Ashwagandha (or Ashvagandha) is a herb grown from a small shrub mostly in India and North Africa. When the plant’s leaves and roots are ground up, it is used for medicinal reasons for a variety of ailments in powder, liquid and capsule form. The herb has long been used for medicinal purposes in India although much of the use falls into the alternative medicine space.
Research has illustrated Ashwagandha benefits to possibly include reduced blood sugar levels, a reduction in symptoms of stress and anxiety, lower Cortisol levels, higher testosterone and fertility in men, and possibly increased muscle size and strength among other potential benefits. Ashwagandha can be consumed both in the morning and at night and it largely depends on the benefit(s) you are looking for or the activity you are taking part in.
What Is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is a herb not a culinary spice so its main benefits aren’t necessarily for taste in cooking or drinks (although they can be used as such) and are more known for possible health benefits.
Ashwagandha has a very bitter taste – again, it’s a herb not a spice – so cooking uses are more limited than potential uses for health reasons. Ashwagandha is often added to foods and drinks that are strong enough to mask the taste while enabling you to reap the benefits.
Popular ways to incorporate Ashwagandha into your diet include adding it in powder form to flavored (ie. chocolate, vanilla, etc):
- Protein shakes
- Desserts like puddings, fudge, truffles and cakes
- Coffee and other hot drinks ie. latte, cappuccino, cocoa, tea
- Almond butter balls
- Porridge
- Matcha
- Tonic
In each case, you’re basically taking a dish or drink that already has a strong flavor like chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, Matcha, almond butter, etc and adding Ashwagandha to sit behind the flavor so to speak to mask the bitter taste of the Ashwagandha.
Taking Ashwagandha In The Morning
Ashwagandha may be taken on an empty stomach in the morning. One potential benefit of taking Ashwagandha in the morning is to receive some of the benefits that the herb offers – that we’ll discuss below – during your busy day. One claim is that Ashwagandha may increase energy levels which can certainly come in handy at the beginning of the day.
Also, as mentioned above, many of the suggested uses of Ashwagandha include adding it to coffee and tea drinks which you may typically consume during the morning and during the day meaning that you can simply add your serving to your drink without much work on your part.
Taking Ashwagandha At Night
One side effect of Ashwagandha is that it might cause sleepiness and drowsiness so there may be benefit to taking it at night before bed in this regard.
Due to Ashwagandha’s muscle and strength building properties, taking it at night after working out may also make sense given the aforementioned potential side effect of sleepiness since a big part of growing muscle is the rest and sleep period following weightlifting.
Plus lifting heavy weights late at night can make it more difficult to sleep so an earlier workout followed by Ashwagandha consumption may make the most sense.
Alternative Names
Ashwagandha is Sanskrit for “smell of the horse” which describes both its strong smell and suggested strength that it is purported to offer. While Ashwagandha is the common name, there are alternative names you might see and should be on the lookout for when shopping. Common alternate names include:
- Ashvagandha
- Ashvagandha Withania
- Indian Ginseng
- Poison Gooseberry
- Winter Cherry
- Indian Winter Cherry
- Withania Somnifera
What Is Ashwagandha Good For?
We’ve already discussed some of the ways you might incorporate Ashwagandha into your diet into existing foods and drinks you might consume already. But what about health benefits that it is purported to offer?
Rasayana is a Sanskrit word that means path of essence and is the Rejuvenation branch of the aforementioned Ayurvedic medicine. Ashwagandha has long been used in Indian alternative medicine for a variety of ailments but from a western perspective many haven’t necessarily been proven with concrete evidence that they work.
There is research available that has suggested that Ashwagandha does offer certain benefits that are promising. Here are the main ones:
Lower blood sugar levels: A study shows promise with reducing lower blood sugar levels for both healthy people and people with diabetes.
Reduction in symptoms of stress and anxiety: Multiple studies have suggested that Ashwagandha can help to reduce symptoms of both stress and anxiety with no serious side effects reported.
Lower Cortisol levels: Cortisol is a stress hormone which at elevated levels can lead to fat storage and increased blood sugar levels. Studies have reported that Ashwagandha can help reduce cortisol levels to avoid these negative effects.
Higher testosterone and fertility in men: Stress (there’s that word again) has been reported as being a contributing factor in male infertility. One study suggests a correlation between Ashwagandha and its ability to control stress-induced infertility in men.
Increase muscle size and strength: Ashwagandha has been shown in several studies to help increase muscle mass, reduce body fat, and increase strength in men.
Does Ashwagandha Work?
Other than the above-mentioned research, there are numerous other claims as to Ashwagandha efficacy. Many claims are unsubstantiated in a way that most people would consider reasonable so we will put those other claims to the side for now and concentrate on some of the benefits that do appear with research to have validity.
If you’re planning on using Ashwagandha for medicinal reasons, it’s best to check with your doctor first to ensure there are no expected side effects especially if you happen to be other medication or are facing health issues.
Is Ashwagandha Safe
Longer term side effects aren’t known as recommended use of Ashwagandha isn’t necessarily for the long term. Short term side effects may include upset stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting when maximum dosage recommendations are ignored and exceeded.
A standard dosage is is commonly 250 mg – 500 mg capsules once or twice per day depending on your age, weight, sex, etc. As mentioned above, consult your doctor first to discuss this in more detail.
Additional Research
Due to the conflicting information on the subject of Ashwagandha efficacy, here are several additional resources that help to shed light on the research world’s thoughts on what benefits Ashwagandha may provide.
An Overview on Ashwagandha: A Rasayana (Rejuvenator) of Ayurveda