Does Ashwagandha Work for Anxiety?

Ashwagandha is a traditional medicinal herb with multiple health benefits. It can reduce anxiety and stress, help fight depression, boost fertility and testosterone in men and may even boost brain function. Supplementing with ashwagandha may be a great natural alternative. Clearly, there are many factors that contribute to anxiety. But could part of the answer reside in an ancient herb, Ashwagandha? Clinically, ashwaganda is found to be very helpful to calm anxiety, and ... extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety. 

ashwagandha is used for arthritis, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), balance, obsessive-compulsive dirorder (OCD), trouble sleeping (insomnia), tumors, tuberculosis, asthma, a skin condition marked by white patchiness (leukoderma), bronchitis, backache, fibromyalgia, menstrual problems, hiccups, Parkinson's disease, and chronic liver disease. It is also used to reduce side effects of medications used to treat cancer and schizophrenia. Ashwagandha is used to reduce levels of fat and sugar in the blood.

Ashwagandha is also used as an "adaptogen" to help the body cope with daily stress, and as a general tonic.

Some people also use ashwagandha for improving thinking ability, decreasing pain and swelling (inflammation), and preventing the effects of aging. It is also used for fertility problems in men and women and also to increase sexual desire.

Ashwagandha is applied to the skin for treating wounds, backache, and one-sided paralysis (hemiplegia).

The name Ashwagandha is from the Sanskrit language and is a combination of the word ashva, meaning horse, and gandha, meaning smell. The root has a strong aroma that is described as "horse-like."

In natural medicine, Ashwagandha is considered to be adaptogenic. Adaptogens are herbs or botanical substances that help to balance our body’s physiological systems (such as our adrenals and nervous system) to better adapt to stress or external assaults. 

More specifically, Ashwagandha may help to balance the hormones that contribute to Anxiety supplements called cortisol. On one hand, it can fire up your body and give you energy when you’re feeling fatigued and burned out. On the other hand, it can also suppress stimulatory hormones when you’re strung out and stressed. Ashwaghanda can also depress the central nervous system, reduce inflamation and help with blood pressure.