Introduction
Ashwagandha, also known as "Indian ginseng," has been a part of traditional Indian medicine for more than 3,000 years, and is known for its rejuvenating properties. Ashwagandha supports women's health naturally by balancing hormones , promoting mental well-being, and boosting immunity. Taking a high quality supplement containing Ashwagandha can be beneficial for overall health. This article will delve into the various health benefits of Ashwagandha specifically tailored to women's well-being.
The Science Behind Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a shrub with yellow blossoms that originates from India. The plant stores potent bioactive compounds called withanolides in its roots, making it a powerful adaptogen. Adaptogens are natural substances that help the body respond to stress, anxiety, fatigue, and overall wellbeing.
Ashwagandha's history is closely linked to traditional medicine, especially Ayurveda, one of the oldest holistic healing systems in the world. The herb's name, derived from "Ashwa" meaning horse and "Gandha" meaning smell, refers to its ability to provide strength and vigor, much like a horse's vitality.
Stress and Anxiety Management
Ashwagandha is an exceptional herb for managing stress and anxiety. As an adaptogen, it works as a calming agent for your body during stressful situations. It helps your body adapt to stress by normalizing and stabilizing its responses, improving overall emotional well-being.
Moreover, Ashwagandha plays a crucial role in managing cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that your body produces in response to stress, and excessive cortisol levels can lead to various health problems. Ashwagandha acts as a protector of your cortisol levels, keeping them within healthy limits. This, in turn, helps to reduce stress and anxiety.
Hormone Balance and Women's Health
Ashwagandha plays a pivotal role in promoting hormonal balance, ensuring the equilibrium of reproductive hormones. This is especially significant for women dealing with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), as Ashwagandha helps regulate hormonal imbalances, enhances fertility, and increases the chances of conception. Moreover, it supports menstrual cycle regularity, offering predictability and ease during monthly periods, and provides relief from premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, making cramping, mood swings, and bloating more manageable.
Studies show that Ashwagandha is beneficial for women’s sexual health and can even aid women during the challenging phase of menopause by alleviating symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings.
Enhanced Cognitive Function
Ashwagandha also promotes mental health. It nurtures the mind and improves cognitive performance, leading to better memory and mental clarity. This cognitive boost is especially helpful for women who have to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, as it enables them to handle their daily activities more efficiently. Moreover, Ashwagandha acts as a natural defense against cognitive decline that can occur due to aging. Its adaptogenic properties counteract the symptoms of mental deterioration, providing protection against various conditions associated with cognitive decline. For women, this means retaining their mental sharpness and independence as they grow old.
Immune System Support
Ashwagandha is an effective natural remedy that can strengthen the immune system. Its fortifying properties help enhance the body’s natural defenses. By enhancing the immune response, Ashwagandha helps the body recognize and fight against invading pathogens.
In addition, Ashwagandha's powerful anti-inflammatory effects can help alleviate chronic inflammation, which is a common concern for many women and is linked to various health issues. This not only helps to prevent inflammation-related conditions, but also enhances overall comfort and well-being.
Physical Well Being
By positively impacting muscle strength, heart health, sleep, weight management, and skin health, Ashwagandha offers a holistic approach to enhancing women's physical well-being.
Muscle Strength and Endurance. Ashwagandha, with its adaptogenic properties, can improve muscle strength and endurance. By enhancing physical performance, it helps achieve fitness goals and maintain an active lifestyle. A study demonstrated that Ashwagandha supplementation significantly improved various muscle-related parameters, including strength, muscle size, body fat percentage, testosterone levels, and muscle recovery.
Heart Health. Ashwagandha is beneficial for cardiovascular health, as it helps maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Studies on Ashwagandha's heart-protective potential have been conducted in rats. In one study, Ashwagandha reduced heart damage triggered by isoprenaline. This effect was attributed, in part, to its ability to rectify harmful oxidation imbalances in the heart. Another study using rats with heart problems related to reduced blood flow demonstrated that Ashwagandha shielded the heart from damage and restored harmful oxidation equilibrium. It's worth noting that only small quantities of withaferin A in Ashwagandha demonstrated a protective impact on the rat's heart. Larger amounts of withaferin A were less effective. However, further research is necessary to understand these effects, particularly in human subjects fully.
Sleep. Quality sleep is essential for overall well-being, promoting daytime alertness and emotional stability. Ashwagandha's ability to regulate sleep patterns is particularly beneficial for women struggling with insomnia or irregular sleep. In a study investigating Ashwagandha's impact on sleep quality, participants taking Ashwagandha reported significant improvements compared to a placebo group. This research highlights Ashwagandha's potential to enhance sleep quality, especially in stress-related contexts.
Additionally, another study demonstrated that Ashwagandha improved sleep quality and reduced stress levels in college students. These findings underscore Ashwagandha's role as a potential natural remedy for enhancing sleep and managing stress-related sleep issues. However, further research must confirm these effects and investigate the underlying mechanisms.
Potential Impact on Weight Management. Maintaining a healthy weight is a common concern for many women. Ashwagandha can potentially aid in weight management by helping control stress-related overeating and supporting a balanced metabolism. This natural support makes it easier to achieve and maintain your weight goals.
