The Wonders of Ashwagandha for Stress Relief

Stress is a common phenomenon that all of us experience daily. Although beneficial in stimulating bodily processes and activities that will improve how we cope with everyday situations, long-term stress is detrimental for our health and may subject us to greater risk for disease. To prevent these long-term health risks, it is crucial to not only consider changes in your everyday activities, but also explore natural options that will assist your body in maintaining homeostasis despite the high number of stressors you are subjected to every day. Ashwagandha has long been used to promote “youthful vigor” because of its ability to improve muscle strength, endurance, and overall health.1 With its rich history of alleviating stress, ashwagandha may be the herbal remedy you are looking for to achieve stress-free days!

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Understanding Stress

Stress is considered a normal psychological or physical response from internal or environmental triggers that test your capacity to adjust or adapt to different situations.2  Common stressors may include past experiences, pressure from work, heightened expectations, and other environmental factors. Aside from poor decision-making skills, stress may negatively affect your mental capacity, memory, sleep quality, and overall psychological well-being. All these negative effects of stress lead to the development of health problems that will inevitably affect your overall well-being. Physiologically, the unhealthy effects of stress to the human body begins as a quick reaction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which alerts a part of the brain called the adrenal cortex to produce more of a hormone called cortisol. In response to stress, cortisol triggers several changes in the body to make up for the additional demands, most of which may be detrimental when not regulated. 

​HPA Axis and Sleep

The HPA axis greatly affects the quality and duration of your sleep. The activation of your HPA axis results to disturbed and lighter sleep, while not getting enough sleep increases the activity of your HPA axis.2  This means that subtle changes in the activity of your HPA axis and environment influence the quality of your sleep and consequently affect your ability to think and become productive every day. Discover the importance of a good snooze for your health today!
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Historical Background of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.) is a small plant from the Solanaceae family that is commonly grown in South Asia, Central Asia, and Africa.1 A historical system of medicine in India, Ayurveda has been incorporating the use of ashwagandha to improve memory and mental cognition for millenia. With root and leaf extracts containing adaptogens as therapeutic ingredients, ashwagandha is also known as winter cherry or Indian ginseng.1 The term “ashwagandha” is derived from the word “ashwa”, which translates to “horse”, while the component used as an herbal remedy is its roots. It is thought that eating the root could give you horse-like powers! Interestingly, the word "gandha," refers to fragrance and talks about the smell of the herb's root. This is why at Natural Path to Wellness, we recommend it in capsule form rather than tea or tinctures. Aside from improving memory and mental cognition, ashwagandha also helps in managing stress levels, regulating the immune system, reducing inflammation, rejuvenating body cells, relieving arthritis, and preventing growth of tumors.2
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​Effects of Ashwagandha in Relieving Stress

With over 50 chemical compounds found in the different components of the ashwagandha plant that could contribute to your overall health and wellness, this herb could do wonders to assist in maintaining balance within your body. The major chemical ingredients found in ashwagandha that could explain its therapeutic effects include steroidal alkaloids and lactones, all together known as withanolides.1 The powerful effects of withanolides enable ashwagandha to regulate the activities of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In response to a stressor, your HPA axis increases cortisol levels to help your body cope up with stress. However, high levels of cortisol for prolonged periods may cause detrimental effects on your immune system: suppressing its function and increasing your risk of developing health problems. Ashwagandha reduces cortisol levels through regulating the balance of your HPA axis, making it less reactive to stressors. Because of its anti-inflammatory effects, ashwagandha is an effective form of alternative medicine that could be of great benefit to your body as it handles everyday stressors.
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Rejuvenate the adrenals

Promote mental relaxation

Promote resilience

Mechanism of action of Withanolides

​Withanolides help in preventing tumor growths, destroying damaged cells, reducing inflammation, regulating the immune response, preventing bacterial overgrowth, reducing stress levels, and preventing degeneration of neurons. WIthanolides are also beneficial for long-term health problems due to their unique ability to balance multiple signaling pathways in your nervous system, promoting the regulation of your body’s  inflammatory and immune responses.4 As an adaptogenic herb, withanolides regulate the HPA axis or stress response of the body, potentially modulating its physiologic reaction to stressors.
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Safety and Considerations

The rich historical roots of the use of ashwagandha as a form of health remedy is the best evidence of its effectiveness and benefits to the human body. However, it is vital to apply safety measures and consider other therapies you may be receiving, since the use of ashwagandha may not be recommended for everyone. Ashwagandha root contains methanolic extract, an ingredient that has reported effects on the dopaminergic neurons in the brain which plays an important role in the body’s movement, cognition, executive functions, reward, motivation, and the central nervous system in general.5 Hence, extreme caution should be exercised when using ashwagandha simultaneously with other drugs, especially medications from the benzodiazepine and barbiturate groups, to avoid over-enhancing their effects! 

Ashwagandha root may interact with anti-anxiety, sleep-promoting, muscle relaxant, and sedative medications, intensifying their individual effects and consequently cause problems with muscle coordination, weakness, tremors, headaches, and drowsiness.5  Knowledge and understanding on the proper use of ashwagandha is vital to ensure you are able to receive its full benefits, without putting yourself at greater risk for unwanted effects due to overdose and dysregulation of stress levels, which can occur when intake is not regulated and monitored. A licensed naturopathic physician with expertise in managing stress levels using natural options and botanical medicine will help you in exploring the benefits of ashwagandha and other medicinal herbs and monitoring therapeutic levels of the herbal remedies you take every day, ultimately guiding you in making conscious decisions for your health. 
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Regulating Your Stress Levels

Talking with your naturopathic medicine advisors is a vital step in helping you understand how stress affects your body, consider nutrition and lifestyle changes that will assist  you in avoiding triggers, and explore natural options that will help you regain and maintain balance despite exposure to unavoidable stressors every day. At Natural Path to Wellness, we are committed to assist you regain vitality through a comprehensive and personal approach that considers your unique needs and preferences. Discover how to maximize the beneficial effects of the naturopathic approach in reducing your stress levels today! ​

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Author

Kate Nemenzo studied in nursing school as an academic scholar. Her passion for holistic health has led her to become a registered nurse who promotes optimal care throughout her patient’s therapeutic journey. When not writing, she spends her time crocheting, watching Korean dramas, and playing the guitar!
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REFERENCES:

1. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Malvi H, Kodgule R. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(37):e17186. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000017186

2. Gopukumar K, Thanawala S, Somepalli V, Rao TSS, Thamatam VB, Chauhan S. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha Root Extract on Cognitive Functions in Healthy, Stressed Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:8254344. Published 2021 Nov 30. doi:10.1155/2021/8254344

3. Smith SJ, Lopresti AL, Fairchild TJ. Exploring the efficacy and safety of a novel standardized ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract (Witholytin®) in adults experiencing high stress and fatigue in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Psychopharmacol. 2023;37(11):1091-1104. doi:10.1177/02698811231200023

4. Mikulska P, Malinowska M, Ignacyk M, et al. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)-Current Research on the Health-Promoting Activities: A Narrative Review. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(4):1057. Published 2023 Mar 24. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15041057
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5. White PT, Subramanian C, Motiwala HF, Cohen MS. Natural Withanolides in the Treatment of Chronic Diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;928:329-373. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-41334-1_14

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