Ashwagandha

October 3, 2020

This article provides general nutrition information only and is not medical advice.

Overview

Ashwagandha is a small evergreen shrub. It grows in India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. The root and berry are used to make medicine.

Ashwagandha is commonly used for stress. It is also used as an "adaptogen" for many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these other uses.

Don't confuse ashwagandha with Physalis alkekengi. Both are known as winter cherry. Also, don't confuse ashwagandha with blue cohosh, canaigre, codonopsis, ginseng American, ginseng panax, or eleuthero.

Coronavirus condition 2019 (COVID-19): There is no good evidence to support using ashwagandha for COVID-19. Follow healthy lifestyle choices and proven prevention methods instead.

Classification

Is a Form of:

Shrub

Primary Functions:

Stress

Also Known As:

Ajagandha, Amangura, Amukkirag, Asan

How Does It Work?

Ashwagandha contains chemicals that might help calm the brain, reduce swelling (physical strain), lower cardiovascular health, and alter the immune system.

Uses

Some research shows that taking a specific ashwagandha root extract (KSM66, Ixoreal Biomed) 300 mg twice daily after food or another specific extract (Shoden, Arjuna Natural Ltd.) 240 mg daily for 60 days appears to improve concerns of stress.

Recommended Dosing

BY MOUTH:

For stress: Ashwagandha root extract 300 mg twice daily after food (KSM66, Ixoreal Biomed) or 240 mg daily (Shoden, Arjuna Natural Ltd.) for 60 days.

Ashwagandha Supplements Frequently Asked Questions

What are the side effects of ashwagandha?

Possible ashwagandha side effects

May increase thyroid function.
Can decrease cardiovascular health levels.
May irritate GI tract.
Can induce early pregnancies or miscarriages.
May decrease blood sugar.
May increase immune activity.

Who should not take ashwagandha?

For most healthy people, ashwagandha is considered safe. However, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid it, in addition to people with hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, this herb may interact with sedatives, as well as medications for the following conditions: diabetes.

Does Ashwagandha really work?

Organic ashwagandha supplements support energy levels without stimulating your heart the way caffeine does. Ashwagandha also provides stress relief by supporting your adrenal glands to release normal levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Another showed that Ashwagandha may be effective in reducing stress and stress.

How much ashwagandha should I take?

Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb that may offer several health benefits, such as improved blood sugar, physical strain, mood, memory, stress and stress, as well as a boost in muscle strength and fertility. Dosages vary depending on your needs, but 250–500 mg per day for at least one month seem effective.

Can Ashwagandha cause hair loss?

It is also known as telogen effluvium, wherein the hair follicles are pushed into a resting period. This results in hair shedding. Hair loss also occurs when our body is subjected to inadequate sleep. Ashwagandha is a powerful and popular Ayurvedic adaptogen that helps relieves stress and increase sleep.

Why is ashwagandha bad for you?

Ashwagandha may lower blood sugar levels. If patients are taking a medication to lower blood glucose it could make their levels go dangerously low. And if their levels go too low and blood sugars bottom out, they can pass out. The consequences of low blood glucose can be just as dangerous as high blood sugar.

Is Ashwagandha bad for kidneys?

Its damage can be occurred due to prolonged use and higher doses of drugs, exposure to some chemicals, toxins, or infectious agents. Herbal plants as Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) may have free radical scavenging activity thereby can be used for the prevention and nutritional support of kidney damage.

Can Ashwagandha cause weight gain?

A statistically significant reduction in body weight and body mass index were observed in patients treated with Ashwagandha root extract compared to placebo. However, further studies are required to bolster the potential of Ashwagandha to prevent weight gain caused by long-term chronic stress.

Should I take ashwagandha in the morning or night?

For a 30-day period, doses of an ashwagandha aqueous extract were increased in 10-day intervals, starting at 250 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening on days 1 to 10 (750 mg/day). From days 11 to 20, 500 mg was taken in the morning and 500 mg was taken in the evening (1,000 mg/day).

Does Ashwagandha really work for stress?

Ashwagandha is best known for its stress-lowering effects. Moreover, 500–600 mg of ashwagandha per day for 6–12 weeks may reduce stress and lower the likelihood of sleep quality in people with stress and stress imbalances. Summary Ashwagandha seems effective at lowering concerns of stress and stress.

Is Ashwagandha safe for long term use?

Ashwagandha is a safe supplement for most people, although its long-term effects are unknown. However, certain individuals should not take it, including pregnant and breastfeeding women. People with autoimmune conditions should also avoid ashwagandha unless authorized by a healthcare provider.

How quickly does Ashwagandha work?

When used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, ashwagandha can begin to impact the body beneficially within two weeks. The quality of your ashwagandha supplement is what will make the biggest difference. A high-concentration, full-spectrum extract is required to make the biggest impact in your body.

