How To Take Ashwagandha
While there are no formal dosing guidelines for ashwagandha, “many studies show safety and efficacy when 300 mg of ashwagandha is taken twice daily,” Avena says. “We don’t have long-term data on ashwagandha, so at this point, we only know it’s considered ‘possibly safe’ when taken daily for up to 3 months.”
When buying ashwagandha, Avena recommends looking at the concentration of withanolides, which are compounds in the herb believed to provide its benefits. Stick to 0.3% withanolides for a root powder and at least 1.5% withanolides in a root extract.
What Is The Geographical Distribution Of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha , has a wide geographic distribution across the globe. It is mainly adapted to the warmer and drier parts of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The area of distribution of the plant extends from the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean region through India, the Middle East, Africa, and Sri Lanka to China. It occurs in Australia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, Morocco, and Spain. In Africa, it occurs wild or naturally, mostly on drier parts like South Africa and Indian Ocean islands.
Ashwagandha is found on all drier parts and sub-tropical regions of India and is widely distributed in North-western India states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh .
Best Time To Take Ashwagandha For Anxiety
Suppose you are the type of person who is curious about the world of dietary supplements or medicinal plants. In that case, you may have heard of Ashwagandha, also called poisonous gooseberry, winter cherry, or Indian ginseng. This curious plant with an exotic name is an annual evergreen shrub native to India and some parts of Africa that brings many therapeutic qualities and nootropic effects that can lead to potential benefits for human health and metabolism.
Ashwagandha, or Withania Somnifera, is a plant that has been used for millennia in the traditional Ayurvedic medicine system due to its ability to relax the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, produce sleep-inducing effects, and calm the cravings. All these properties suggest that Ashwagandha may be a potential adaptogen.
Although we still need more scientific evidence to support these beliefs, much evidence suggests that Ashwagandha works effectively as an adaptogen. The main benefit of Ashwagandha to humans is the anxiolytic properties this plant presents, which can help us better deal with external stressors by reducing the levels of cortisol generated by anxiety and stress.
Thanks to its anxiolytic effects, Ashwagandha may help reduce anxiety episodes and some specific depressive symptoms. If you want to try a natural treatment for this condition, we have created this simple guide on the best time to take Ashwagandha for anxiety.
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Consult With Your Doctor
“Ashwagandha may be contraindicated if you take certain medications or are currently being treated for certain medical conditions, including autoimmune disorders or certain thyroid conditions,” Tolentino explains. For that reason, it’s a great idea to check with your doctor before taking ashwagandha. This is an important step that can help you make sure that ashwagandha won’t interfere with any medications you are taking, or present problems or heightened risks in relation to any other conditions you have.
“Herbal medicines and supplements can be powerful,” Tolentino says. “While ashwagandha is safe and well tolerated for most individuals, I do recommend discussing the usage of these treatments with your healthcare provider prior to incorporating them into your routine.”
Ashwagandha may have some benefits for your health, from stress reduction to improved cognition. But as with many types of herbal supplements and pharmaceutical medications, it carries potential side effects as well, ranging from headaches to digestive issues. Remember that before taking ashwagandha, it’s important to check in with your doctor to make sure this supplement is the right choice for you.
Summary Of User Experiences
Ashwagandha supplement reviews vary. Some users report an increase in anxiety, irritability, and sensitivity especially during the first few days. Although this side effect tends to wear off, according to the user reviews we came across, some people continue to experience anxiety and stop taking ashwagandha.
On the other hand, several people say that ashwagandha helped bring their anxiety and stress levels under control. In fact, the number one reason for taking ashwagandha among all users we looked at was anxiety.
Several people mentioned that it also helped with palpitations, OCD-like tendencies, and social fear linked with anxiety. Most users say that their anxiety didnt go away, but they felt a substantial enough subjective improvement.
Nausea is a common complaint among users, especially in people taking the powdered extract. Encapsulated products seem to be somewhat better tolerated. One user pointed out that taking ashwagandha with food may reduce nausea.
Some people also took ashwagandha for sleep issues, mostly with satisfactory results.
When taken for sleep, users often combined ashwagandha with other Ayurvedic herbs, relaxing plants. For stress relief and anxiety, people commonly purchased multi-ingredient stress relief or adrenal support supplements, most of which contain B vitamins. This makes it hard to tease apart the reported effects of ashwagandha from various other compounds.
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Blood Sugar Regulation And Metabolic Control
When I see someone in my practice with high blood sugar, excessive fat carried around the middle, poor sleep habits, and a high-stress life, I reach immediately for Ashwagandha. Studies on both the aqueous and the methanol preparations of the root of this herb have shown remarkable effects on the response of blood glucose to stress hormones. Ashwagandha helps your body make better use of glucose, prolonging your resilience and delaying exhaustion. It does this by enhancing the entry of glucose into your muscle cells, brain cells, and heart cells, rather than staying high in the blood or being deposited into fat. It basically smooths out the highs and lows over time in response to stress2.
