Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herb native to India, where it has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as a rejuvenating tonic for thousands of years. The name “ashwagandha tablets” (äsh-wuh-GÄN-duh) means “smell of a horse” — a reference to the animal-like odor of the root, as well as the vigor and virility that the herb is thought to impart.
Commonly known as “winter cherry” in English, ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub with red berries that emerge from papery husks in the fall. But it is the long, tuberous roots that are traditionally harvested in the winter, dried, and ground into a powder for medicine. Ashwagandha root powder is still commonly used in herbal medicine today, though many supplements now use a more concentrated ashwagandha extract instead.
Ashwagandha has also been called “Indian ginseng,” because its role and purpose in Ayurveda is similar to that of ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine. Although it is not botanically related to ginseng, the active phytochemicals in the roots of the plants are structurally similar.1 Both herbs are adaptogens traditionally used to alleviate stress and fatigue and promote energy and resilience.
Today, the ancient ashwagandha herb is experiencing a modern resurgence, as current scientific research supports a growing list of ashwagandha tablets health benefits.2 By minimizing the negative effects of stress on the body,3 4 ashwagandha offers a wide range of benefits for mental health, sexual health, cognitive health, athletic performance, immunity, healthy aging, and more.
What Are Adaptogens?
Ashwagandha belongs to a unique class of medicinal herbs known as adaptogens. Adaptogenic herbs support many aspects of physical and mental health by promoting a healthy resilience to stress.5 They help the body to cope better with physical and psychological stressors in order to conserve energy, improve performance, and resist damage under stressful conditions.6
Stress comes in many different forms, including physical or mental exertion, lack of sleep or proper nutrition, exposure to harsh environmental conditions, and psychological pressures. Any of these challenges can trigger the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, causing it to divert its energy into achieving a state of survival readiness.
The stress response sets off a series of reactions in the nervous system, endocrine system, cardiovascular system, and immune system that prepare the body to cope with an immediate threat. But the body is not designed to maintain this state long-term. Persistent stress can impair the body’s ability to return to a state of balance, resulting in a state of chronic stress.
Too much stress can negatively impact mood, sleep, cognitive function, energy, libido, tension, blood pressure, blood sugar, and immunity, and eventually cause serious damage to cardiovascular, reproductive, and mental health. According to WebMD, stress-related health problems affect 43% of all adults and prompt 75-90% of all doctor visits.
Adaptogens help protect against the negative effects of stress on health by increasing the body’s tolerance to stress. Unlike other medicinal herbs that work by provoking a specific response in the body, adaptogenic herbs regulate multiple physiological processes at once to help bring the stressed out body into a state of balance, or homeostasis.
Adaptogens have been shown to influence key mediators of the stress response associated with the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis),7 which regulates mood and behavior, sexuality, immunity, digestion, and energy expenditure, among other processes. They calm hyperactive systems and strengthen weaker systems to produce an overall stabilizing effect.
This multi-directional influence allows adaptogens to adjust their effects according to the needs of the body, and explains how they can be both relaxing and energizing. Adaptogens increase mental and physical work capacity under conditions of stress and fatigue8 — without the subsequent decrease in work capacity that typically follows stimulants.9
While stimulants or sedatives provide an immediate, short-term energizing or calming effect, the benefits of adaptogens are cumulative and long-term. Over time, with regular use, adaptogens help to optimize mental and physical function by buffering the impact of stress effects on the body, reducing strain, and improving energy efficiency.
With their broad yet non-specific spectrum of action, adaptogens fit uneasily into the modern paradigm of symptom-focused medicine. But these plants have long been a part of traditional holistic medicine systems, where they have been valued as general health tonics, rejuvenators, and life-extenders for thousands of years.
Today, increased levels of stress and burnout among the population, combined with a growing interest in natural health methods, are prompting a renewed interest in adaptogens and adaptogen supplements. Some of the most well-known and well-studied adaptogenic herbs include Ashwagandha, Asian Ginseng, American Ginseng, Rhodiola, Astragalus, Holy Basil, Eleuthero, Schisandra, & Maca.
Ashwagandha Benefits
Ashwagandha is best known today as one of the best natural remedies for stress. Though many think of stress relief as primarily a mental health benefit, it actually has broad health implications. Stress influences many areas of health, from reproductive health to heart health and more, and research suggests that the ashwagandha tablets herb can benefit them all. Here are the science-backed health benefits of ashwagandha:
Ashwagandha for Stress Relief
Cortisol, the “stress hormone” secreted by the adrenals as part of the body’s stress response, is often measured as a physiological indicator of stress. Prolonged high levels of cortisol in the bloodstream are associated with chronic stress and linked with problems for brain health, heart health, hormonal health, immune health, reproductive health, and more.
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