Throughout the war, I reached for ashwagandha. Effect? Amazing [EDITORIAL TEST]

On February 24, when Our Country’s invasion of Ukraine began, I was at work. Although I had the feeling that the world was falling apart around me, I had to, like every news journalist, follow the news and write about what was happening beyond our eastern border. In order to somehow deal with my emotions and function normally, I reached for what I had at hand: CBD oil. Did not help. When the enormous stress did not go away, I decided to try ashwagandha. I’ve been taking it every day for 30 days. Below I present my subjective opinion on the supplement’s effects and research conducted on small groups, which to some extent confirms its effectiveness.

1. Ashwagandha is a dietary supplement based on a plant also known as Indian ginseng or welcoming lethargic
2. It has long been valued in Ayurvedic medicine as a remedy for a wide variety of ailments
3. The most commonly said, however, is that ashwagandha relieves stress and tension, and also helps fight insomnia. This is also partially confirmed by scientific research, although it was carried out on small groups. This means that we do not have hard data yet
4. What’s going on in Ukraine? Follow the broadcast live
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

It was a day of trembling hands, bursts of crying, a clenched stomach and a sense of finality

Contrary to stereotypes, news journalists, i.e. those who write about current events in their texts, also experience strong emotions when something bad happens. However, unlike people who can, on the advice of psychotherapists, cut off from stressful messages, we must delve into them, constantly following current events. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have been watching shocking photos and reports, we have to look at human tragedies, talk to those who experienced hell just beyond our eastern border.

When I heard about Our Country’s aggression against Ukraine, I was at work, which meant that I would write about what was happening there. The news of the attack made me completely crumble. Especially since I have friends in Ukraine, whose fate I was simply afraid of. It was a day of trembling hands, bursts of crying, a clenched stomach and a sense of finality. That is why I arranged an interview with my friend psychotherapist to ask, for myself and for others, how to deal with emotions. One of the most important messages in this conversation was to try to get your mind off something else. So to do something that, in my case, was unfortunately out of the question at the time.

Despite the prescribed dosage of CBD oil (no hard evidence here either, but there are animal studies showing that it can alleviate anxiety), I was unable to sleep at night, and in the morning I felt just as bad as on the first day war. To help myself somehow, I decided to reach for something I had never tried before: ashwagandha. There are already several scientific studies that support its stress-relieving properties to some extent. At the moment, only those that were carried out on small groups, so there is no hard evidence yet. So I decided to check for myself what would happen.

The rest of the article is available under the video.

30 days with ashwagandha. The effect is amazing

On February 25, I took my first pill (the daily dose). I also added CBD oil and went to work. Even though a lot was happening again, I stopped feeling the tightness in my stomach. I was still very emotional to the news, but without the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.

I also approached the later reports of the s taking over the building of the Chernobyl power plant or the firing of the Zaporozhye power plant with relative calm. I did not run for Lugol’s liquid, I did not compulsively check the radiation level in our country.

From that first day with ashwagandha, I also had no problems sleeping. Of course, you can say that the placebo effect worked for me, because it’s hard to believe that a dietary supplement for a few zlotys in a few hours can soothe such great fear and tension. On the other hand, I did not notice such an effect from CBD oil, which is also known for its calming properties – and many people praise it.

I am still taking ashwagandha and I am not going to give it up yet. In my case, it worked great.

Ashwagandha: what does science say?

My subjective feelings are one thing, but we would not be one of the best medical services in Poland if I had not analyzed the hard scientific evidence for ashwagandha’s effectiveness in relieving stress and tension.

The most famous property of ashwagandha is stress reduction. In fact, research published in the National Library of Medicine shows that this plant helps control, among other things, the level of cortisol in the blood. It also reduces the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, i.e. the system responsible for regulating the response to stressful situations.

At the same time, based on studies carried out on small groups, some of the participants received ashwagandha and the rest – placebo, it was possible to establish that among the former, the level of nervousness was lower. Another study conducted under similar conditions confirmed that people taking ashwagandha slept better.

At the same time, however, experts emphasize that there is still too little research on the effectiveness of ashwagandha to draw unequivocal conclusions. An open question is also the correct dosage of preparations with Indian ginseng.

The list of health benefits that may result from taking this supplement is much longer. Research has shown, for example, that ashwagandha has a positive effect on cognitive functions, and thus improves the work of the brain (improving memory, attention and reaction time).

Other studies also show that Indian ginseng can lower blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation in the body, increase testosterone and libido, and improve the body’s efficiency.

Ashwagandha is not for everyone

It is also worth emphasizing that ashwagandha, although considered a safe supplement, is not good for everyone. Contraindication to its use, which requires prior consultation with a doctor, is:

1. Cancer
2. diabetes
3. thyroid disorders
4. blood coagulation disorders
5. peptic ulcer disease
6. lupus
7. multiple sclerosis
8. rheumatoid arthritis
9. pregnancy and breastfeeding

The side effects of using aswagandha (in case of an overdose) are:

1. abdominal pain
2. diarrhea
3. vomiting

If you are taking any medications, consult your doctor before taking ashwagandha. The supplement may interact, inter alia, with drugs:

1. tranquilizers
2. blood thinners
3. that affect the thyroid gland
4. immunosuppressants
5. for hypertension
6. for diabetes

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to emotions. Often times, a particular sight, sound or smell brings to mind a similar situation that we have already experienced. What opportunities does this give us? How does our body react to such an emotion? You will hear about this and many other aspects related to emotions below.

Also read:

1. How to wisely help refugees from Ukraine? Psychologist: a man in crisis can be compared to a paper handkerchief
2. What is going on in the minds of fleeing Ukrainians? Psychiatrist: the worst thing is not knowing about your loved ones
3. Are you sure you feel hungry? Make sure you are not eating up your sorrows and stress