If you believe TikTok and pastel-colored ad campaigns, here
is an incomplete list of what ashwagandha can do: reduce stress, “kill”
emotions, focus a frantic mind, squelch social anxiety, fend off depression,
give you a boost at the gym.
اضافة اعلان
The ashwagandha plant, a staple of Ayurvedic medicine for
thousands of years, has gone mainstream in 2023. Yet experts say it is still
not clear if, or how, it works.
“It’s the same story with ashwagandha as it is for many,
many dietary supplements, botanicals, herbals,” said D. Craig Hopp, a deputy
division director at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative
Health. The science on the supplement is murky, but people keep turning to it.
Here is what is known about ashwagandha and what to consider
if you are thinking of trying it.
What is ashwagandha and what is it believed to do?Ashwagandha, a flowering shrub, belongs to a class of
supplements known as adaptogens, which help your body adapt to stress. It has
long been used to treat insomnia, bolster the immune system and reduce stress.
It is also thought to boost testosterone, slow the physical effects of aging
and more.
One reason it is tricky to pin down what the supplement can
do is that the ashwagandha plant is complex. There are hundreds of active
compounds, and those in the root of the plant can vary widely from those in the
leaves, for example, said Dr Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard
Medical School who studies supplements.
“Talking about ashwagandha as one compound, as if it is
Tylenol or vitamin C, makes absolutely no sense,” he said.
What is more, today’s supplements may contain higher
concentrations of ingredients than are found in nature, said Lilian Cheung, a
lecturer on nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That
means an ashwagandha pill you buy at a health store, for example, is most
likely not the same strength or type of ashwagandha that was traditionally used
in Eastern medicine. And because supplements are so loosely regulated in the
US, it is even hard to know whether you Are purchasing actual ashwagandha.
Does ashwagandha work?As with much of herbal medicine, there are few rigorous,
double-blind studies evaluating ashwagandha. Much of the knowledge about its
benefits stems from its traditional usage, said Dr Yufang Lin, an integrative
medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Studies on ashwagandha tend to have relatively small numbers
of human participants. One meta-analysis consolidated 12 of these smaller
studies and showed a promising link between the plant and stress relief — but
additional research would be needed to demonstrate that connection on a larger
scale, said Dr Anand Dhruva, a professor of medicine and director of education
at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San
Francisco.
Hopp said that “oftentimes people think: ‘Well, it’s been
used for thousands of years; it must be good for something, otherwise people
wouldn’t keep using it.’” But without definitive research demonstrating what
ashwagandha can do, consumers are left without clear answers.
There are theories about why people may report less stress
after taking ashwagandha, based on what experts know about adaptogens overall.
Dr Melinda Ring, an integrative medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine,
said the plant could potentially suppress dopamine receptors in the brain,
which go into overdrive when we’re stressed. Ashwagandha is also thought to
help regulate cortisol levels, she added. There’s also the placebo effect;
people can convince themselves their anxiety is abating.
As for the numb feeling that TikTok users claim to get: It is
possible that some people experience an easing of their stress and anxiety as
blunting emotions overall, Ring said. “But in my experience, and in the 1,000
years that it’s been used, that is generally not the effect,” she said.
For ashwagandha to have a calming influence, in theory, Lin
said, a person would need to consume it regularly (around twice a day) for
several weeks. A capsule or drink infused with the supplement is not likely to
have the kind of instant effect some manufacturers advertise. She recommended
taking it during brief, discrete periods, not every day in perpetuity.
A short meditation, or even a cup of tea, is more likely to
ground you during a moment of intense stress, she added.
“Adaptogens don’t work like an aspirin,” Ring echoed. “They
work over time.”
Is ashwagandha safe?For most people, ashwagandha has relatively minimal side
effects, experts said. Some who consume it may experience an upset stomach,
nausea, or diarrhea; in rare cases, those using it may vomit.
Ashwagandha could be dangerous for certain groups. People
with thyroid conditions should take caution with it, and those with autoimmune
disorders or hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it, Ring said. People
who are pregnant should also steer clear, she said, because it may damage or
terminate a pregnancy.
Experts recommended talking with your doctor before trying
ashwagandha, and asking whether it could interact with any medications you’re
taking. It is also important to choose a supplement that comes from a vetted
source. Cohen advised seeking out supplements that have been certified by a
third-party organization, such as the US Pharmacopeia or NSF. But even
certification cannot confirm the active compounds in an ashwagandha product.
“Right now, American consumers remain completely in the
dark,” Cohen said.
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