College students who take an Ashwagandha supplement may improve their psychological wellbeing and overall academic success, according to recent research published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Ashwagandha and other natural remedies have grown in popularity recently in the United States of America, due to the aftereffects of the pandemic and people wishing to boost their mood and to ease stress.
As an adaptogen, Ashwagandha has traditionally been used to reduce cortisol levels and regulate neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, to improve concentration, increase energy levels and relieve stress.
What The Study Involves
This is the first study that has evaluated the impact of taking Ashwagandha in a non-clinical population of college students and the first Ashwagandha human trial conducted in the USA to assess the effects on perceived stress and sleep quality. [1]
The study recruited 60 healthy college students between the ages of 18 and 50, randomly assigning them to either an intervention group that consumed a moderate dose of 350mg full spectrum ashwagandha root extract twice daily, or a placebo group that took glycerol capsules.
As a study it was designed to combine experiential data with existing evidence from survey and biometric data. This approached yielded two separate publications – the first study conducted mixed methods that included a qualitative analysis of Ashwagandha.
While from the herbal clinical practice perspective, they have known that it takes apoptogenic herbs like Ashwagandha one to two weeks to start working. The qualitative analysis therefore assessed anthropometrics, demographics, surveys on physical activity, restorative sleep, perceived stress, and food cravings both before and after the 30-day test period.
Qualitative data was then used to evaluate the lived experience of participants, and this included daily check-ins to record mood changes, along with focus groups at the end of the trial.
What The Results Show
The results of these approaches demonstrated that Ashwagandha increased perceived wellbeing and improved energy levels, mental clarity, and enhanced sleep quality. The assessment also identified its greatest quantitative effect as regulating food cravings.
This research study noted that US college students as a unique population had widely reported feeling “stress, anxiety and depression, along with feeling overwhelmed and exhausted,” and this negatively impacted their academic performance and overall wellbeing.
Given the increasing rates of young adults’ mental health wellness concerns, Ashwagandha is now being considered as an inexpensive, safe, and proven recommendation to help young people cope with this important transition towards independence.
Ashwagandha Benefits
By taking the Ashwagandha, you may experience the following health benefits…
1. Help you to cope with stress
Ashwagandha root can reduce stress and anxiety in adults. Ashwagandha has been shown to lower cortisol levels by up to 26 per cent according to reports.
2. Balance hormones
Women going through the menopause may benefit from taking Ashwagandha as it regulates estrogen levels in the body. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that can balance hormone excesses or deficits by boosting the efficiency of the sites where hormones bind with cells.
3. Support weight loss
By lowering cortisol levels and enhancing blood sugar control, Ashwagandha can provide natural support for the weight loss process. When the body has elevated levels of cortisol, it is more likely to store fat.
For all these reasons, you may want to consider taking an Ashwagandha supplement for its health and wellness benefits, especially during times of high stress or emotional demands.
References:
[1] https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2022.0040
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