Description
“Gain Serenity, Energy and Mental Clarity Almost Overnight With the Help of the King of the Herbal Kingdom”
It‚ is not every day you come across a herb so far-reaching in its potential for physical, mental, and emotional health. Some experts have even suggested that Ashwagandha might be the only nutritional support you’ll need if stuck on a deserted island! Whether that is true or not, discover the benefits it may hold for you.
Do you sometimes…
- Feel”burned out” and increasingly over-stressed?
- Notice it is becoming more difficult to remember names?
- Crave sweets and junk food because you‚ are stressed out?
- Find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep at night?
- Feel blue or anxious?
- 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 and devious ways. And we all know there is no shortage of stressors in today’s world!
So what can you do to help you cope? Regular exercise, meditation, yoga, and emotional freedom techniques (EFT) are all tools which are recommended. But sometimes many people feel like they need more. That is where ashwagandha, the king of the plant kingdom, comes in. One of the most potent adaptogens Dr Mercola has ever seen, 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 is 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 is widely recognised 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 is 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.
Could Ashwagandha Help Ease Your Stress and Anxiety?
If you are occasionally feeling battered by stress, these study results you may find intriguing. 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:
- Had lower levels of cortisol
- Scored lower on tests measuring stress, anxiety, 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 regulate serotonin, an important neurotransmitter, and the stress hormone, cortisol.
Relaxation and an Energy Boost, All from the Same Herb?
So how can one herb provide both calming and energising benefits at the same time? The answer is simple, in that 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 is 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 and calm and focus!
Ashwagandha’s Stunning Ability to Help Support 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. So 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 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 protect your brain cells.
Could Ashwagandha Potentially Help Your Memory and Mood, Too?
Here‚ is an interesting discovery about ashwagandha; researchers don’t believe ashwagandha acts directly on your brain. Instead, they have found that the herb boosts a protein in your liver that enters the bloodstream and travels to your brain. There, it may help clear toxic amyloid plaque that accumulates in your brain.
Researchers have observed some important brain-supporting effects with ashwagandha extract:
- It helps slow down the deterioration of brain cells, thus supporting cognitive function
- It helps rebuild nerve and brain cell synapses
- It helps repair brain cell damage
So what is behind ashwagandha’s potential for improving memory? Researchers suspect that ashwagandha’s calming properties may be responsible for its potential memory benefits. Stress, anxiety, and poor sleep can all affect normal cognitive function. So by easing them, memory and cognitive function may improve. And because ashwagandha helps ease mental and emotional stress, it may also help improve mood as well.
Introducing… Dr. Mercola’s Organic Ashwagandha – Direct From India
Dr. Mercola’s organic Ashwagandha is made for us by the experts – a high-quality manufacturer in India who knows Ayurvedic tradition. Made from the whole root powder, my Ashwagandha meets all my criteria for a top-tier product:
- Is made with certified organic ashwagandha powder
- Contains the whole root
- Comes packed in vegetarian capsules
- Avoids fillers and additives, including magnesium stearate
And it is produced by a certified organic manufacturer who is knowledgeable of traditional Ayurvedic practice and who greatly values soil integrity.
Not an Isolated Extract, Whole Root Ashwagandha Gently Nourishes
Different from isolated extracts, Mercola’s whole root ashwagandha was designed by nature 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 are sleeping more soundly
- Sharper, more productive, and better able to remember names
Dr. Mercola’s organic whole root powder Ashwagandha may be perfect for you.