Should you take ashwagandha everyday?

Does Ashwagandha increase estrogen?

Although ashwagandha was associated with increases in DHEA-S and testosterone, no statistically significant effects on morning salivary cortisol levels (a nonsignificant 7.8% lower level compared to placebo) or estradiol concentrations (a nonsignificant 11.6% lower level compared to placebo) were identified.

Does Ashwagandha reverse GREY hair?

CommentsHealthy Hair: Used in shampoos, Ashwagandha is believed to help improve scalp circulation and strengthen the hair, as well as help get rid of dandruff. It also appears to stimulate production of melanin, the pigment responsible for the colour of your hair. So, it may actually reverse greying of hair.

Can Ashwagandha be harmful?

Does Ashwagandha stop hair loss?

Temporary hair loss occurs when our body is stressed out. This results in hair shedding. Hair loss also occurs when our body is subjected to inadequate sleep. Ashwagandha is a powerful and popular Ayurvedic adaptogen that helps relieves stress and increase sleep.

Is Ashwagandha hard on the liver?

Hepatotoxicity. Despite widescale use, ashwagandha is considered generally safe and without major adverse effects. Recently, however, several cases of clinically apparent liver injury have been reported in patients taking commercial herbal products that are labelled as containing ashwagandha.

Does Ashwagandha interact with anything?

Taking ashwagandha along with medications that decrease the immune system might decrease the effectiveness of these medications. Some of these sedative medications include clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), alprazolam (Xanax), flurazepam (Dalmane), midazolam (Versed), and others.

