one of the benefits also includes problems like lower blood sugar level, altering thyroid hormone level and reduce blood pressure. 
  • But it is important to understand that people who have high blood pressure, high blood sugar level, only they should consume this herb because people who do not have such problem may face issues like hypoglycemia among those who are on medication. 
  • People who are on medication based on related to thyroid should also first consult their doctor before they consume this herb.  
  • Excessive consumption can also lead to irritation in the gastrointestinal tract and auto-immune diseases.
  • If you went through a surgery, it is advisable to not consume Ashwagandha for at least two weeks pre and post-surgery because this can slow down the central nervous system. 

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