Heres my favourite Botanica solution to this scenario: The Perfect Protein Elevated Adrenal Support. We already know that getting enough protein every day goes a long way to curbing sugar cravings and normalizing metabolism. You add 2000 mg of Ashwagandha to this, and you have a great daily strategy to diminishing the effects of stress on your system.
Ashwagandha Dosage For Kids And Teenagers
All studies of KSM-66 were conducted for 8 weeks period with a dosage of 300 mg twice daily . For this reason, TRIIBE bring you the lowest effective dose of 300mg to easily increase or decrease the dosage depending on your metabolism needs.
For kids and teenagers, we recommend starting with 300 mg in the morning, continuing this dose for a solid one week before deciding if it is working or not. Keep in mind that we all respond to supplementation differently, not only in how it affects us but also how quickly it affects us. As a dietary supplement, this product does not induce instant response like prescription drugs or medications. For this reason, you need to have a consistent intake for some time. After one week, you can increase the dosage and give him/her another 300 mg in the afternoon if needed, around 4 hours before bed for better sleep. For teenagers having a peak of stress or a highly demanding physical exercise, you can add another 300mg to the morning routine.
Following traditional Ayurvedic methods, we suggest taking the product for 2-3 months and then pause for few days to give the body rest. TRIBE KSM-66 Ashwagandha can be taken with or without food.
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Ashwagandha Dosage For Bodyweight Management
Ashwagandha, as an adaptogen, can benefit a weight management program by addressing stress and balancing cortisol levels.
In an 8 weeks study, the administration of 300 mg of Ashwagandha root extract twice daily resulted in improved scores on the perceived stress scale, positively affected serum cortisol, body mass index , and body weight. In this study, the administration of Ashwagandha caused a significant reduction in food cravings in the study subjects. Thus, it can be said that Ashwagandha can impart a positive impact on eating behavior and help in body weight management.
A Brief History: Ashwagandha
Over the 2000 years that Ashwagandha has been used for, you can’t help but think of all the people who have used it in this time, and all the ways it might have helped them. Scientifically known as withania somnifera, ashwagandha is known in ayurvedic medicine as a ‘Rasayana’, meaning a ‘tonic’ To expand on this, this is considered to release emotional and physical tension, creating a ripple effect of feelings of wellness, and promoting longevity in the body. Ayurveda is India’s traditional system of medicine, which can be traced back to 6000 BC.
It is revered as a rejuvenator and for its ability to enhance life longevity, and has been used in India, the Middle East and various parts of North Africa. During these 2000 years Ashwagandha has been used and celebrated for many different purposes, within different countries and cultures. For example, it has traditionally been used within African tribes to treat fevers and inflammatory conditions. Burns and wounds are treated in Yemen, after the dried leaves of Ashwagandha have been ground into a paste. The Ashwagandha berries and leaves have also been used for topical application to help heal conditions such as tubercular glands and ulcers.
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How Ashwagandha Reduces Stress
Believe it or not, stress is a normal and healthy physiological response to stressors. Stress levels fluctuate with day-to-day activities, and for the most part work harmoniously with our systems. Stress can become problematic, however, when the levels increase and become prolonged, often when the response is disproportionate to the stressor. When this happens, our bodies begin to experience symptoms like insomnia, brain fog, poor appetite, impaired digestion, increased irritability, low mood, anxiety, and decreased immune function. Although eliminating stress altogether would be ideal, the reality of our busy worlds mean that this is often unlikely. But this doesnt mean we have to be slaves to our stressed-out state! We can take charge and improve the way our bodies respond to stress through lifestyle changes like increasing activity, consuming a balanced and varied diet, drinking water and reducing consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks, as well as supplementing deficiencies to help improve the stress response.
Ashwagandha Dosage For Stress And Anxiety
Ashwagandha is categorized as an adaptogen, which means that it helps the body adapt to stress-inducing conditions, decreases inflammation and infection, and modulates adrenal hormones and neurotransmitters. Ashwagandha helps to lower the levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress.
A study, conducted to evaluate the effect of Ashwagandha on stress and anxiety, demonstrated a significant reduction in stress and anxiety for people taking one 300mg capsule of ashwagandha twice per day for 60 days .
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How Ashwagandha Compares To Other Sleep Aids
There is little to no research directly comparing ashwagandha to other natural, prescribed, or over-the-counter sleep aids. A review comparing 23 herbal remedies for insomnia found that valerian, passionflower, and ashwagandha may be the most promising. However, as with many natural sleep aids, the lack of strong research on ashwagandha makes it difficult to evaluate its effectiveness.
By contrast, prescription sleep medications are regulated by the FDA and require a prescription from a doctor or other medical professional. Over-the-counter sleep aids may be more accessible and possibly more affordable. Whether natural, prescription, or over-the-counter, all sleep aids come with potential side effects.
Finding what works for you might take some trial and error. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping. They may be able to recommend sleep hygiene tips, help you treat an underlying sleep disorder like insomnia, or recommend a safe treatment plan that includes natural, alternative, or pharmaceutical sleep aids.
