Less Stress & Better Sex: As Ashwagandha Goes ‘Mainstream’, a Look at What Studies Say About Herb

From increasing libido to bettering immunity and bringing down high blood sugar, Ashwagandha is having its moment in the sun. The Ayurdevic herb has been used for hundreds of years, and people coming up on its benefits nowadays.

Let’s look at some of the common questions around Ashwagandha:

Although new to foreign markets, ashwagandha has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine, one of the world’s oldest medicinal systems, going back to AD 6,000. Herbalists believe that the plant’s bioactive components include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties that can help reduce stress and anxiety, enhance testosterone levels, and alleviate symptoms of certain diseases, according to an Outlook report.

Ashwagandha, otherwise known as Withania somnifera, is a flowering shrub that belongs to the popular class of supplements known as adaptogens, which help your body adapt to stress, as per a New York Times report.

Does It Increase Testosterone?

Because ashwagandha is a herbal supplement rather than a treatment, it is regulated by the FDA as food rather than drug. Supplements containing ashwagandha are not subject to the same stringent clearance process as pharmaceuticals, and the FDA has not approved their effectiveness or safety, explains the Outlook report.

According to one study, using the pill appeared to enhance testosterone levels. Men who took the ashwagandha root extract had testosterone levels that were more than five times higher than those who did not, the report says, adding that another study looked at 75 fertile men and 75 infertile men and found that those who took ashwagandha had higher levels of both testosterone and luteinizing hormone. In men, LH boosts testosterone production.

More research is needed, however, to determine the truth of all of Ashwagandha’s effects. The ashwagandha plant is complex, which contributes to the difficulty in determining what the supplement can achieve, according to the New York Times report. There are hundreds of active molecules, and those found in the root of the plant can differ greatly from those found in the leaves, for example, Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor of supplements at Harvard Medical School told the publication.

What About Stress?

The ashwagandha studies that do exist tend to have a small number of human subjects, the New York Times said in its report. One meta-analysis consolidated 12 of these smaller studies and found a promising link between the plant and stress relief — but more research is needed to prove that link on a larger scale, Dr. Anand Dhruva, a professor of medicine and director of education at the University of California, San Francisco’s Osher Center for Integrative Health, told the publication.

Based on what researchers know about adaptogens in general, there are a few possibilities as to why people may feel less stress after taking ashwagandha, the report further explains. Dr. Melinda Ring, an integrative medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine told the publication that the plant has the capacity to decrease dopamine receptors in the brain, which go into overdrive when we are anxious. She also mentioned that ashwagandha is considered to help control cortisol levels. There’s also the placebo effect, which allows people to convince themselves that their worry is subsiding.

Who Should Avoid It and How to Consume It?

As per the New York Times report, Ashwagandha may be harmful to some people. People with thyroid issues should avoid the supplement, as should those with autoimmune illnesses or hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, according to Dr. Ring. Pregnant women should avoid it as well, she says, because it can harm or abort a pregnancy.

Ashwagandha is available in a variety of forms, including capsules or tablets, powders to mix into beverages, candies, and tinctures, and is widely available at health stores, pharmacies, and internet businesses that sell natural supplements, Outlook explains in its report.

It is crucial to understand, however, that supplements are not FDA-approved and are not regulated. As a result, there is no guarantee that the product within the bottle corresponds to the claims on the label. As a result, it is critical to acquire your doctor’s approval before taking ashwagandha or any other supplements.

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