Promoting Healthy Skin. Radiant, healthy skin is a desirable aspect of well-being. Ashwagandha's antioxidant properties contribute to skin health by protecting it from oxidative stress. This means fewer signs of premature aging and a more youthful complexion, making you feel good in your skin.
How to Incorporate Ashwagandha into Your Routine
When adding Ashwagandha to your daily regimen, it is important to remember the correct dosage. Sensoril®, which is an Ashwagandha extract, offers a well-studied and effective dosage of 125mg. This amount is lower than several other alternatives, which means that you can enjoy the complete benefits of Ashwagandha without surpassing your needs.
Ashwagandha tends to have a bitter taste, which may not be appealing to everyone. Thankfully, it's available in forms that can help mitigate the taste. If you're looking for a convenient and effective solution that combines multiple ingredients for women's well-being in a berry-lemon flavored gel, consider Healthycell's Calm Mood MicroGel. This innovative product seamlessly incorporates Ashwagandha, L-theanine, GABA, 5HTP, Magnesium, and Saffron, providing a holistic approach to your overall health.
Precautions and Considerations
Pregnant women should not take ashwagandha because it may cause abortion.
You should consult your doctor if you have hormone-sensitive prostate cancer because ashwagandha can raise testosterone levels and interfere with your treatment.
Taking Ashwagandha with some prescription medications may increase their drowsiness effects. Consult your healthcare provider before taking it.
Recent cases have suggested that Ashwagandha may be associated with thyrotoxicosis, a condition characterized by an overactive thyroid. If you have a history of hyperthyroidism or are currently experiencing symptoms of an overactive thyroid, such as sudden weight loss, rapid heartbeat, or excessive sweating, it's advisable to consult a healthcare professional before considering Ashwagandha supplementation.
Conclusion
Ashwagandha is a powerful herb that offers several health benefits for women. It has the potential to enhance emotional stability, support hormonal balance, improve cognitive function, strengthen the immune system, and contribute to better physical health. However, it is essential to use it wisely, seek professional advice, and explore products like Healthycell's Calm Mood, which takes a holistic approach to wellness by incorporating Ashwagandha along with other complementary ingredients. By following these steps, you can look forward to a healthier and happier you.
About the Author
Amanda Herlocker MS, RDN, LDN is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s in Nutrition Science. As the founder of The Queen City Dietitian, LLC in Charlotte, NC, she brings a depth of knowledge to her writings. Amanda’s expertise spans clinical nutrition, innovative recipe development, and evidence-based content creation for various platforms.
References
- Panossian, A., & Wikman, G. (2010). Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 3(1), 188–224. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph3010188
- Singh, N., Bhalla, M., de Jager, P., & Gilca, M. (2011). An overview on ashwagandha: a Rasayana (rejuvenator) of Ayurveda. African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM, 8(5 Suppl), 208–213. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajtcam.v8i5S.9
- Panossian, A., & Wikman, G. (2010). Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 3(1), 188–224. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph3010188
- Speers, A. B., Cabey, K. A., Soumyanath, A., & Wright, K. M. (2021). Effects of Withania somnifera(Ashwagandha) on Stress and the Stress- Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia. Current neuropharmacology, 19(9), 1468–1495. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X19666210712151556
- Akbaribazm, M., Goodarzi, N., & Rahimi, M. (2021). Female infertility and herbal medicine: An overview of the new findings. Food science & nutrition, 9(10), 5869–5882. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.2523
- Modi, M. B., Donga, S. B., & Dei, L. (2012). Clinical evaluation of Ashokarishta, Ashwagandha Churna and Praval Pishti in the management of menopausal syndrome. Ayu, 33(4), 511–516. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.110529
- Xing, D., Yoo, C., Gonzalez, D., Jenkins, V., Nottingham, K., Dickerson, B., Leonard, M., Ko, J., Faries, M., Kephart, W., Purpura, M., Jäger, R., Sowinski, R., Rasmussen, C. J., & Kreider, R. B. (2022). Effects of Acute Ashwagandha Ingestion on Cognitive
- Tharakan, A., Shukla, H., Benny, I. R., Tharakan, M., George, L., & Koshy, S. (2021). Immunomodulatory Effect of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) Extract-A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial with an Open Label Extension on Healthy Participants. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(16), 3644. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10163644
- Wankhede, S., Langade, D., Joshi, K., Sinha, S. R., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9
- ‘Mohanty, I. R., Arya, D. S., & Gupta, S. K. (2008). Withania somnifera provides cardioprotection and attenuates ischemia-reperfusion induced apoptosis. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 27(4), 635–642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2008.05.006
- ‘Deshpande, A., Irani, N., Balkrishnan, R., & Benny, I. R. (2020). A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. Sleep medicine, 72, 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.03.012
- Baker, C., Kirby, J. B., O'Connor, J., Lindsay, K. G., Hutchins, A., & Harris, M. (2022). The Perceived Impact of Ashwagandha on Stress, Sleep Quality, Energy, and Mental Clarity for College Students: Qualitative Analysis of a Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial. Journal of medicinal food, 25(12), 1095–1101. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2022.0042
- Kamal, H. I., Patel, K., Brdak, A., Heffernan, J., & Ahmad, N. (2022). Ashwagandha as a Unique Cause of Thyrotoxicosis Presenting With Supraventricular Tachycardia. Cureus, 14(3), e23494. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.23494