The Overall Beauty Of Ashwagandha
This amazing herb does so much more than weve talked about here. Think of all the health issues that persist with chronic stress & anxiety, and you have a list of potential applications for Ashwagandha. But if I can sum up what I see in practice: with daily use of this herb, often over several months, my patients report better resilience to stressful triggers, fewer infections and faster recovery time when you do get sick, deeper sleep, reduced cravings for sugar, better metabolism and energy without feeling over-stimulated, and reduced daily experience of anxiety. Hard to beat that.
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Ashwagandha For Anxiety: Reviews
There are three main ways to ingest Ashwagandha. It is available in pill form, as a powder, and as a liquid extract. Your choice will be dependent on your preferred method of consumption, but a few stand-outs rate quite highly:
As a capsule, customers praise BRI Nutritions Pure Ashwagandha for being gelatin free. It comes in 90-capsule bottles, providing a long lasting supply for daily users.
Herb Pharms Ashwagandha Extract is a tincture. It combines a liquid form of the root in a suspension of alcohol. You can add this liquid to a drink for easy consumption.
For those that prefer powders, Terrasoul Superfoods Ashwagandha Root Powder is a certified organic variety. You can mix the powder into foods, or add it to soothing drinks like tea or milk.
How Much Ashwagandha Powder/capsules Should I Take At A Time And In A Day
The lowest ashwagandha dosage that is effective is 250mg to 300 mg taken a day thrice. This dose can be extended slowly to 6000mg a day depending on the effectiveness.
It is also recommended that the dose should be taken with meals and with plenty of water to avoid any unpleasant gastrointestinal effects.
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Study Conducted On 64 Adults With Chronic Stress
This is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study that was carried out to find out the safety and efficacy of Ashwagandha for anxiety and stress. What they did:
- 64 adults with chronic stress history were divided into 2 groups: one group for the Ashwagandha treatment and the second group was the control group.
- The participants in the treatment group were asked to take one capsule of 300 mg high concentration Ashwagandha root extract 2 times a day for 60 days.
- The control group took a placebo capsule in the same manner for 60 days.
- A follow-up phone call was made to all participants on day 15, 30 and 45. Final safety and efficacy tests were done on day 60.
Results: They found out that the participants in the Ashwagandha treatment group in all of the final stress assessment scores compared to the placebo group.
The serum cortisol level was also lower in the Ashwagandha capsule group. No serious adverse effects were found in both groups.
Does Ashwagandha Have Side Effects
One of the main characteristics of the Adaptogenic herbs is that they are considered safe and do not harm the body. Ashwagandha has been used for thousands of years and it is one such herb that is safe for most of the people.
While ashwagandha should not have side effects, everybody is different, and it is difficult to predict with 100 % certainty how one person will respond when taking a new supplement or herb. Any herb can cause undesirable side effects, like nausea or gastrointestinal problems, if taken in excess.
Ashwagandha extracts are more potent and effective than the raw ashwagandha powder, therefore the results can be obtained at a lower dosage. A herbalist or other health practitioner may prescribe a more precise dosage for your personal use and needs of ashwagandha.
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Ashwagandha Root Powder For Anxiety & Depression:
Consumption of milk along with Ashwagandha supports in lowering down blood pressure to normal level. The potassium present in milk supports in relaxing of tense muscles leading to stress reduction.
Ingredients:
- Take ¼ to ½ spoon of ashwagandha root powder
- Add the powder in 1 glass of lukewarm milk and mix well
- Add few drops of honey in the mix
- Now consume the milk slowly
How it works: This drink when taken before going to bed will help in calming down the mind as well as body and also improves the quality of sleep. Quality sleep will reduce the level of depression and anxiety for a person.
Repetitions: Once daily.
Best time to Apply: 30 mins before going to bed.
Tips: Do not take this mix if you are having other health issues, if you are pregnant or on breast feeding.
This plant is having its origin in India and in many Middle East countries of the globe. As per latest medical research it was discovered that this amazing herb is having excellent healing properties which are perfect to treat problems of anxiety and depression to a great extent. Aside to this it can improve concentration, and enhance body energy.
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Ok So How Do You Use It
You can get your ashwagandha fix numerous ways. I take two capsules in the morning and two right before bed. If youre pill averse, add a teaspoon of the powder into a green smoothie, tea orif youre really bravewater. Both the capsules and the powder cost between $10 to $25 for 120 capsules or 4 to 16 ounces, depending on the brand and quantity.
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Ashwagandha Dosage: How Much Should You Take Per Day
Ashwagandha, also known by its botanical name Withania somnifera, is a small woody plant with yellow flowers native to India and North Africa.
Its classified as an adaptogen, as its believed to help your body manage stress better.
The plant particularly its root has been used for over 3,000 years as a natural Ayurvedic remedy against various ailments .
Modern science also links it to health benefits, such as reduced stress and anxiety and improved blood sugar levels, mood and memory.
This article reviews the optimal dosages needed to reap different health benefits.