Herb of the Month:
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is one of my very favorite herbs: it supports the adrenals and other endocrine organs, improving the function of those organs and helping the body to better cope with stress. You’ve probably heard about the “HPA axis” – which is the connection recognized between the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands. But I feel that ALL the endocrine glands are one giant axis of interconnected function and when one of them is out of whack, it affects communication and functioning throughout the whole body. And while we’re talking about endocrine glands, they are often referenced when we present with things like tiredness/fatigue or have less energy than we think we should. Most people know there are hormones involved, but the physiology of the endocrine system isn’t intuitive. It’s just a method of communication!
The nervous system is responsible for FAST communication in the body – it’s like FedEx. These fast communications typically involve stimulus from outside your body. The endocrine system is responsible for slower communications – like the USPS (before they started the priority mail service!). These communications involve stimulus from inside your body, but both are critically important for the body to function. Since ALL of your organs are intricately interconnected, and depend on the nervous system (of course) in order to function properly! Even though we think of the body in terms of systems the reality is that each part of the body affects the functioning of other parts. The endocrine system is orchestrating an entire symphony of function! And that’s where Ashwagandha comes in: it helps improve the communication by improving endocrine function. So, get your Ashwagandha on, and tune up your entire body!
The Quest for Better Sleep
Ashwagandha is also a big help in people with sleep issues (in addition to chiropractic). It allows the body to reset its circadian rhythm – the cycle of falling asleep at night, and being active and wakeful during the day. You may have heard of “circadian rhythms” – did you wonder how that works? It’s the endocrine system again! Our daily cycles are regulated by hormone levels: if they’re out of whack, we can’t fall asleep, or we feel sluggish all day. Plus, Ashwagandha supports the parasympathetic nervous system – the rest-and-digest function of the body. That’s so important in today’s world, because so many of us are stuck in the “fight or flight state. Ashwagandha helps you to shift down out of that stress state and lets the body relax.
Put these super powers together and you have a plant that is particularly helpful in situations such as insomnia and seasonal depression, as well as hyperfunction in the sympathetic nervous system, such as anxiety and overwhelm. Drinking Ashwagandha as a decoction every morning can help support a healthy rhythm.
When Your Get-Up-And-Go Got Up And Went!
Ashwagandha might be translated as “strength of a thousand horses, but its action is quite a bit more gentle and foundational than the image conjured up by the translation! Ashwagandha is a nutritive alterative that builds the parasympathetic nervous system – the relaxed state – and it is particularly appropriate in cases of extended exhaustion, depletion, and deficiency. Unlike more stimulating herbs like Ginseng or Eleuthero, Ashwagandha is a slow, restorative builder. There’s no big rush of energy, which means there’s no corresponding crash of the energy running out! Instead, each day you have a little more energy than you had the day before until after a while, you’re feeling back to your old self again!
Daily Routine
To be honest, Ashwagandha is not the most delicious herb, but it can be blended in many ways that cover the taste. Here is a great “coffee” recipe that my herbalism instructor love with a pretty substantial amount of Ashwagandha in it: notCoffee blend, where the flavors of decaf coffee and the other herbs like Angelica effectively hide the taste. Chai flavors such as Ginger, Cardamom, and Cinnamon are also a tasty way to cover Ashwagandha, if you’re not into the coffee thing. Ashwagandha is an herb that works best with consistent, long term use, so finding a tasty blend you enjoy daily is key! I have made custom blends for patients at the office and they have enjoyed them!
