20 Things You Need to Know About Ashwagandha

1. The name ashwagandha comes from the Sanskrit ashva (meaning 'horse') and gandha (meaning 'smell'), and refers to the odor of the root. It is also widely used for inflammation, colds, asthma and many other disorders.
   
   - Dr. Michael Heinrich, Joanne Barnes, Simon Gibbons and Elizabeth M. Williamson, Fundamentals of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy
2. Like the tomato, ashwagandha bears yellow flowers and red fruit, though the fruit is berrylike in size and shape. Ashwagandha grows prolifically in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. All parts of the plant are used in herbal medicine. Ashwagandha has been used for more than 2,500 years as a "vitalizer."
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
3. Animal studies in India also have found that ashwagandha sensitizes cancer cells to radiation treatment, making treatments approximately 50 percent more effective. Studies have shown that ashwagandha is helpful in putting cancer tumors into regression.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
4. Ashwagandha is a sexual "grounding" herb that reduces the frequency of premature ejaculation and increases sexual stamina.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
5. When used to increase sex drive, ashwagandha should not be taken in instances of acute sexual anxiety, as its effects take hold only after about one week of daily use.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
6. Ashwagandha oil is a combination of ashwagandha with almond oil and rose water designed to be used as a facial toner.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
7. Ashwagandha is available in capsule form. The product you choose should be standardized for withanolides.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
8. Do not eat ashwagandha berries, as they can cause severe gastrointestinal pain. Taking ashwagandha with tranquilizers may result in drowsiness and loss of coordination. You should avoid this herb if you are taking prescription drugs for anxiety, insomnia, or a seizure disorder.
   
   - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
9. In Indian medicine, ashwagandha is used traditionally to restore vitality and as a mild aphrodisiac. Studies show ashwagandha has anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, and immune-modulating properties, and is mildly sedating. Drink a decoction made by boiling 1 tbsp of dried root per cup of water or take 2 ml of tincture three times daily.
   
   - Marshall Editions, 1000 Cures for 200 Ailments: Integrated Alternative and Conventional Treatments for the Most Common Illnesses
10. For better absorption, take ashwagandha on an empty stomach. Caution: ashwagandha may cause drowsiness in some individuals. Do not drive after taking this herb.
    
    - Bottom Line Health, Bottom Line's Health Breakthroughs 2007
11. In cases of general debility, nervous exhaustion, loss of muscle strength, and that all-familiar "brain fog," the ashwagandha plant that grows and is cultivated in India and even the Himalayas is well-known in folk medicine of that region as a traditional treatment of these problems. This plant is regarded in India as a tonic and adaptogen, with properties similar to ginseng. In one study, physical endurance was doubled in participants given extracts of ashwagandha.
    
    - Tori Hudson, N.D., Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Alternative Therapies and Integrative Medicine for Total Health and Wellness
12. A laboratory study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that ashwagandha inhibits the number of nerve cells that fire in the brain, much like the neurotransmitter GABA, resulting in an anti-anxiety and mood-enhancing effect.
    
    - Bottom Line Health, Bottom Line's Health Breakthroughs 2007
13. Most of my patients who are Spent and who take ashwagandha respond after a week or two by feeling warmer and having more energy. After a few weeks they often come back feeling stronger — and with an enhanced libido as a bonus. Caution: Avoid during pregnancy and don't take if you are taking sedatives or if you have severe gastric irritation or ulcers. Also, people who are sensitive to the nightshade group of plants should be careful.
    
    - Frank Lipman, Mollie Doyle, Spent: Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Feel Great Again
14. Ashwagandha is calming. It is useful if you have anxiety or insomnia; and oddly enough, it also helps if you have fatigue. It also supports thyroid hormone production of T4.
    
    - Phuli Cohan, The Natural Hormone Makeover: 10 Steps to Rejuvenate Your Health and Rediscover Your Inner Glow
15. [Ashwagandha] improves the response to stress, possibly via an action on the adrenal glands, and also has anti-inflammatory and sedative effects. Ashwagandha is used to treat nervous exhaustion, insomnia and malnutrition.
    
    - Nicola Reavley, The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs
16. Ashwagandha's active principles, alkaloids and with anoloids, have longevity-enhancing and sexually stimulating properties.
    
    - Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies
17. Ashwagandha may be useful in cases of impotence or infertility due to nervous exhaustion, in convalescence, and in debility associated with chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and Crohn's disease.
    
    - Nicola Reavley, The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs
18. Ashwagandha helps to increase energy and can enhance digestion.
    
    - David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
19. Ashwagandha gives the body and mind an energy boost.
    
    - David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes, Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
20. Certain tonic herbs in general, and particularly ashwagandha, shatavari, ginseng, and licorice are good for ojas. These are what Ayurveda calls soma-producing herbs.
    
    - Gabriel Cousens, M.D., Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini

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