If you are interested in natural medicines and alternative medicine, you have probably heard of Ayurveda. It’s a practice that focuses on humans’ overall wellbeing by using certain medicinal herbs and plants to promote the body’s self-healing system. Although there are plenty of plants and herbs used in Ayurveda, Ashwagandha is among the most important ones due to its powerful properties.
It is an adaptogenic plant, which means it’s used to prepare and adapt the body for the health condition it faces. Due to its numerous health benefits, a lot of people around the world have started using it. And, if you also think about using it, here’s how you can make the most of it.
Use It to Treat Different Health Conditions or Improve Your Wellbeing
You can use Ashwagandha either to treat certain health conditions or to improve your wellbeing. Either way, it will help you feel better. In order for you to know what you can use this plant for, you need to know its health benefits.
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- Can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression – Ashwagandha can reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety by lowering the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). It also helps reduce the symptoms of depression due to its anxiolytic properties. In that way, it makes you feel less stressed out and anxious and reduces the feelings that make you depressive.
- May improve heart health – Ashwagandha may improve your heart health by lowering cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood sugar levels. In that way, it helps prevent any heart-related conditions, such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
- May improve brain health – Ashwagandha may be able to improve your brain function and support a healthy nervous system. It’s because it can prevent nerve cell damage which happens as a result of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s due to its antioxidative properties. It can also improve memory in healthy people and people with a neurodegenerative disease.
- Can reduce inflammation – This plant can reduce the inflammation in your body that is caused by various things, including bacteria, viruses, or a certain health condition, such as arthritis which causes joint inflammation and pain. According to what is known, it reduces the C-reactive protein levels, thus reducing inflammation. In that way, it boosts the activity of immune cells to fight against infections, reduces joint pain and stiffness such as DONA products, and reduces the general inflammation in the body.
- Can improve your fitness – As it’s known Ashwagandha can increase muscle mass and physical strength in adults. It also promotes muscle recovery and healthy creatinine levels. Additionally, it promotes weight gain while growing up due to its anabolic action.
Choose the Right Way to Take It
There are four ways to take Ashwagandha, including:
Fresh – The root of the plant is dried and ground in the form of powder. As such, it is mixed with milk, honey, or ghee. However, it can have a bitter taste if given fresh.
As powder – Companies have found a way to avoid the bitter taste of this incredible plant by creating an Ashwagandha powder. You can use this product in lots of different ways. People usually add it to milk, honey, and ghee. They also use this powder as an ingredient in many recipes, such as cookies, sweets, smoothies, noodles, pasta, and similar. You can also use it to make facial tonics and anti-acne creams to improve your skin health.
Tinctures – you can make Ashwagandha tinctures at home by soaking Ashwagandha leaves and root in vodka or organic grain alcohol in a herb-alcohol ratio from 1:1 to 1:10.
Capsules – there are many types of Ashwagandha capsules on the market. They are used as supplements to help improve your health.
Choose the Right Dosage
There are three dosage levels of Ashwagandha:
High dose – 15-30g of powdered/grounded root for adults. For children, you need to use Clark’s rule. It’s used for acute conditions, such as fatigue, acute insomnia, severe exhaustion, and similar. It’s used for a short period of time and under a doctor’s supervision.
Medium dose – 2-5 g of powdered/ground root for adults. It’s used for chronic conditions, such as chronic anxiety or chronic insomnia.
Low dose – less than 2g of powdered/ground root for adults. It’s used for promoting overall health and balance. It’s usually taken for a long time to help increase energy levels, gain weight, or support cognitive functions.
When taking a high dose, it’s best to prepare it in A2-milk with a bit of ghee and jaggery. But if you take a medium or low dose, you can prepare it with milk or combine it with water, honey, or ghee. Regardless of how much Aswagandha you take, you should always consume it on an empty stomach.
