Ashwagandha: The natural solution to intense stress...and more!

Ashwagandha. What is it?

Ashwagandha is one of Asia's most widespread and widely used herbs, originating from India, the Middle East and Africa. However you pronounce it, for those of us who don't know Sanskrit, it will be a particularly beautiful herb name, while for Indians it means... "smell of the horse". It may sound ironic, but one theory is that the allegory behind its name was attributed to Ashwagandha because of the "power within", i.e. it gives the "power of the horse". And apparently, the Indians knew something, as science has already begun to unearth some very outstanding data about Ashwagandha, which has been used for...3000 years!

Ashwagandha & Properties

Science has shed light on the benefits of this - sacred for the Hindus - herb, studying the actions of Ashwagandha in a number of pathological conditions, such as anxiety disorders, depression, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, with most data highlighting it as a promising tool for our mental health. Although in this article we will talk about its amazing contribution to stress management, Ashwagandha has been studied:

In brain function and its protection against neurodegenerative diseases.
In sexual health and fertility.
In sports performance and energy levels.
In diabetes and dyslipidemia, due to its cardioprotective action.

Its multiple properties make it a "miracle-herb" for the human body, as it exhibits neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anti-cancer properties, while it appears to improve vascular function, contributes to better mitochondrial health, thus improving energy levels (energy is produced in the cell within the mitochondria) and reduces levels of oxidative stress, inflammation and cellular apoptosis. Its powerful multidimensional action has been attributed to the presence of withanolides, a group of active phytochemicals found in high concentrations in the leaves and root of Ashwagandha, the most famous adaptogenic herb of Ayurveda.

Extra info: the scientific community has assigned the term "adaptogens" to a group of herbs that seem to help the body "adapt" to stressful circumstances. These also include Rhodiola Rosea, ginseng and maca.

Ashwagandha & Stress. Can it help?

Although we have already discussed about stress and how it can affect quality of life in a previous article, it's time to put Ashwagandha under the microscope to see how it seems to act protectively against the intense daily stress, which can become a major burden in our life quality. So let's go through some of the scientific data, through recent clinical trials conducted on adults with or without a mental disorder diagnosis.

Administration of 250 & 600mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha, one of the best known patented samples of Ashwagandha leaves and root, to adults resulted in a significant reduction in stress, reducing cortisol levels over 2 months in 3 clinical trials, of Lopresti & Smith's recent systematic review.
Administration of 250mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha to one of the 3, showed an additional improvement in sleep quality over the same period of time.
In parallel, administration of 600mg of the same Ashwagandha sample, divided into 2 doses of 300mg, to 52 overweight subjects, contributed to better management of emotional eating, while improving cortisol levels, and body mass index, over 8 weeks.
Finally, another patented Ashwagandha sample, Sensoril, was administered in doses of 120, 250 & 500mg to a sample of 130 adults, where improvement in feelings of anxiety was observed in all 3 groups.

When to try Ashwagandha supplement? What should I watch out for?

You can try Ashwagandha supplementation, in case:

You experience intense levels of stress daily for a reasonable period of time.
You are experiencing anxiety or panic attacks.
You feel your energy levels are depleting, especially your mental energy levels, while taking care of your dietary habits.
You are experiencing problems with sleep, such as difficulty falling asleep or frequent awakenings during the night.

What you need to make sure is that you take the supplement, always according to the instructions for use, for a period of 8-12 weeks, consistently. You will need the agreement of your doctor:

if you want to take it for a longer period of time.
If there is a diagnosis of a pathological condition, especially a mental disorder and/or depression.
If you are also taking medication, in particular antidepressants.

In conclusion

Ashwagandha is another natural tool, generously offered to us by nature, with a very wide range of actions in its legacy, regarding our physical and especially our mental well-being. Intense stress is one of the main obstacles of everyday life, which can alter the quality of life, if not dealt with, in time. Ashwagandha has the ability to maintain our productivity by reducing intense stress, adjusting the functioning of the body to optimal levels.

What do you think? Will you try it?

Scientific References

Akhgarjand, C., Asoudeh, F., Bagheri, A., Kalantar, Z., Vahabi, Z., Shab‐bidar, S., ... & Djafarian, K. (2022). Does Ashwagandha supplementation have a beneficial effect on the management of anxiety and stress? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytotherapy Research, 36(11), 4115-4124.

Arumugam, V., Venugopal, V., Balakrishnan, A., Bhandari, R., Boopalan, D., Ponnurangam, R., ... & Kuppusamy, M. (2024). Effects of ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) on stress and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. EXPLORE, 103062.

Cheah, K. L., Norhayati, M. N., Yaacob, L. H., & Rahman, R. A. (2021). Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 16(9), e0257843.

Lopresti, A. L., & Smith, S. J. (2021). Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) for the treatment and enhancement of mental and physical conditions: A systematic review of human trials. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 28, 100434.

Zahiruddin, S., Basist, P., Parveen, A., Parveen, R., Khan, W., & Ahmad, S. (2020). Ashwagandha in brain disorders: A review of recent developments. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 257, 112876.