This herb, also known as Withania Somnifera (though it is not related to ginseng) is known to pack a healing punch and to have significant restorative properties. Although the benefits of ashwagandha are lesser known, that doesn’t make the plant any less powerful.
Withania improves Safety sexual
performance. The alkaloids reduce blood pressure and lower heart rate.
Withanolides inhibit the growth of cancer cells.The benefits of ashwagandha are many; in addition to promoting fertility, aiding in wound care and boosting the immune system, some other benefits:
· Diuretic
· Sleep aid
· Galactogogue
· Anti-epileptic
· Anti-tumor
· Pain relief
· Eye health
· Heart tonic
· Lowers cholesterol
· Regulates blood sugar
· Reduces depression and anxiety
· Combats stress
· Fights cognitive decline due to brain cell degeneration
Among its many benefits withaniya has been shown to support weight loss.
- It effectively lowers elevated cortisol levels
- It regulates blood sugar and improves insulin sensitivity
Cortisol is a hormone which is secreted by your adrenal glands in response to stress. It performs vital functions in our body. The problem arises when you are faced with severe or prolonged stress and your cortisol levels are consistently elevated. Then, cortisol can lead to a host of health problems – ranging from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity.
The reason for this is that cortisol is involved in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates into energy. When you are dealing with elevated cortisol levels, your body starts to store more fat. Cortisol even affects where you are putting on weight. Studies have shown that people with increased cortisol levels tend to develop more abdominal fat than hip fat. This kind of fat is much more harmful to health as it promotes the development of chronic disease, related to metabolic syndrome.
- Withaniya effectively lowers serum levels of cortisol (up to 26%)
- Treatment with itsignificantly improves insulin sensitivity index
- It lowers blood sugar (glucose) levels with potency comparable to anti-diabetic drugs
- As added benefit, it also decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides
Sample Study -
BACKGROUND:
Many women experience sexual dysfunction where there are orgasm disorders and sexual difficulties. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a herb known to improve the body's physical and psychological condition.
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of a high-concentration ashwagandha root extract (HCARE) supplementation for improving sexual function in healthy females.
METHODS:
In this pilot study, 50 study subjects were randomized to either (i) HCARE-treated group or (ii) placebo- (starch-) treated group. The subjects consumed either HCARE or placebo capsules of 300mg twice daily for 8 weeks. Sexual function was assessed using two psychometric scales, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) Questionnaire and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), and by the number of total and successful sexual encounters.
RESULTS:
The analysis indicates that treatment with HCARE leads to significantly higher improvement, relative to placebo, in the FSFI Total score (p < 0.001), FSFI domain score for "arousal" (p < 0.001), "lubrication" (p < 0.001), "orgasm" (p = 0.004), and "satisfaction" (p < 0.001), and also FSDS score (p < 0.001) and the number of successful sexual encounters (p < 0.001) at the end of the treatment.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study demonstrated that oral administration of HCARE may improve sexual function in healthy women. The present study is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry, Government of India, with a number CTRI/2015/07/006045. Other studies indicate it derives many of its benefits from antioxidant properties. But even without knowing the “how” of withaniya’s benefits, we know it works, and has been working for centuries. The results of the studies related to withaniya and weight loss are promising. It has been shown that:It seems that withaniya is an effective weight loss aid especially for people who are already suffering some effects of the metabolic syndrome.
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