ashwaganda

the word ashwaganda translates to ‘the strength of a thousand horses’ - this might be to with the pure strength it enriches you with, or it might as easily be to do with its heady odour. 

ashwaganda is a root, and in such, it reaches deep deep down into the nervous system like its own spraying, fraying roots into the earth. 

it’s indicated for those whose tiredness has reached so deep; whose fatigue is burning at their nervous system and adrenals and ability to sleep, eat, and feel alive. 

it’s not really local -as some herbs are, like raspberry leaf to the uterus- it works everywhere where nerves go. 

it’s hot, sweet, slightly bitter, but mainly like a sweet, warm, heavy blanket. 

an ‘ashwaganda person’ is someone who appears weaker, thin, undernourished, with a slowing or halting of bodily processes like menstruation / energy / concentration. they may get sick frequently or have trouble sleeping. They might be an athlete, or an elderly, it doesn’t really matter, the pattern is a wiry-vata type build, and general burnt-out deficiency that’s messing with circadian. It’s also indicated for blood deficiency states like anemia (as it’s full o iron), hypothyroid, and weakness. 

ashwaganda is in the solanacea / nightshade family - a family that typically deals with the dark psyche, and sleepy underworld (belladonna, solomons seal etc..). One thing in common with this family are alkaloids. The alkaloids in ashwaganda -withanaloides- are supposedly the stress modulators (though, you know me, i don’t subscribe to one compound does one thing) 

on the topic of stress and anxiety, perhaps the most researched element of ashwaganda is its ability to calm anxiety and support coping with stress. In trials, it reduced morning cortisol levels -which is often a role in anxiety- and regulated cortisol levels in athletes leading to more endurance. 

part of its cortisol and epinephrine normalising activity (stress-reducing) directly influences the digestive system. when stress is high, blood is diverted away from the gut which adds to digestive discomfort, obviously, if you’re working with something as calming as ashwaganda, the blood is going to start returning to ‘rest and digest’ 

ashwaganda can also support deep rest - sleep. if your sleep has been thrown out of whack through poor circadian / hormone balance (ashwaganda’s latin name ‘somniferum’ means ’to sleep’) - it also increase GABA -a neurotransmitter 

some people work with ashwaganda for immunity. several trials have proven ashwaganda to improves white blood cell count, antibodies and cytokines. in this way, it could be more on the ‘immune stimulator’ side of immunomdulating. 

coming back to the bigger picture of ashwaganda and what it’s doing in the body, we can see it’s warming blood up, feeding it, nourishing cells, and so, gradually functions beyond survival are going to start coming back as the body feels safer and more relaxed. Libido is one of them. that’s essentially the extent to which it works for libido - it makes you feel safe and relaxed enough, and ensures sufficient blood supply to peripheral areas. 

thyroid

finally, there’s conflicting research on ashwaganda for hypothyroid health. there are not a lot of herbs indicated for thyroid health - a handful, at most- and maybe we really want ashwaganda to show direct influence so that we can add to our stock. the truth is, it might just be acting on the thyroid in the same way as it acts on libido - by doing its warming, nourishing, stabilising thing. In the process of ashwaganda reducing cortisol, it probably increases thyroid hormone (T3, T4, and decreases TSH). Why? Because more cortisol = more TSH = more T4, but less conversion of T4 to the active T3 which leads to hypothyroidism. 

This means that those with overactive thyroid should avoid ashwaganda.

a rasyana is an ayurvedic term - it means a tonic-type herbs that nourishes and rejuvenates  both quality and quantity of life. Ashwaganda is amongst ayurveda’s most prized rasayanas. In this tradition it’s specifically indicated for learning and memory. 

Throughout this post, i’ve deliberately avoided mentioning that ashwaganda is an adaptogen up until now, as it’s an overused, misunderstood term. i find it preferable to get to know a herb outside of it’s ‘adaptogenic properties’ . But yes, ashwaganda is primarily an adaptogenic herb too. They are very drought tolerant in the wild and can survive dry and hot patches (in environment, in body).