Ashwagandha Health Benefits – One Powerful Herb To Stabilize Your Overall Health!

Have you ever wanted to increase your lifespan? Ashwagandha is one of those powerful revitalizing herbs with tremendous medicinal properties!  There is more to it. Getting to know these surprising Ashwagandha health benefits will definitely leave you awestruck!

Ashwagandha, which has a special significance in Ayurveda dates back it’s usage to over two millenniums, which is around 2000 years! Ashwagandha is basically an herb, the health benefits of which have been more widely utilized by the people living in the Middle East, a few parts of Northern Africa and India.

Ashwagandha has been used as a “Rasayana” which is a Sanskrit term meaning the ‘medication’ or the ‘treatment’ to relieve a person from emotional as well as physical uneasiness.

In What Form Is Ashwagandha Available?

The roots and leaves of the herb are where the magical power lies! The extracts of these plant parts were directly used to treat various health disorders during ancient times.

But now, with the advancement in every field, the medicinal properties of Ashwagandha are incorporated into a small capsule which is being traded all across the world, benefiting our health in ways unimaginable.

The herb is also available in the form of powder or paste through which you can avail a wide range of Ashwagandha health benefits.

Ashwagandha Health Benefits – 9 Amazing Ashwagandha Uses You Might Have Never Heard!

The fact that this herb contains astringent, narcotic, anthelmintic, diuretic, aphrodisiac properties makes Ashwagandha so medicinally powerful.

1. How Ashwagandha Benefits Diabetic Patients?

The lifestyle changes of most of the Americans have been making them susceptible to a wide range of health disorders with diabetes being the topmost disease. Around 10% of the American population is said to be suffering from diabetes.

The benefits of Ashwagandha for curing diabetes are not one but many! Here is how Ashwagandha helps in curing diabetes.

A. It Increases Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity is a condition which can be understood in the terms of how tolerant is your body to the reactive effects of insulin i.e., how effective is your body in utilizing the hormone to convert glucose into energy. Apparently, it says that the insulin sensitivity in your body should be more.

A study proved that Ashwagandha helps in improving the insulin sensitivity, thereby making the diabetes treatment more effective.

B. Boosts The Insulin Production

The beta cells present in a clustered form in the pancreatic Islets are responsible for producing insulin, but in people suffering from diabetes, these cells are said to be fewer in number because of which not much of the insulin is produced by your pancreas.

Intake of Ashwagandha(1) is said to increase the number of beta cells which in turn boosts the production of insulin hormone.

C. Prevents The Onset Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

When a metabolic process occurs in our body, free radicals get released which go on damaging the healthy cells and their DNA. They further cause a damage to the lipid layers of the cells present in the liver, the process being known as lipid peroxidation.

A continual process of lipid peroxidation results in a disease called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the chances of which are more common to occur in patients suffering from diabetes.

Intake of Ashwagandha is said to increase the production of antioxidants in the body that clear up all the free radicals and prevent the onset of the disease.

2. Ashwagandha Health Benefits – Dealing With Cancer

Ashwagandha is scientifically known as WithaniaSomnifera. But, do you know that the herb contains an active comment called withanone in it? The power of this component is such, it helps in killing the cancerous cells.

Studies have proven that Withanone can have the capability to stop the further production of cancerous cells that have arisen in breast, colon or in the blood.

What came as a much interesting fact is that the antioxidant property of Ashwagandha fights with the free radicals that are generated in our body as a natural part of metabolism.

The free radicals tend to damage the cells and their DNA which may lead to the development of cancer due to the mutations that have occurred in our body.

Therefore, intake of Ashwagandha is not only said to fight cancerous cells but also prevent the occurrence of cancer in the first place.

3. Ashwagandha For Rheumatoid Arthritis

People suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis experience the symptoms of swelling, and severe pain in the joints and muscles and in most cases experience the stiffness in the joints.

Ashwagandha is said to be containing anti-inflammatory properties that will alleviate the joint pains and relieve the patients from the intensity of the pain.

How To Take Ashwagandha For Arthritis?

The best mode of taking Ashwagandha as a cure for Rheumatoid arthritis is to mix 5 grams of Ashwagandha powder into a glass of milk. If you hate drinking milk, you can replace milk with water.

But, since you are looking for the ways to get rid of joint pains, considering milk is the best choice as calcium present in the milk helps in strengthening your bones.

If you are looking for the best way to make use of Ashwagandha health benefits, following the remedy two times in a day, continually for three weeks can help in reducing the levels of Rheumatoid factors in your blood that are majorly responsible for causing Rheumatoid arthritis.

