Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera (Indian Ginseng, Indian winter cherry)

Health Benefits

• Regulate and support the immune system.
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Fight infections.
• Alleviate respiratory problems such as asthma.
• Prevent and heal acne, improve skin tone & treat vitiligo.
• Boost collagen in the skin, preventing ageing.
• Reduce stress and anxiety.
• Menopause and menopause related symptoms.
• Enhance all aspects of cognitive function.
• Improve focus, memory and the ability to perform motor responses after instructions. 
• Combat neurodegenerative issues like Alzheimer’s disease.
• Improve natural sleep.
• Diabetes – Regulate blood sugar levels
• Support heart and circulatory health.
• Improve thyroid health.
• Assist in weight loss.
• Improve muscle strength, stamina & endurance.
• Treat erectile dysfunction & low sperm count.
• Improve sexual function in women. 
• Prevent convulsions and seizures.
• May assist in cancer prevention.

Detailed Health Benefits

Regulate and support the immune system.

It is an immunomodulator that regulates and stimulates the immune system depending on the need. It protects us against disease by distinguishing between pathogens & healthy cells. It also reduces the C-reactive protein (CRP), which stimulates inflammation.  It assists the body in resisting infection, including drug-resisting strains. It stimulates the immune system only when necessary by increasing white blood cell production. It increases levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, two of the most potent health-promoting substances known to men. These enzymes also have a lot to do with Ashwagandha’s longevity properties.

Ashwagandha has both immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive properties. https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=jbs.2014.77.94

The immunosuppressive effect of Ashwagandha root makes it an important remedy for inflammatory diseases.  It activates and mobilises macrophages for increased phagocytic activity, potentiates the activity of lysosomal enzymes and acts as an anti-stress molecule and anti-inflammatory agent. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1537189106000747?via%3Dihub

Anti-inflammatory

Assist in reducing inflammation in arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It alleviates pain and swelling. The anti-inflammatory properties are attributed to saponins, alkaloids, and steroidal lactones in Ashwagandha. It stimulates the increase of white blood cells when needed and increases levels of superoxide dismutase and glutarhi

Fight infections

It has strong antimicrobial and antibacterial properties against a range of pathogens. It assists in treating vaginal and yeast infections. 

Alleviate respiratory problems such as asthma

Skin conditions

Prevent and heal acne, improve skin tone & treat vitiligo. Boost collagen in the skin, preventing ageing.

Reduce stress and anxiety

by reducing cortisol levels, acting as a mood stabiliser and improving stress resistance. The glycowithanolides in Ashwagandha mimic the body’s stress-reducing hormone cortisol. The phytochemical withanolides are a precursor to the hormones that regulate the body’s stress response. It supports the adrenal glands, promoting relaxation and a sense of calmness.  It also assists in treating agoraphobia and stress-related infertility in men.

Menopause

Assist in controlling hormonal fluctuations during menopause. 

Enhance all aspects of cognitive function

Improve focus, memory and the ability to perform motor responses after instructions. Combat neurodegenerative issues like Alzheimer’s disease

Improve natural sleep.

Its effect may stem from a phytochemical triethylene glycol, a compound that induces natural sleep. Ashwagandha also contains withanolides that interfere with the body’s ability to cope with stress. Stress is known to have a negative effect on sleep quality.  The higher triethylene glycol content from the leaves is associated with sleep improvement. Ashwagandha is used to alleviate stress-related insomnia.  

Diabetes

Regulate blood sugar levels and help reduce sugar cravings. 

Support heart and circulatory health

Assist in lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Easing chest pain & prevent heart disease. Enhance cardiorespiratory endurance and improve the quality of life. It increases  VO2 max levels, the maximum amount of oxygen you take while physically exerting yourself. 

Improve thyroid health

Hypothyroidism – Assist in the treatment of hypothyroidism by increases in triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) levels and decreasing thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). This may be due to Ashwagandha’s cortisol-lowering effects. Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, leading to lower levels of T3 and T4. Ashwagandha stimulates your endocrine system, boosting thyroid hormone levels by reducing cortisol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28829155/

Hyperthyroidism – Do not take Ashwagandha if you have hyperthyroidism as it may exacerbate hyperthyroidism symptoms by boosting T3 and T4 levels, potentially leading to a severe form of hyperthyroidism called thyrotoxicosis.

Assist in weight loss

especially if weight gain is stress driven. 

Alleviate and reduce the risk of ulcers

Improve muscle strength, stamina & endurance

Combined with ongoing resistance training, it can increase strength and improve body composition.

Treat erectile dysfunction and increase low sperm count

by increasing testosterone levels in men. It may also increase sperm count and sperm motility. 

Improve sexual function in women. 

It provides relief from mental stress and induces a good mood. It improves arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction.

Prevent convulsions and seizures

Ashwagandha regulates the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in the brain so that GABA molecules bind more tightly. 
Cancer prevention. It shows positive results in treating cancer. It prevents new blood vessels that support the growth of cancer cells from forming.  It helps induce apoptosis, which is the programmed death of cancer cells.

Ashwagandha and the Immune System

Ashwagandha significant increases immunoglobulins and cytokines. Ashwagandha root significantly improved the immune profile of healthy people by modulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. It boosts the immune system of people at risk of infection.

Ashwagandha enhances nitric oxide synthetase activity of the macrophages, increasing the immune cells’ microbial killing power, thereby improving the Cell-Mediated Immune (CMI) response. A glycoprotein Glycowithanolides (WSG), commonly known as W. somnifera glycoprotein, is responsible for antimicrobial activity.

By using Ashwagandha for three weeks or longer, there is an increase in total erythrocyte count, total leucocyte count, haemoglobin content, lymphocyte percentage, and reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase activities were observed. They observed a statistically significant decrease in cortisol, epinephrine, glucose, triglycerides, creatinine, IL-6, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase Ashwagandha treated groups (G2, G3, and G4) when compared to the control group (G1). The results suggest that Ashwagandha root extract has potent hemopoietic, antioxidant, adaptogenic, and immune-stimulant properties.