Do you sometimes…
- Feel “burned out” and increasingly over-stressed?
- Notice it’s becoming more difficult to remember names?
- Crave sweets and junk food because you’re stressed out?
- Find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep at night?
- Feel blue or uneasy?
- Wake up feeling tired and sluggish, and it lasts much of the day?
- Feel “wired” and unable to fully relax?
- Worry about your general health and well-being?
- Feel concerned over your fading sexual energy?
Stress can affect your body in many unseen ways. And as we all know, there is no shortage of stressors in today’s world.
So what can you do to cope?
Regular exercise, meditation, yoga and emotional freedom techniques (EFT) are all tools that I highly recommend. However, there may be times when you feel like you need more…
That’s where ashwagandha – the “king” of the herbal kingdom – comes in. One of the most potent adaptogens ever, this Ayurvedic herb surely belongs on your radar if you sometimes feel like your stressful lifestyle is getting the best of you.
Ashwagandha – Ayurveda’s Flagship Herb
Ashwagandha, also known as Indian ginseng, Withania somnifera, or winter cherry, is a plant that’s been used as a rejuvenative and daily tonic for many centuries.
Referred to as rayasana in the Ayurveda tradition – translated as “herb that rejuvenates” – it’s considered the number one, go-to herb in India’s traditional practice.
What is Ayurveda? Centered around herbs and spices, Ayurveda is an ancient holistic practice. It’s widely recognized as an authoritative source of knowledge and truth in natural health.
Ashwagandha has clearly withstood the test of time in this highly revered system.
A small evergreen perennial herb that grows to about two feet tall, ashwagandha’s light tan roots have been studied the most.
In India, the plants are harvested by hand, roots separated and then processed into a powdered extract. The leaves are traditionally used for tea.
Ashwagandha is a complex herb with many phytochemical constituents. In fact, it’s one of the very few herbs in the world with such a broad scope of phytochemicals. Here are just a few of the substances found in the roots:
- Alkaloids, including withanine, withananine and beta-sisterol
- Steroidal lactones, including withanolides
- Phytosterols, including stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol
- Flavonoids, including saponins, sitoindosides and choline
- Coumarins, including scopoletin and aesculetin
- Essential oils, including ipuranol and withaniol
While ashwagandha’s alkaloids and withanolides are two of the most important bioactive constituents, Ayurvedic experts believe that the potential benefits of the roots come from a synergistic effect of all of the components.
First, let’s take a look at how stress affects your body – and how ashwagandha may be able to help.
How Stress Affects Your Body
Remember the list of stress effects that we discussed earlier?
Many of those concerns are linked to your adrenals, those workhorse endocrine glands located above your kidneys.
When you feel stressed – or even if your body simply perceives a situation as stressful – your adrenal glands release cortisol, your body’s “stress hormone”.
Your adrenal glands also release cortisol when your blood sugar level drops too low, another perceived threat to your well-being.
While cortisol is important for your body’s functions, too high of levels due to stress can cause problems.
High levels of cortisol can:
- Create an imbalance in your hormones and brain neurotransmitters, possibly leading to poor sleep quality, feelings of uneasiness and moodiness.
- Impact your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and immune function.
- Increase fat storage (a telltale sign of a cortisol excess can be an increase in fat storage around your mid-center).
Your adrenals perform other jobs, too. They regulate many bodily functions, including metabolism, and they release hormones essential for your physical, mental and emotional well-being.
The good news is, ashwagandha may help your body adapt and protect against these negative effects of stress and cortisol.*
Could Ashwagandha Help Ease Your Stress?*
If you’re occasionally feeling battered by stress, I think you’ll find these study results encouraging…
In a double-blind study of 64 adults, one group received 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice a day for 60 days. The other group received a placebo.
The ashwagandha group experienced numerous benefits, compared to the placebo group:
- They had lower levels of cortisol.*
- They scored lower on tests measuring stress and overall well-being (the lower the score, the less stressful effects).*
- They reported feeling more relaxed and mentally calm.*
- Test scores showed they slept better, felt better physically and emotionally, and enjoyed improved interactions with others.*
- They noticed increased productivity.*
- They reported a “tremendous” improvement in quality of life*
What accounted for all these effects?
