Ashwagandha Root benefits are some of the most compelling and fascinating on earth. Ashwagandha can help with the restoration of your energy, help you look younger and potentially reverse specific diseases. And as long as you never have to spell it in a spelling bee, it should do well being inserted into your health chest rotation.
Ashwagandha is considered to be an “adaptogenic herb”. Adaptogenic herbs are a part of a family of herbs that help lower the stress hormone, Cortisol. Cortisol contributes to both stress and to aging. It can also affect your thyroid and adrenal glands. Cortisol is also not a friend when it comes to weight loss. Adaptogens are considered plants that heal. There are seven primary ones, Ashwagandha Root is one of the more popular ones you hear about. This also explains why it is commonly found in fat burner supplements. By keeping Cortisol in check, the body has a less resistant path to burning fat.
Other adaptogenic herbs are as follows:
- Astragalus
- Licorice Root
- Rhodiola
- Ginseng
- Cordycep Mushrooms
Ashwagandha is used heavily by the Ayurvedic medical community, which is a traditional healing medical system in the country of India.
So what does this stuff do concerning fat burning?
If you want to burn fat, outside of burning more calories than you take in, you also need three primary functions to be in play. Ashwagandha seems to target those functions rather well.
- Reduces Cortisol: A study done on rats. Wait, it gets better. The rats were subjected to 5-hour swimming intervals. I’m picturing this, just like you are, and yes, it’s weird. All the same, the Ashwagandha Root proved to lower the cortisol in the rats following the swim-a-thon.
- Increased Energy: Ok, same study. Same swimming rats. The rats treated with Rats juiced on the Ashwagandha swam for 740 minutes. The rats not hopped up on the herb did 385 minutes. That’s incredibly significant. Clearly, caffeine is often used in fat burner supplements due to the same reasoning.
- Thyroid Help: The regulation of the thyroid is an intrinsic part of weight loss. If the thyroid is out of whack, the process of fat burning can be made difficult. In a study that was ran for 20 days on rats, the rats given the Ashwagandha were shown to have higher levels of serum T4, which proved to researchers that their thyroids had been stimulated.
Thyroid issues are pervasive among Americans. Worse more, many people don’t even realize they have issues. Ashwagandha could be the solution they’ve needed for years. In men, an unhappy thyroid can lead to problems with fertility as well as problems with sexual function. It is imperative to treat hypothyroidism.
Other Ashwagandha Benefits
Some other common benefits of Ashwagandha are…
- Ashwagandha can help some people with stomach ulcers(1).
- Ashwagandha has major anti-tumor effects(2). The root was shown to inhibit the growth of CHO cells in tumors.
- A 1993 study showed that Ashwagandha possesses the potential to heal brain injury sufferers, particularly children(3). It has been shown to stimulate intellect and memory functions.
Ashwagandha Root Benefits – Summary
Ashwagandha Root is pretty legit. Ashwagandha Root benefits closely correspond to what we look for when assessing fat burner ingredients. I believe this herb strongly should be considered either alone, or when taken in combination with other fat burner supplements.
References:
(1)Singh N, Singh SP, Sinha JN, Shanker K, Kohli RP. Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) A rejuvenator herbal drug which enhances survival during stress (An adaptogen) Int J Crude Drug Res. 1982;3:29–35.
(2)Sumanran VN, Boddul S, Madhuri D. Differential growth inhibitory effects of Withania somnifera root on CHO cells. Phytother Res. 2007;21:1–4.
Singh RH, Udupa KN. Clinical and experimental studies on rasayana drugs and rasayana therapy. New Delhi: Special Research Monograph, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 1993
I’m not just a supplement analyst. I’m an extremely qualified one! I am a Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) and actually received my certification directly from the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am also a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant, certified by the American Fitness Professionals Association (AFPA).