The increase of Rheumatoid factors in the blood is essentially what causes Rheumatoid arthritis.

4. Ashwagandha Uses For Anxiety And Depression

Ashwagandha is said to be one of the adaptogens (the herbs that deal with stress) and not without a reason!

How Your Work Life Can Cause You Depression?

If your work life is filled with a lot of stress and tensions, you cannot, however, escape it because you earn your bread and butter through your job.

While you are fighting hard to meet your deadlines, your mind is being subjected to immense stress and this signals your brain to release a hormone called cortisol.

This hormone released by your adrenal glands may very well help you cope up with stress levels, but the real problem arises when the hormone is released in excess amounts.

Find More: Home Remedies to Cure Depression

Then the effect of this hormone on your body is going to be negative because you will suffer from a condition called chronic stress and if this is left untreated, it can lead to anxiety and depression.

Ashwagandha Health Benefits For Depression!

Intake of Ashwagandha is said to lower down your cortisol levels by one-fourth amounts in just two months.

Also, the presence of an active compound called glycowithanolides (WSG) in the herb is said to bring stability to the mood swings that occur during depression.

Ashwagandha helps in reducing the symptoms of insomnia (inability to sleep) which is more commonly seen in the people suffering from anxiety and depression.

5. How Ashwagandha Benefits For Weight Loss?

Over 150 million People living in the United States are said to be suffering from overweight and obesity and needless to explain, unhealthy lifestyle habits are the triggering causes of becoming overweight.

But, in most of the cases, people suffering from thyroid disorders are said to be experiencing a sudden weight gain. This is because of the thyroid hormone that does not regulate a healthy metabolism resulting in an excess fat deposition in your body.

Ashwagandha helps in increasing the levels of T4 cells which brings your thyroid functioning to normal levels and thereby aiding in a healthy metabolism.

What If You Do Not Have Thyroid Disorders But Are Still Overweight?

Ashwagandha benefits for weight loss even if you are not suffering from any thyroid disorders, but are still overweight.

Ashwagandha can help in bringing down your cortisol levels, the hormone which can make you susceptible to diabetes if you are overweight.

This is because Ashwagandha(2) benefits for weight loss by controlling insulin levels. When insulin levels are high, the cells in your body that are responsible for converting glucose to energy may fail to do their part.

The blood glucose, as a result, remains in your blood causing diabetes and a sudden weight gain. In addition to this, Ashwagandha helps in reducing the number of triglycerides which are a kind of fats found in your blood cells.

6. How Ashwagandha Helps In Improving Memory?

Alzheimer is the most commonly occurring neurological disorder that occurs in people who are either middle-aged or people who are old. The disease basically destroys the memory of the person making it difficult for the person to remember things.

Ashwagandha uses have in recent times gained popularity in treating age old people who have been battling with Alzheimer disease.

Alzheimer disease is mainly caused due to the formation of certain components called amyloid plaques which cause the destruction of the healthy nerve cells in the brain which shows the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

An experiment was conducted on rats in which the rats suffering from Alzheimer were fed with Ashwagandha.

After continually feeding the rats with the herb, the results have shown that the rats have developed their brain functioning because the amyloid plaques that are responsible for the degeneration of nerve cells were identified to be reduced.

7. Ashwagandha Benefits for PCOS

It is quite disheartening to know that one in every 10 women who have reached reproductive age are being diagnosed with PCOS.

A major change in lifestyle such as a lack of physical activity, being overweight and being subjected to immense stress levels are the primary causes of POCS.

Sometimes, your hormones can also play tricks with your body resulting in the development of cysts, causing mood swings, development of acne and irregular menstrual cycles.

The main cause of POCS, however, is the increase in the levels of testosterone (male hormone) that causes the development of cysts in the ovaries.

Ashwagandha health benefits for PCOS work wonders because consuming Ashwagandha on regular basis is said to balance the hormones, more importantly reducing the testosterone levels, thereby alleviating the PCOS symptoms.

8. Ashwagandha Benefits For Men

Ashwagandha health benefits are vast, but the herb is most popularly utilized by men to cure impotency and fertility problems!

It is quite astonishing to know that one in every five people who are unable to bear a child, the actual problem lies with the infertility issues related to men.

This could be due to an improper production of testosterone hormone or lack of proper sperm production, erectile dysfunction or because of a lower libido.

Here is how Ashwagandha cures fertility problems in men!

