One of the hottest new trends in health and wellness you need to know about is ashwagandha. Although it’s been used for thousands of years in its native India for a variety of conditions, it’s recently become all the rage in the western world for its added libido boost and more.
Ashwa-What?
Ashwagandha is a small shrub-like plant with light green leaves and red berries. The root is most commonly ingested, but both the leaves and berries can be utilized in a variety of ways. Ashwagandha is somewhat of a miracle herb. It’s said to treat a variety of ailments from anxiety to even slowing the onset of cancer.
Benefits Of Ashwagandha
“Ashwagandha” is a combination of the Sanskrit words for horse (ashva) and smell (gandha). Aptly named, the herbal shrub does have a horse-like odor in addition to it’s aphrodisiac properties (more on this later). Its botanical name is Withania somnifera, but Ashwagandha by any other name would smell as unique. Indian ginseng and winter cherry are among the plant’s aliases. For as many names as the plant has, it has as many benefits and uses.
Here is a complete list of all the known benefits and uses of Ashwagandha:
According to WebMD, some other studies conducted on animals have also shown preliminary findings that ashwagandha may help with epilepsy, memory loss, and even slow the growth of cancer cells.
Ashwagandha Benefits For Women
- Support immune health
- Support healthy weight management
- Support sexual function & reproductive health
- Improve sleep quality
- Support endurance, strength, muscle size
- Support a healthy heart function
- Ease symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis
- Help promote memory and cognitive function
- Ease anxiety and help reduce stress and tension
You may have heard that ashwagandha aids in boosting fertility and reproductive health, and as it turns out can help both men and women who are struggling to conceive. The main correlation lies in helping relieve stress in the body which can hinder conception. At the time of publication, more studies have been done on men than women, but the news is promising for couples struggling with infertility. One small study found “suggested a definite role of stress in male infertility and the ability of W. somnifera to treat stress-related infertility.”
Even if you aren’t trying for a baby, ashwagandha has other benefits that all women can get behind. In a study conducted in 2015, women who took concentrated doses (300mg twice daily for eight weeks) of ashwagandha reported experiencing more (!) orgasms and having better sex.
In addition to reducing stress and increasing energy, ashwagandha has long been considered an aphrodisiac. If your libido needs a jump start, give ashwagandha a try as an easy way to improve sexual desire and pleasure. Many moms need a jump-start to their sex drive after having kids, plus the day-to-day stresses of running a home and family. Also, as women age hormone fluctuations can wreak havoc on our sex drives.
Best Ashwagandha Supplement
My interest was piqued after seeing Goli Nutrition introduce its new line of ASHWA gummies, made with Clinically Proven KSM-66 Ashwagandha, specifically as a yummy way to ingest this seemingly wonder supplement. I have long been using Goli’s apple cider vinegar gummies. Among their many benefits, ACV gummies helped me lose weight, control my appetite, and are a convenient way to ingest the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. (PS – You can save 5% on Goli Nutrition’s new ASHWA Gummy! Use Code: SHOP5.)
I have now been taking the ASHWA gummies for an entire month and can already tell a difference in my stress levels at work and my ability to relax or come down quickly after a tense meeting or a particularly tough day. My sleep has been consistent, but the biggest change has been in my overall mood since taking the ASHWA gummies.
The other options for taking Ashwagandha aren’t nearly as appealing (or tasty!). They include taking it in pill form, tincture, or in a powder, and mixing it with a smoothie or in a favorite drink. But, considering its name derives from smelling like a horse, I’m not so keen on ingesting it any other way.
Ashwagandha Dosage
Goli recommends taking two gummies twice daily, but there is no consistent standard dosage, and each clinical trial tests varying amounts depending on the ailment. A good rule of thumb is approximately 600 mg a day according to self-proclaimed experts. Each ASHWA gummy is 150mg, so if you’d like to conduct your own “study,” that’s two in the morning and two in the evening.
Conclusions
My main goal when I started taking ashwagandha was to help lessen my dependence on pharmaceutical drugs. The added boost to my sex life was an unintended bonus. That alone made my husband a believer and converted ASHWA user. While I haven’t begun to wean myself off my daily anxiety meds, I can tell the difference in how I feel, and since I haven’t changed much else in my daily routine it’s easy to point to ASHWA as having a positive impact on my day-to-day life. Don’t forget to use code SHOP5 to save 5% off Goli Nutrition’s ASHWA Gummies!