Clinical Studies

^ Modi MB, Donga SB, Dei L. Clinical evaluation of Ashokarishta, Ashwagandha Churna and Praval Pishti in the management of menopausal syndrome. Ayu. (2012)
^ Mahanta V, Dudhamal TS, Gupta SK. Management of tennis elbow by Agnikarma. J Ayurveda Integr Med. (2013)
^ a b Vyas P, et al. Clinical evaluation of Rasayana compound as an adjuvant in the management of tuberculosis with anti-Koch's nutritional support. Ayu. (2012)
^ a b Chopra A, et al. A 32-week randomized, placebo-controlled clinical evaluation of RA-11, an Ayurvedic drug, on osteoarthritis of the knees. J Clin Rheumatol. (2004)
^ a b c d e f Widodo N, et al. Selective killing of cancer cells by Ashwagandha leaf extract and its component Withanone involves ROS signaling. PLoS One. (2010)
^ Widodo N, et al. Selective killing of cancer cells by leaf extract of Ashwagandha: components, activity and pathway analyses. Cancer Lett. (2008)
^ Dhuley JN. Adaptogenic and cardioprotective action of ashwagandha in rats and frogs. J Ethnopharmacol. (2000)
^ Kulkarni SK, Dhir A. Withania somnifera: an Indian ginseng. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. (2008)
^ Baliga MS, et al. Rasayana Drugs From the Ayurvedic System of Medicine as Possible Radioprotective Agents in Cancer Nutritional support. Integr Cancer Ther. (2013)
^ a b c d e Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and stress in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. (2012)
^ Deocaris CC, et al. Merger of ayurveda and tissue culture-based functional genomics: inspirations from systems biology. J Transl Med. (2008)
^ Modak M, et al. Indian herbs and herbal drugs used for the nutritional support of diabetes. J Clin Biochem Nutr. (2007)
^ a b [No authors listed. Monograph. Withania somnifera. Altern Med Rev. (2004)
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Chatterjee S, et al. Comprehensive metabolic fingerprinting of Withania somnifera leaf and root extracts. Phytochemistry. (2010)
^ a b Namdeo AG, et al. Metabolic characterization of Withania somnifera from different regions of India using NMR spectroscopy. Planta Med. (2011)
^ a b c Zhao J, et al. Withanolide derivatives from the roots of Withania somnifera and their neurite outgrowth activities. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). (2002)
^ a b c d Choudhary MI, et al. Chlorinated and diepoxy withanolides from Withania somnifera and their cytotoxic effects against human lung cancer cell line. Phytochemistry. (2010)
^ Tong X, Zhang H, Timmermann BN. Chlorinated Withanolides from Withania somnifera. Phytochem Lett. (2011)
^ Pramanick S, et al. Withanolide Z, a new chlorinated withanolide from Withania somnifera. Planta Med. (2008)
^ a b Bhattacharya SK, Satyan KS, Ghosal S. Antioxidant activity of glycowithanolides from Withania somnifera. Indian J Exp Biol. (1997)
^ a b c Mishra LC, Singh BB, Dagenais S. Scientific basis for the wellbeing use of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha): a review. Altern Med Rev. (2000)
^ a b Ganzera M, Choudhary MI, Khan IA. Quantitative HPLC analysis of withanolides in Withania somnifera. Fitoterapia. (2003)
^ a b c d e f Subbaraju GV, et al. Ashwagandhanolide, a bioactive dimeric thiowithanolide isolated from the roots of Withania somnifera. J Nat Prod. (2006)
^ a b c d e f Mulabagal V, et al. Withanolide sulfoxide from Aswagandha roots inhibits nuclear transcription factor-kappa-B, cyclooxygenase and tumor cell proliferation. Phytother Res. (2009)
^ Misra L, et al. Unusually sulfated and oxygenated steroids from Withania somnifera. Phytochemistry. (2005)
^ a b c d e f g Alam N, et al. High catechin concentrations detected in Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) by high performance liquid chromatography analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. (2011)
^ Misra L, et al. 1,4-Dioxane and ergosterol derivatives from Withania somnifera roots. J Asian Nat Prod Res. (2012)
^ Withanolides from Withania somnifera roots.
^ a b Nosalova G, et al. Herbal polysaccharides and cough reflex. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. (2013)
^ a b Sinha S, et al. In vivo anti-tussive activity and structural features of a polysaccharide fraction from water extracted Withania somnifera. J Ethnopharmacol. (2011)
^ Girish KS, et al. Antimicrobial properties of a non-toxic glycoprotein (WSG) from Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha). J Basic Microbiol. (2006)
^ Machiah DK, Girish KS, Gowda TV. A glycoprotein from a folk medicinal plant, Withania somnifera, inhibits hyaluronidase activity of snake venoms. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. (2006)
^ Chen LX, He H, Qiu F. Natural withanolides: an overview. Nat Prod Rep. (2011)
^ a b c d e f Udayakumar R, et al. Hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effects of Withania somnifera root and leaf extracts on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Int J Mol Sci. (2009)
^ Phytochemical variability in commercial herbal products and preparations of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha).
^ Srivastava P, et al. Simultaneous quantification of withanolides in Withania somnifera by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method. J AOAC Int. (2008)
^ a b c d e f g h Malik F, et al. A standardized root extract of Withania somnifera and its major constituent withanolide-A elicit humoral and cell-mediated immune responses by up regulation of Th1-dominant polarization in BALB/c mice. Life Sci. (2007)
^ a b c d e f g h i Yang Z, et al. Withania somnifera Root Extract Inhibits Mammary Cancer Metastasis and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition. PLoS One. (2013)
^ Shreevathsa M, Ravishankar B, Dwivedi R. Anti depressant activity of Mamsyadi Kwatha: An Ayurvedic compound formulation. Ayu. (2013)
^ a b Yokota Y, et al. Development of withaferin A analogs as probes of angiogenesis. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. (2006)
^ a b c d e f Bargagna-Mohan P, et al. The tumor inhibitor and antiangiogenic agent withaferin A targets the intermediate filament protein vimentin. Chem Biol. (2007)
^ van Beijnum JR, et al. Gene expression of tumor angiogenesis dissected: specific targeting of colon cancer angiogenic vasculature. Blood. (2006)
^ Eckes B, et al. Impaired wound healing in embryonic and adult mice lacking vimentin. J Cell Sci. (2000)
^ a b c d e f Grin B, et al. Withaferin a alters intermediate filament organization, cell shape and behavior. PLoS One. (2012)
^ Rogers KR, Herrmann H, Franke WW. Characterization of disulfide crosslink formation of human vimentin at the dimer, tetramer, and intermediate filament levels. J Struct Biol. (1996)
^ a b c d e Thaiparambil JT, et al. Withaferin A inhibits breast cancer invasion and metastasis at sub-cytotoxic doses by inducing vimentin disassembly and serine 56 phosphorylation. Int J Cancer. (2011)
^ Li QF, et al. Critical role of vimentin phosphorylation at Ser-56 by p21-activated kinase in vimentin cytoskeleton signaling. J Biol Chem. (2006)
^ a b c Lahat G, et al. Vimentin is a novel anti-cancer wellbeing target; insights from in vitro and in vivo mice xenograft studies. PLoS One. (2010)
^ Karin M, Delhase M. The I kappa B kinase (IKK) and NF-kappa B: key elements of proinflammatory signalling. Semin Immunol. (2000)
^ Ghosh S, Karin M. Missing pieces in the NF-kappaB puzzle. Cell. (2002)
^ a b c Grover A, et al. Inhibition of the NEMO/IKKβ association complex formation, a novel mechanism associated with the NF-κB activation suppression by Withania somnifera's key metabolite withaferin A. BMC Genomics. (2010)
^ a b Rushe M, et al.