The researchers believe they are a result of ashwagandha’s ability to positively influence serotonin, an important neurotransmitter and precursor to melatonin – your sleep hormone – and your stress hormone, cortisol.*
Relaxation and an Energy Boost From One Herb?
I know what you may be thinking… “How can one herb provide both calming and energizing benefits at the same time?”
The answer is simple: Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, and a potent one at that.
An adaptogen is a substance that helps restore or balance the normal functions of an organ or system. This in turn can help your body deal with internal and external stressors and support your immune system activity.
As an adaptogen, ashwagandha plays a balancing role in your body and especially helps maintain harmony between your brain and hormone-producing organs.*
Ashwagandha helps balance your brain-adrenal axis as well as your thyroid gland.* You need proper balance in these areas to enjoy optimal adrenal and thyroid health, along with:
- A positive mood.
- A healthy metabolism.
- Abundant energy.
- An optimally functioning immune system.
- Normal, healthy sexual energy.
Adaptogens help your body and mind adapt to stress. When you can resist the harmful effects of stress, you help strengthen your body’s systems and support your nervous system and adrenal health.
And by regaining balance, you can benefit from both greater energy and endurance, as well as calm and focus.
How Ashwagandha Supports Healthy Brain Cells*
Researchers have discovered that ashwagandha increases an important antioxidant in your body called glutathione.*
Glutathione is essential for healthy cell development and your body’s detoxification processes.
Known as the “master antioxidant”, glutathione is especially needed for cells and tissues that experience lots of wear and tear and come into constant contact with free radicals.
Your brain certainly meets that criteria…
As you age, glutathione levels in your brain and blood flow to the central part of your brain (your hippocampus) decline. These two conditions create a “perfect storm” for damage to your brain cells.
In a recent rat study, researchers found they could raise levels of glutathione in the rats’ brains by feeding them withanalide – one of the key components of ashwagandha that we talked about earlier.*
Because glutathione is a key antioxidant protector that helps guard against the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS), ashwagandha, with its naturally occurring withanalide, may help support your brain cells.*
What to Look for When Shopping for Ashwagandha
As with any herb, quality matters. And with herbs, quality varies wildly. Choosing the least expensive brand off the shelf can be a big mistake if you want a high-quality product.
When buying ashwagandha, make sure it meets these criteria:
- Contains only 100% organic ingredients – Contains organic ashwagandha root
- Includes the entire ashwagandha root – Ayurvedic experts believe that the potential benefits come from a synergistic effect of all of its naturally occurring compounds
- Comes free from fillers, additives and excipients – Avoids fillers and unnecessary additives that are used to cut costs during production
- Grown by an organic supplier in India steeped in growing traditional Ayurvedic herbs and spices in unison with high-quality organic and safe organic growing practices, including…
- Harvesting the whole herb for “whole food” benefits.
- Selectively gathering only live quality organic herbs.
- Promoting the use of organic fertile soil by avoiding the use of harsh chemicals used in conventional growing practices.
To find an organic supplier that’s truly steeped in growing traditional Ayurvedic herbs and spices, it only makes sense to go to the heart of Ayurveda – India – for your ashwagandha.
Feel Renewed With This Ayurvedic Tradition
Different from isolated extracts, our whole-root Organic Ashwagandha capsules and drops were designed to gently nourish and help enhance the health of your “whole” body.* And it’s been doing just that for countless individuals for thousands of years.*
So if you’d like to help “take your life back” and feel…
- Refreshed and better able to handle everyday stress.*
- More energetic and alert in the morning and throughout the day.*
- In greater control of your eating with fewer unhealthy cravings.*
- More relaxed and able to unwind.*
- Good about your renewed sexual energy.*
- Better rested because you’re sleeping more soundly.*
- Sharper, more productive and better able to remember names.*
Our whole-root Organic Ashwagandha may be perfect for you.
Go with the “King of the Herbal Kingdom”, and order Organic Ashwagandha today.