Ashwagandha is a plant that hails from India and North Africa and is also known as Withania somnifera. The plant is considered an adaptogen, which means that through its properties, it helps your body better handle stresses, which can help reduce issues such as anxiety.

It has been used for thousands of years, largely as a part of Ayurvedic medicine for a variety of ailments. Modern science has shown that the plant, particularly its root, is effective in improving mood and cognitive function, as well as improving blood sugar levels and reducing stress and anxiety.

Ashwagandha is used in a variety of dosages to target treatment for different health concerns. It promotes whole body health and may be just the thing you’re looking for to be less stressed and more in-balance with your body and surroundings. Studies support that this supplement will help you become stronger, while decreasing inflammation, and those benefits may even be passed on to your dog with supplementation.

Lowering Stress and Anxiety

Ashwagandha helps decrease stress and anxiety by lowering levels of the stress hormone known as cortisol. By decreasing the levels, you have less feelings of stress and anxiety. Daily amounts range widely for Ashwagandha dosages for stress, from 125mg to 5 grams taken for several months.

The Ashwagandha dosage to help reduce anxiety seems to be about 500 to 600 mg taken once daily for a minimum of 6 weeks. This amount helps not just anxiety, but may also help with insomnia that is related to anxiety.

Boosting Fertility

If you’re looking to get pregnant and have a male partner with a low sperm count or motility, Ashwagandha may be the answer that you’re looking for. The root supplement seems to be most effective for men rather than women and can help bolster their sperm count.

The Ashwagandha dosage for fertility is taking 5 grams every day for a minimum of 3 months. One of the reasons it works to increase the quality of the sperm is through its effects on decreasing stress and cortisol levels.

Boosting Testosterone

Multiple studies have been done that show that when you take Ashwagandha, your levels of testosterone are bolstered. This supplement crosses the blood-brain barrier and can lead to your body producing more testosterone. The Ashwagandha dosage for testosterone appears to be 650 mg of the powdered root taken daily.

As a woman, you don’t need to worry about Ashwagandha affecting your normal production of low levels of testosterone. Instead, that seems to be solely in men, where it affects the hormone cascade regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Lowering Blood Sugar Levels

The Ashwagandha dosage for lower blood sugar levels varies depending on the source, but you may start to see an improvement in your blood sugar level with as little as 250 mg daily. It can help in healthy people, as well as people with diabetes. In fact, studies have shown it to be more effective than a placebo.

Enhance Your Muscles

If you’re looking for something to help you increase your muscle mass and strength, you should consider Ashwagandha. While most studies have focused on the benefits that men reap by taking the supplement, it appears that women may get a similar benefit by taking Ashwagandha.

You only need to take as little as 500 to 600 mg of Ashwagandha each day to see an improvement in your muscle strength. As your muscles become more developed, most people burn fat more readily, leading to weight loss as you gain muscle. This Ashwagandha dosage for muscle development can improve your strength in as little as 8 weeks.

Boosting Memory

Ashwagandha has long been taken to help booster your memory. Taking the supplement at a dosage of 500 to 600 mg seems to have benefits, with some studies recommending that you take it in divided dosages, such as 300 mg twice per day.

In as little as two weeks, men taking Ashwagandha had improved task performance and reaction time when compared to people taking a placebo. At the end of 8 weeks, a study showed that there was improved memory and focus by taking Ashwagandha.

Decreased Inflammation

Ashwagandha has also been shown to decrease inflammation and improve the body’s ability to fight infection. Dosages of at least 250 mg were most effective at increasing the body’s levels of immune cells, which help fight infection.

This may be the key to fighting cancer as well, but Ashwagandha dosages for cancer are not currently known. Taking similar amounts to improve your immune system likely help fight cancer.

Improved Thyroid Health

Studies are new but promising in using Ashwagandha to treat thyroid issues. Most people with thyroid issues have hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland does not produce adequate levels of thyroid hormones.

The Ashwagandha dosage suggested for hypothyroidism is 600 mg taken daily. This amount has been show in studies to increase levels of T3 and T4 hormones, while decreasing levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. The reason for Ashwagandha’s effects is unknown, but it is believed that its actions on cortisol levels are responsible.

Ashwagandha for Dogs

If your dog suffers from stress, Ashwagandha may be beneficial for him or her. It can act the same way on a dog’s cortisol levels as it does on a person’s; decreasing the stress hormone and helping them feel more balanced. There are Ashwagandha supplements designed for your dog, with dosages depending on his or her size.

Supplementing with Ashwagandha

Unfortunately, none of the studies of people taking Ashwagandha have been large studies or have taken place over an extended period of time. Because of that, scientists don’t know the optimal dose to get to each of these targeted benefits.

In addition, people should talk to their physician before taking Ashwagandha. People with autoimmune diseases or who are nursing or pregnant should consult with their doctor before starting to supplement with Ashwagandha.

There may be some interactions with Ashwagandha and certain types of medication as well, including blood sugar, thyroid, and blood pressure medications. Talk to your doctor if you take these types of medications before starting Ashwagandha.

 

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.