9 replies to this topic

[Pittguy578]

I had never heard of the stuff before today, but my mom bought me a bottle.
I have read stuff on the internet, but I am trying to see if anyone on this board has any personal experience with the stuff.

[MrSpud]

Here is a link to a monograph which summarizes the benefits of Ashwaganda Ashwaganda Monograph. It has many monographs in alphabetical order. Just click on the word Ashwaganda to open the monograph.

Edited by MrSpud, 07 February 2010 - 03:36 PM.

[skp14]

From an article "Top 10 Herbs for Men's Health"

6) Not to be forgotten, of course, are the herbs for male reproductive health. Indian, Iranian, Arab, and Pakistani herbal traditions have recommended ASHWAGANDA for thousands of years as a “brain herb” for male potency. Laboratory studies with mice find that Ashwagandha reconnects the circuits in the brain that have been broken by stress. In men, the pathways that “put the brakes” on ejaculation can become “broken” by stress. Dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system causes premature ejaculation. Repairing “broken circuits” is theoretically one of the ways Ashwagandha helps restore male potency. The effects of Ashwagandha are usually noticed within 48 hours of taking the first dose.

[JLL]

I just began my own ashwagandha experiment. The evidence behind ashwagandha looks pretty good in my opinion:

The evidence supports the claims that ashwagandha is an adaptogen and a nootropic. While there are no studies showing that ashwagandha improves mood per se, it does have a range of benefits.

The relaxing and anti-stress effect can be at least partly attributed to the fact that ashwagandha acts as a GABA agonist. It also improves stress-related memory problems by acting as a AChE inhibitor, and has the ability to prevent cognitive degeneration and even reconstruct neuronal networks.

Ashwagandha also seems to correct hormonal imbalances and reduced libido in men by increasing testosterone and decreasing prolactin. Very high doses may have the opposite effect, however.

[VampIyer]

I cannot figure it out, but now it seems as though I experience an increase of next-day fatigue when taking Ashwagandha (Jarrow sensoril, 225mg, 1 or 2 caps). Something similar seems to have happened with bacopa...

This was not always the case... it used to be that it merely sedated me a bit and thus facilitated sleep.

I do have low thyroid levels, and I did notice that for a few months, I felt warmer on the 'gandha.

I'll try experimenting with it again because others in my family use it with some success. The excess fatigue could easily be the result of something entirely unrelated, but I am fairly confident that the "mentat" combination of herbs, which contains bacopa and ashwagandha, now causes me undesirable fatigue.

Hopefully I'll report back...

[Sebastian]

Ashwaganda is an AMAZING herb!!

Though I would not recommend it for everyone because of it's warming effect. For people who already have a 'warm' system (from traditional medicine standpoint), you would need to offset this with a herb to promote cooling as well to maintain balance.

Ideally you should go to a good Ayurvedic doctor to have a basic consultation, and figure out if it's right for you.

Edited by Sebastian, 17 February 2010 - 12:29 PM.

[Yearningforyears]

Ashwagandha helps me in becoming more positively motivated socially and in the working place.
It has calming as well as stimulating properties I have noticed.
Some studies claim it to cause neuroregeneration. Sounds so year 2000!

Anyway I have found this to be the last puzzle bit in managing my bipolar and live as stable and confident as possible.

[VampIyer]

So I started another trial of 'gandha.

I feel warmer, which is good because I'm usually quite cold.
I'm not experiencing the same next-day fatigue yet, so I'm guessing it was something else entirely. It was either the Bacopa or something in Mentat (which contains a lot of bacopa).

I'll update this if anything changes soon.

[SuperjackDid_]

Just need to confirm about next-day fatigue ,
Modafinil help at least .

[eon]

ashwagandha belongs in the nightshade family, is it related to sarpagandha (reserpine)?

 

Reserpine depletes serotonin stores in the brain, heart, and many other organs and has been used in hypertension and psychoses. 

 

http://en.wikipedia....onin_antagonist

 

Considering serotonin syndrome is pretty bad. Reserpine could reverse it. I wonder what ashwagandha is all about.

 

"Reserpine was isolated in 1952 from the dried root of Rauwolfia serpentina (Indian snakeroot),^[9] which had been known as Sarpagandha and had been used for centuries in India for the treatment of insanity, as well as fever and snakebites^[2] — Mahatma Gandhi used it as a tranquilizer."

 

"Reserpine almost irreversibly blocks the uptake (and storage) of norepinephrine (i.e. noradrenaline) and dopamine into synaptic vesicles by inhibiting the Vesicular Monoamine Transporters (VMAT).#"  

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserpine

 

Considering the hypothesis of schizophrenia has something to do with too much dopamine. If "irreversible" means permanent, is that a good thing? If that means blocking adrenaline permanently so those suffering from anxiety and panic disorders could benefit?

 

 

Edited by eon, 25 December 2014 - 07:02 AM.