Ashwagandha: A Stress-Busting Herb with Potential Health Benefits and What You Need to Know Before Taking This Ancient Remedy
Ashwagandha is a plant that people have used in Ayurvedic medicine for a very long time. This plant can do a lot of good things for your health. It might help you feel less stressed and worried, get better at sports, take care of your mental health, make things work better in men’s bodies, keep your blood sugar levels in check, reduce swelling in your body, and make your sleep much better. So, it’s like a superhero herb with many superpowers that can make you feel good and healthy!
- Making stress and worry less : Ashwagandha might help bring down cortisol (a stress hormone) levels and make the nervous system more peaceful.
- Getting better at sports : Ashwagandha could make muscles stronger, help with lasting longer in physical activities, and speed up recovery.
- Taking care of mental health : Ashwagandha might be helpful for dealing with feeling down, thinking clearly, and remembering things.
- Helping men with testosterone : Ashwagandha might make sperm better in terms of quality, count, and movement, and also increase testosterone levels.
- Controlling sugar in the blood : Ashwagandha could make insulin work better and improve how the body uses glucose.
- Making inflammation go down : Ashwagandha might balance the immune system and fight against stress that harms the body.
- Getting better sleep : Ashwagandha might make you feel sleepy and relaxed, making your sleep better.
However, Excessive consumption of anything can have negative consequences for your health. Using a lot of Ashwagandha for a long time might not be the best idea because it could lead to some not-so-good effects. Here are a few things that might happen:
- Upset stomach, diarrhea, and throwing up : Ashwagandha could make your tummy feel funny and cause discomfort in your belly12.
- Hurting the liver : In rare cases, ashwagandha might affect how your liver works and cause liver problems. This could be so serious that you might need a new liver in extreme situations.
- Making blood sugar too low : Ashwagandha might bring down your blood sugar levels and mess with diabetes medicines. This could lead to a condition called hypoglycemia, where your blood sugar gets dangerously low.
- Messing with hormones : Ashwagandha might change the levels of hormones in your body, like thyroid hormones, sex hormones, and adrenal hormones. This could make you feel tired, gain or lose weight, have mood swings, mess up your periods, or cause problems with your private parts.
- Allergic reactions : Some people might be allergic to ashwagandha or its parts, and using it could cause rashes, itching, swelling, trouble breathing, or chest pain.
