Ashwagandha may be touted by social media influencers as an “it” supplement, but its roots lie in holistic wellness. Ashwagandha acts as an adaptogen that helps your body manage stress more effectively while increasing energy levels.

A recent randomized, double-blind study with 58 participants showed that Ashwagandha root extract significantly reduced stress and anxiety over eight weeks compared to placebo. Furthermore, its consumption promoted healthy metabolic, endocrine, and immune function.

1. Relieves Stress and Anxiety

Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it helps the body resist and cope with stress. Additionally, it serves as a powerful rejuvenative herb, increasing energy and stamina levels while relaxing the mind, relieving anxiety, reducing restlessness, balancing vata and pitta doshas, improving your mental and physical wellbeing, normalizing cortisol levels in your body to prevent stress responses while providing effective antidepressant support through serotonin levels boosted in your brain and maintaining a healthy sleeping pattern as well as increasing memory/learning abilities and helping maintain clarity of thought.

One study reported that those taking an ashwagandha extract reported less anxiety and depression, better quality of life and lower cortisol levels than those on placebos. Additional research studies demonstrated ashwagandha’s anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties when administered to stressed adults; self-report measures as well as physiological markers like cortisol levels and pulse rates all demonstrated positive results with regards to stress relief from taking this herb.

Under stress, your adrenal glands produce cortisol to bring you instantaneous relief from anxiety. This causes your heart rate to speed up, breathing to accelerate, and body to produce glucose for quick burst of energy production. Once the event has passed, cortisol levels should return back to normal; Ashwagandha has been shown to reduce adrenal gland activity, thus possibly explaining its stress-relief properties.

Ashwagandha can provide temporary relief from stress and anxiety; however, it should never replace seeking professional medical advice for diagnosable anxiety disorders. Ashwagandha should only ever be taken as an adaptogen supplement and never replace professional therapy services or licensed mental health providers as treatment.

2. Increases Energy

Ashwagandha can be an invaluable ally in combatting stress and improving overall quality of life. It can boost energy levels, strengthen brain health, reduce inflammation and more; no wonder it has been used for millennia as part of Ayurveda medicine!

Ashwagandha can increase your VO2 max, which measures how much oxygen your body is able to take in during exercise. This increases endurance and performance levels in sports or work settings. Furthermore, this herb can improve cognition and memory – one study showed it significantly increasing participants’ reaction times in cognitive and psychomotor tests.

Ashwagandha can boost energy levels in multiple ways. First, by stimulating the central nervous system and increasing focus, concentration, and attention span. Ashwagandha may help you remain alert throughout the day as well as being beneficial for people suffering from fatigue or chronic conditions like fibromyalgia.

Eating protein also appears to promote thyroid hormone production and the endocrine system, helping you feel less tired all of the time. Furthermore, research indicates it promotes new nerve cell growth while stimulating dendrites in your brain; which may improve mental alertness as well as communication among nerve cells.

Ashwagandha can be taken in combination with caffeine for a more sustained and balanced energy boost, but you should consult your physician first before combining any supplements. They will determine whether ashwagandha is safe for your particular circumstances and provide advice on dosage amounts and timeframe. It’s also wise to check labels on any products purchased to make sure they have been third-party tested and contain the listed ingredients.

3. Boosts Immunity

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, or plant which supports healthy responses to environmental, emotional and physical stressors. Ayurvedic practitioners traditionally used it to balance body, mind, and spirit – often believed to be interlinked – ashwagandha has since become popular as an aid against stress, anxiety and insomnia symptoms, while increasing energy levels and improving restful sleep patterns.

Ashwagandha has been shown in clinical studies to reduce stress and regulate cortisol levels, improve focus and mental stamina, reduce irritability and cravings related to stress-induced anxiety, increase testosterone production in men while simultaneously balancing estrogen in women, increase testosterone production while simultaneously balancing estrogen. Furthermore, it can also be a powerful immune booster by increasing disease-fighting white blood cell production as well as elevating levels of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase which can help delay aging process while improving overall health benefits.

Cortisol, our bodies’ hormone for dealing with stress, releases into our systems to help us cope with situations. Unfortunately, high cortisol levels can lead to various health problems including weight gain, decreased immunity and fatigue. Studies have demonstrated that Ashwagandha can modulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis which in turn helps normalize cortisol levels and promote an overall balanced stress response response.

Ashwagandha can aid the immune system by decreasing bad cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing good ones, providing further benefits to heart health by decreasing inflammation, reducing blood sugar levels and maintaining a healthy blood pressure range. For maximum effectiveness it’s best to take a pure, high-quality ashwagandha supplement that has been third party tested to ensure purity and safety.

4. Improves Sleep

Ashwagandha can help improve sleep by decreasing stress responses that contribute to insomnia. Ashwagandha acts as an adaptogen, increasing your body’s capacity to cope with psychological strain, as well as acting as an aphrodisiac that enhances sexual performance and energy levels. We include a generous serving of Ashwagandha in our Cacao Clarity Superfood Powder alongside maca, another powerful adaptogen that acts both an aphrodisiac and boosts energy.

Small clinical trials–the gold standard of scientific research–have demonstrated that ashwagandha extracts can significantly enhance various measures of sleep, including decreasing time taken to fall asleep, amount of time spent in non-REM (dream) sleep, wakefulness episodes and mental alertness upon awakening compared to the placebo group.

Studies have demonstrated the beneficial properties of ashwagandha in terms of improving cognitive functions and memory recall, including responding quickly to instructions. Participants taking an combination of ashwagandha and gotu kola showed improvements on tests measuring attention span and immediate memory recall.

Be mindful that some of these studies were small and may not apply to everyone. When purchasing supplements, always inspect for quality and purity before purchasing from any third-party testing sources; any time you have concerns with what supplements you’re taking it’s advisable to speak to your healthcare provider directly before trying any new herbal remedies or supplements – particularly during pregnancy or breastfeeding; also always speak to a healthcare professional prior to mixing ashwagandha with sedatives or stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine.

5. Reduces Inflammation

Ashwagandha contains phytochemicals that can aid in reducing inflammation in the body. They do this by supporting healthy hormones and neurotransmitters during times of stress, helping the body manage healthy hormone levels and neurotransmitter release rates, which ultimately results in reduced inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein found in those suffering chronic inflammation-based conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or obesity.

Ashwagandha reduces inflammation by helping the body regulate cortisol levels – the body’s natural stress hormone – more efficiently, relieving symptoms of stress and anxiety while simultaneously increasing energy. Furthermore, ashwagandha can enhance both men and women’s libidos; one study even discovered it can even increase testosterone and sperm count!

Ashwagandha can be consumed as a churna, which is a finely sieved powder mixed with liquid such as water, milk or clarified butter (ghee). Once mixed together the mixture must be stirred vigorously so the powdered ashwagandha is evenly dispersed for maximum effectiveness of this adaptogenic herb. This preparation allows individuals to derive maximum benefit from this adaptogenic herb.

Consume Ashwagandha by taking capsules, extracts or liquid tinctures. Many health food stores, co-ops and online retailers sell this supplement in capsule form, extract form, powder form and as liquid tinctures; third party testing should ensure potency and purity before purchasing your ashwagandha supplement(s). Starting slowly can help make the experience more palatable; start out at low doses until your tolerance builds up to full strength doses.

New Chapter’s KSM-66 Ashwagandha is my go-to product because of its high-quality whole herb concentrate, including both leaves and roots, plus complementary herbs such as Nigella sativa, holy basil and shiitake mushrooms – making for an effective formula that supports nervous systems, improves memory retention, decreases stress levels and anxiety and promotes overall well-being.