Our super herb of the week is ashwagandha!!!
Ashwagandha is well known as a powerful medicinal herb. It is a traditional Ayurvedic medicine that dates back to more than 4000 years ago. It is native to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.
Today ashwagandha has been hailed as the ‘promise of stress relief.’ This couldn’t be more timely in a non-stop world where stress is at an all time high.
In addition, ashwagandha has a long list of benefits, some of which include:
- Rejuvenating properties that promote physical and emotional well-being and longevity
- It is an adaptogen, which means that it helps the body adapt to stress and exerts a normalizing effect on bodily processes.
- May help reduce the signs of aging
- Antioxidant and antibacterial properties
- May help balance hormones
- Anti-inflammatory and positive effect on neurodegenerative disorders. So it may help treat adrenal fatigue and fight diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension
- Memory and cognition enhancement
- Helps manage body weight
- Reduces insomnia
- Muscle strength, size and recovery promotion
- Cardio-respiratory endurance improvement
The traditional recommended useful part of the plant is the dried root. Additionally, different sections of the plant can be used for treating ailments. Ultimately, ashwagandha may be consumed in pill form, either by itself or along with other aiding ingredients. Additionally, it comes in the form of powder, tea, liquid tonic, and even a coffee mixture.
Ashwagandha isn’t the most pleasant smelling or tasting. It has a pungent, barn-like, earthy fragrance and a slightly bitter and astringent flavor. For this reason, I typically take it in the form of powder in my smoothies with a dash of turmeric to mask the taste and smell.
Overall, ashwagandha is an exceptional herb that has been scientifically proven to treat a wide array of conditions. It’s definitely one that you’ll want to check out.
Have you tried ashwagandha, our super herb of the week? Was it effective?