1. Increases The Sperm Count – It has been proven through experiments that the sperm production in men who were provided with Ashwagandha for a period of 90 days, drastically increased by 167%.
2. Improves The Quality Of Semen – The quality of semen also plays an important role in determining the sexual health of a man. A good quality semen should contain all the essential vitamins, amino acids, and salts. Intake of Ashwagandha is said to benefit men in enhancing the semen quality.
3. Increases The Level Of Testosterone – If the lack of hormonal imbalance is the issue that has been causing infertility, taking Ashwagandha on a regular basis can increase the level of testosterone hormone by 17%.
4. Increases The Libido –Ashwagandha benefits for men who have been suffering from a low libido because consuming Ashwagandha is said to increase the amount of nitric oxide in the body resulting in an increase in the libido, thereby preventing the problems of infertility.

9. Ashwagandha For Skin

Skin problems are never ending! No matter how much you try, obtaining a clear, soft and glowing skin can seem like a really big challenge because the factors affecting your skin conditions are not one but many.

The benefits of Ashwagandha for skin are numerous which is why consuming Ashwagandha in limited amounts is the best solution to treat your skin problems internally.

However, there is one simple remedy in which you can use Ashwagandha as an external facial toner to witness an amazing result within a few weeks. You can try applying this remedy once in a week for quick results.

Ingredients required

• One teaspoon of Ashwagandha powder
• One tablespoon of Rosewater

How to apply?

• Mix the ingredients well and apply a fine layer all over your face. Let the mixture remain for one hour after which you can rinse it off with water.

Here is how Ashwagandha helps in treating your skin problems from within!

A. Makes You Look Young And Youthful!

The production of collagen in the required amounts is essentially important for restoring a lively skin because collagen contains elastic properties that do not let the skin develop wrinkles too quickly.

Consuming Ashwagandha in moderate amounts is said to boost the production of female sex hormone called estrogen and a much important hormone called dehydroepiandrosterone which is produced along with estrogen, both of which are responsible for a right amount of collagen production.

B. Regulates Your Sebum Production

One of the main reasons for an excess sebum production is stress. Stress can bring about a lot of hormonal fluctuations and the rise in cortisol levels is one such change.

When your cortisol levels go too high, your glands start producing more sebum as a result of which your skin may appear oily.

Also, oily skin is what triggers acne because oily skin causes the formation of clogged pores from which acne and zits pop up.

C. Fights Skin Inflammation

Inflammation may arise on any part of the skin. Most of the skin problems occur in winter leaving us clueless about the triggering causes.

Ashwagandha contains anti-inflammatory properties and all credit goes to a steroid called withanolide that naturally occurs in the herbs. This steroid is said to be containing anti-inflammatory properties which makes it the best herb to fight several bacterial skin infections.

D. Fights Seborrheic Keratosis

A seborrheic keratosis(3) is a condition that is characterized by outgrowths on the skin which may occur on any part of your skin such as shoulder, back, on the chest or over the face.

The outgrowths are not carcinogenic (that which do not cause cancer) and can be removed by your doctor by a proper treatment and required medication.

Drinking one tablespoon of Ashwagandha mixed with a glass of lukewarm water can help in an effective treatment of Seborrheic keratosis.

Ashwagandha Side Effects

Most of the people have availed numerous Ashwagandha health benefits (with no serious side effects) but there are certain medical conditions for which intake of Ashwagandha may have to be avoided.

If you are currently pregnant, the newborn child may develop birth deformities because of Ashwagandha side effects.

Breastfeeding women must strictly avoid taking this herb for obtaining other Ashwagandha health benefits.

Ashwagandha may help in increasing your thyroid metabolism, but you must consider the advice of your doctor, before consuming Ashwagandha because you may be already prescribed a medication by your doctor for regulating your thyroid metabolism and an additional intake of Ashwagandha may show side effects.

However, there is no particular dosage of Ashwagandha that is considered safe. Choose not to consume more than 1-6 grams of the herb in a day.

Bottom Line!

If you haven’t really tried Ayurveda for treating your health problems, knowing the potential benefits of this herb Ashwagandha (which is popularly called Indian gingsen, varakharni or winter cherry) and how it acts on your bodily functions will give you a perfect reason why you should start using this traditional medicine to enhance your over health and wellbeing!

Hope, the article has been useful in letting you know the Ashwagandha health benefits and how they are particularly helpful in treating fertility problems and skin disorders

Please do share the article if you like It and remember that It is always best to play safe by taking your doctor’s advice before making the most out this amazing herb!