Discover three key health and wellbeing benefits of this powerful stress-fighting adaptogen
Ashwagandha root — also known as Indian ginseng and winter cherry— is a potent adaptogen used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine as a rejuvenating tonic for vitality, immunity and wellbeing.
Though its origins are ancient, it’s hard to imagine a supplement better suited to the hectic frazzle of our modern lives. Calming, anti-inflammatory, and deeply restorative, Ashwaganda’s remarkable ability to support the body through stress has made it one of the most popular (and extensively researched) adaptogens in natural medicine.
Ashwagandha is a heroine ingredient in both our Hair Pill and Mood Pill formulas — join us on a journey through three of its key benefits to find out why.
- Stress + Anxiety Relief
Adaptogens like Ashwagandha help the body adapt to physical, emotional and environmental stressors, restoring equilibrium. With both adaptogenic and nervine properties, Ashwagandha has an outstanding capacity to soothe stress, improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and irritability.
Ashwagandha has been shown to support the adrenal gland and regulate the production of stress hormones, with calming compounds that can help reduce cortisol levels. Additionally, research indicates that Ashwagandha has a similar effect on the brain as the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety.
- Cognitive Function + Memory
Stress and anxiety impair cognitive function, learning, and memory, which makes calming Ashwagandha one of your brain’s best friends. In recent studies, healthy adults that supplemented Ashwagandha demonstrated improved memory, attentiveness, processing speed and task performance.
In addition to boosting cognitive function through stress support, early research indicates that Ashwagandha may have neuroprotective functions that may protect against various forms of dementia.
- Hair Health
Another major casualty of elevated stress? Your hair health. (This can link to the hair stress blog) Chronic stress can lead to inflammation and hormonal imbalances that contribute to excess thinning, shedding and graying — especially as we age. By reducing cortisol levels and inflammation in the body, Ashwagandha helps promote healthy hair growth and alleviate stress-induced shedding.
Antioxidant-rich Ashwagandha also supports hair health by protecting follicles from free-radical damage caused by oxidative stress. It also contains compounds that stimulate the production of nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to the follicles and encourages healthy hair growth.
Ready to try Ashwagandha? The main thing to stress is quality. The full-spectrum Ashwaganda root extract in our Hair and Mood supplements is the most highly concentrated and extensively researched on earth. Chosen for its gold-standard potency and supply chain transparency, our Ashwagandha is grown on USDA certified organic farms in India using regenerative farming practices.
Sources
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, An Alternative Treatment for Anxiety: A Systematic Review of Human Trial Results Reported for the Ayurvedic Herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4270108/
African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, An overview on ashwagandha: A Rasayana (rejuvenator) of Ayurveda https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252722/
Journal of Dietatary Supplements, Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28471731/
Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, Withania somnifera L.: Insights into the phytochemical profile, therapeutic potential, clinical trials, and future prospective. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7811807/