Ashwagandha Benefits for Men
Testosterone is an essential hormone in the body of both men and women. However, it plays a major role in men’s bodies than women’s. This is also known as the sex hormone as it takes care of sexual health and development, muscle growth, fertility and fat loss, among others.
Though it is normal for testosterone to fall in older men, it has also been recorded in some young men. This leads to a condition known as erectile dysfunction, which is normally abbreviated as ED. For this reason, there has been the invention of different drugs to deal with erectile dysfunction.
Luckily, you no longer have to deal with prescription and over the counter drugs. Many natural herbs have been discovered which are rich in aphrodisiac properties. Ashwagandha is one of them.
What is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is a shrub found in India, the Middle East, Africa and Western China. This shrub is evergreen and is rich in many medicinal values. However, it is more common in India and goes by the name “Indian Ginseng” or “Indian Winter Cherry”. This is the main ingredient in Ayurveda, an Indian traditional medicine for treating ED.
Ashwagandha is safe and can be taken daily, but it should be used moderately and with a lot of caution. Although it is a natural herb, it might be mixed with heavy metals and dirt. Therefore, it is advisable to process it before using it to get its purest form.
Medicinal Values of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is rich in many medicinal properties that effectively treat and manage different health conditions. Some of these include:
1. Increases Fertility in Men by Boosting Testosterone Hormones
Ashwagandha has been used in many fertility pills as it has powerful effects on testosterone levels. It highly improves your reproductive health and increases motility and sperm count in men. In a study on infertile men, 75% of the men recorded a great improvement in their sperm count.
The blood sample of the same men also recorded a great increase in antioxidant levels. The same effects were recorded on those who took the supplements to treat stress and anxiety. Surprisingly, they were able to impregnate their wives in three months. The price of any man is impregnating their wives, and luckily, Ashwagandha has made it possible.
2. It increases Muscle Mass and Muscle Strength
Ashwagandha increases body strength and improves body composition. The difference is, however, determined by the dosage you take. It is important to have a qualified doctor or herbalist prescribe the dosage for you.
A few years back, research showed that men who took pulverised Ashwagandha root of between 750-1,250 mg every day for 30 days gained muscle strength. It reduces double fat percentage more than double when compared to the placebo group.
3. May Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Some herbalists use Ashwagandha to treat stress in their patients. It has been confirmed that ashwagandha regulates chemical signals in the nervous system blocking the stress pathway. People suffering from anxiety and stress disorders have benefited a lot from the medicinal power in Ashwagandha.
Men who have Insomnia and chronic stress report notable improvement after a 30-60 days treatment with ashwagandha supplements. Apart from having some medicinal benefits for patients suffering from anxiety and stress, it can also treat depression.
A dosage of 600mg daily of ashwagandha supplements for 60 days reduces depression up to 70% or more of severe depression. The study about its medicinal benefits on patients suffering from depression is still ongoing.
4. Can Reduce Blood Sugar Levels
After some studies were conducted, they proved that ashwagandha could lower blood sugar levels. It works by improving muscle cells and insulin sensitivity. It also increases insulin secretion. Reducing blood sugar levels works in both diabetic healthy and diabetic people.
Another study was done on people who have schizophrenia. After 4-weeks of treatment with ashwagandha, there was a notable reduction in fasting blood sugar. A study conducted on type 2 diabetic patients proved that fasting blood sugar levels were drastically lowered by supplementing with ashwagandha.
5. It Reduces Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is a stress hormone released by adrenal glands to respond to stress. It is also released when blood sugar levels drop. However, these hormones might be abnormally elevated, which causes increased fat storage in your abdomen and high blood sugar. People use ashwagandha to treat this condition.
Stress is one of the causes of reduced sex interest in both genders. However, the condition affects men more than women. Therefore, ashwagandha comes in handy with dealing with this condition leading to increased sex drive.
6. It Has Some Anticancer Properties
Ashwagandha has a compound known as withaferin, which helps induce apoptosis (programmed death of cancer cells). The product also can impending cancer cells’ growth in different ways.
Withaferin promotes the reaction of ROS or reactive oxygen species in the cancer cells. This disrupts the functioning of the cells. The cancer cells are also made less resistant to apoptosis. This makes it capable of treating different types of cancer, including lung, colon, ovarian, breast and brain cancer.
Note:
The study was conducted on mice with ovarian tumours, and it was successful. Although it has not yet been proven, it is thought to exert the same effects on humans. However, it can reduce the growth of cancer cells in humans is very encouraging.
Using ashwagandha supplements will improve your quality of life and your health.
Conclusion
Ashwagandha is a natural herb that has been used for many years now, thanks to its medicinal properties. Apart from increasing fertility, desire for sex and sperm count in men, it also works on whole-body wellness.
It has antioxidant properties that protect your nerve cells from radicals that might be harmful to them. The fact that it improves even the functioning of your brain makes it a precious product to give a try.