There’s a lot of chatter these days about the health benefits of ashwagandha. And for good reason. If less stress, better sleep and improved memory are no more than a capsule away, who wouldn’t want to give it a try?
But is ashwagandha the cure-all your social media feed claims it is?
Integrative medicine specialist Yufang Lin, MD, helps sort out what we know about the potential benefits of ashwagandha.
What is ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub found in India, Africa and parts of the Middle East. Proponents use it as an herbal remedy for everything from managing stress to reducing cancer risk. It also goes by the names winter cherry, Indian ginseng and its scientific classification, Withania somnifera.
It’s a staple in Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional medicine system in India.
“Ayurvedic medicine is a healing tradition that uses nutrition, exercise, mindfulness practices and botanicals to promote balance between the body, mind, spirit and environment,” Dr. Lin explains.
Commercially available remedies are typically made from the roots of the ashwagandha plant and are formulated into:
Capsules
Gummies
Liquid drops
Powders that you can mix into drinks
Potential ashwagandha benefits
Thousands of years of Ayurveda suggest that ashwagandha can help improve both your physical and mental health. But as far as Western medicine is concerned, more rigorous research is needed.
Studies done on ashwagandha have been small in size. The dosages and formulations studied haven’t been consistent. And the results have been mixed. All in all, it’s tough to draw definitive conclusions from the data available.
