HOUSTON – Our current culture is stressed out.
We have psychological stress, physical stress, and our bodies are not supposed to be living like this nonstop.
Now, people are turning to a natural supplement: Ashwagandha. You can find it in pills, drops, and drinks.
“It’s supposed to help you sleep by lowering cortisol. So, the natural curve of cortisol, which is one of the main stress hormones, is it goes up in the morning, which is normal, which gets you up and going and lets you wake up. But then you should start going down at night and let you go to sleep. A lot of people that are dealing with chronic stress, the curve is not normal. So they have a hard time waking up in the morning, but then they have a hard time going to sleep because they’re wired but tired,” Tammy Karni, a nutritionist with Simply Nutrition said. “That’s how ashwagandha works is by lowering cortisol, which lets you sleep and then everything else falls into place.”
WHAT ARE ADAPTOGENS?
“An adaptogen is any substance that helps your body adapt to stress,” Karni said.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen. (Ginseng, lion’s mane and turmeric are examples of others.)
The three criteria to be considered an adaptogen, according to Karni:
- It cannot have a toxic load at a normal dose; safe to be used daily.
- Its effect is nonspecific. Not a “pill for a specific ill.” It acts on the body as a whole.
- It creates balance in the body. The response may be different in different people.
WHAT ARE ASHWAGANDHA BENEFITS?
The benefits of ashwagandha were shown in one small NIH study to:
- Improve sleep
- Decrease stress
- And lower cortisol
One OBGYN said it improves the symptoms of perimenopause in her patients.
WATCH THIS VIDEO FOR MORE ON HORMONAL EFFECTS
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEGATIVE ASHWAGANDHA SIDE EFFECTS?
The NIH also said:
- Ashwagandha may increase testosterone.
- Prostate cancer patients should not use this.
- Pregnant/nursing patients should not use this.
- Talk to your doctor since this could interact with other medications.
TikTok users post about some lack of emotion and excessive sleepiness they feel from taking this, and Karni said some of her clients agree that’s why it’s not for them.
“Some people, like some of my clients, tell me, ‘I don’t like it from the beginning. It made me feel like... I don’t have any emotion.’ Some people say, like, ‘It doesn’t let me wake up,’” Karni said. “It’s not for everybody for sure and it is for people to try. But my clients that normally are taking ashwagandha have very stressful jobs.”
Karni drinks the ashwagandha tea.
Remember, this is the same person who said everyone should be taking magnesium.
No limitations to magnesium because we just aren’t getting enough.
That’s not the same recommendation for ashwagandha, for this supplement, she says to try it for about a week. See how your body responds. Then decide to quit or continue.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TAKE?
“The recommendation is to take it in the evening. So late afternoon, early evening, it’s usually two doses, 250 milligrams to 300 twice a day,” Karni said.
HOW LONG UNTIL YOU SEE THE BENEFIT?
The NIH study concluded eight weeks reduced stress and improved sleep.