By Alissa B Daschbach MA BS BA MH

Elevate and Vitality include Ashwagandha as an essential ingredient due to its potent adaptogenic properties and ability to invigorate the mind and body. In this article, you will learn about how this ancient herbal remedy supports your body’s response to stress and provides relaxation or energy according to its needs.

Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, has been used for thousands of years to help treat a diverse array of conditions, especially those related to stress and anxiety. Ashwagandha (commonly known as Indian Winter cherry) is an evergreen shrub native to Asia and Africa. The root extract contains chemicals that may help calm the effects of stress on the nervous system while enhancing the function of the brain and nervous system, including improving memory. Ashwagandha is an important adaptogen - a natural substance that brings balance to the body when it is interrupted by internal or external stressors. These unique substances meet your body’s requirement to bring it back to homeostasis and balance by stimulating the body’s systems when fatigued and calming when overwhelmed with stress.

Ashwagandha is known as the ideal adaptogen, supporting relaxation or energy (depending on which mode your body needs) while reversing the effects of stress and protecting the body from neurotoxins. The formulators of Elevate and Vitality both include ashwagandha as an essential ingredient due to its potent adaptogenic properties and ability to invigorate the mind and body. Read on to discover the powerful capabilities of this ancient plant in calming the effects of stress and reenergizing a depleted body.

Ashwagandha Promotes Mental Health and Happiness

The root extract of ashwagandha is a central remedy in Ayurveda, the ancient tradition of medicine in India. Ashwagandha’s history of use dates back thousands of years, to around 6000 B.C. This sacred herb of India is known as the “Queen of Ayurveda” and was taken to promote youth, longevity of life and help relieve pain and suffering. In Ayurveda, ashwagandha is known as a Rasayana - an herbal preparation that promotes a youthful state of physical and mental health and happiness. Traditionally, it was also used to treat fertility issues, muscular and joint pain, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Herbal preparations of ashwagandha were also given to small children as a tonic and to the elderly to promote longevity.

Supporting its use in Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha extract has been shown in research to be a powerful nootropic, protecting against neurodegeneration and boosting brain functioning.  Furthermore, current research into Ashwagandha is looking at its potential in improving memory and cognition in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Ashwagandha can help relieve stress and anxiety, provide energy in the face of excessive fatigue, and rejuvenate a tired body and mind.

Freedom from Stress and Anxiety with Ashwagandha

People who endure chronic stress often feel nervous and anxious throughout the day, a state of existence that causes a general state of unbalance throughout the body and mind. Chronic stress can lead to other disease conditions, such as:

• High blood pressure
• Depression
• Cardiac disease
• Metabolic disorders
• Sleeplessness and chronic fatigue

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder in the United States today. It is an urgent problem that affects people of all ages. Anxiety is most always accompanied by stress and the body’s response to stress is to release hormones that react to a perceived physical or mental threat. Long-term exposure to stress and the stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) can have a negative effect on health, especially weakening the immune system and worsening symptoms in those with existing diseases. Pharmaceutical approaches to dealing with anxiety disorders usually involve prescribing strong and possible addictive drugs such as benzodiazepines and lorazepam. Natural alternatives (like ashwagandha) to these prescription medications are often sought by people who do not wish to experience the uncomfortable side effects or strong sedative effects of the medications.

Ashwagandha has been the subject of many research studies that investigate the adaptogenic qualities of the plant along with its ability to calm the body’s response to stress. Remember that an adaptogen is a natural herb or substance that helps to improve a person’s ability to cope with stress, helping to normalize the excessive release of stress hormones and help the body adapt to change. An ideal adaptogenic herb will have the following qualities:

• Safe and effective
• Decrease damage to health caused by stress
• Do not cause withdrawal symptoms or negative side effects

Ashwagandha passes all three of these criteria and is an exceptional natural alternative to treating stress and the effects it has on the body. In fact, regular intake of ashwagandha extract has been shown in studies to reduce circulating cortisol (the hormone released after stressful events). Excessive cortisol causes long-term fatigue and mental fogginess along with damage to the brain and memory if exposed to excessively high levels of cortisol. Furthermore, excessive exposure to cortisol weakens the immune system and increases inflammation. Thus, ashwagandha significantly reduces the symptoms of anxiety and can improve stress response and promote relaxation.  Elevate and Vitality have both included this relaxing and health-supporting adaptogen in its formula to bring calm to the body and mind while helping to protect the body from the damaging effects of stress and enhancing immunity.

Cautions and Contraindications

As with all supplements, consult with your doctor before taking ashwagandha The extract is known to interact with several different medications. Be sure to check with your physician before starting supplementation with extracts from ashwagandha,

Ashwagandha is known to be a safe supplement that can be taken for up to three months. Excessive doses of ashwagandha extract may cause the following symptoms:

• Upset stomach
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Liver problems (rarely)

Ashwagandha may stimulate the immune system, thus causing auto-immune disorders to be more active. Many medications decrease the action of the immune system, so if you are taking an immunosuppressant, avoid using ashwagandha. Furthermore, because of ashwagandha’s possible interaction with the central nervous system, do not take ashwagandha if you are on sedatives or antidepressant medications.

If you have any of the following diseases or conditions, it is best to avoid use:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Lupus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Other auto-immune diseases
• Thyroid condition (the extract may increase thyroid levels)
• Upcoming surgery (the extract may slow the central nervous system)

Pregnant women and nursing mothers should consult with their physician before taking supplements that contain ashwagandha.

References

Chandrasekhar K. , Kapoor J., & Anishetty S. (2012). 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 anxiety in adults. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 34(3), 255-62. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439798/

Gregory J., Vengalasetti Y.V., Bredesen D.E., Rao R.V. (2021). Neuroprotective Herbs for the Management of Alzheimer's Disease. Biomolecules, 11(4): 543. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33917843/

Kuboyama, T., Tohda, C., & Komatsu, K. (2014). Effects of Ashwagandha (roots of Withania somnifera) on neurodegenerative diseases. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 37(6), 892-897.. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24882401/

Lopresti, A. L., Smith, S. J., Malvi, H., & Kodgule, R. (2019). An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine, 98(37). Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32305638/

Pratte, M.A., Nanavati, K.B., Young, V., Morley, C.P. An alternative treatment for anxiety: a systematic review of human trial results reported for the Ayurvedic herb ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 20(12), 901-908. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25405876/

Salve, J., Pate, S., Debnath K., Langade, D. (2019). Adaptogenic and Anxiolytic Effects of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Healthy Adults: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study. Cureus, 11(12), e6466. Retrieved from PubMed; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32021735/

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, 8(5S). Retrieved from PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252722/

Zahiruddin, S., Basist, P., Parveen, A., Parveen, R., Khan, W., & Ahmad, S. (2020). Ashwagandha in brain disorders: A review of recent developments. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 257, 112876. Retrieved from PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31517876/