Ashwagandha and Age Overview
Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera (L.), also known as “Winter Cherry” is a powerful Ayurvedic plant that is well-known for its adaptogenic and incredible health benefits both within recent scientific research and historical texts over the past 5,000 years. Some of the commonly known health benefits of Ashwagandha include its ability to aid with sleep, fertility, mood enhancement, stress reduction, and cognitive health. We want to know how ashwagandha use is impacted by the relative age and health of the individual. Each stage of life comes with different, crucial developmental changes physically and mentally and it is important to know how and which of the ashwagandha plant’s medicinal benefits will impact each age individual. What may be good for an adult may not be adequate or appropriate for a teenager or elderly individual. This article is going to review the health benefits and safe utilization and consumption of ashwagandha intake for adults, ages 20 to 40 years old.
Health benefits of Ashwagandha for Adults
The benefits of ashwagandha are dependent upon the goal outcome from ashwagandha use and consumption, which vary based on which part of the plant you are utilizing and the withanolide content present. According to Bharti et al., each aspect of this plant contains its own health benefits, such as Ashwagandha roots containing “thermogenic, stimulant, aphrodisiac, diuretic” properties as well as sleep-inducing capacities (2016, p. 723). The leaves of ashwagandha will direct you to to their antibiotic, antitumorous, antihepatotoxic, and anti-inflammatory” components (Bharti et al., 2016, p. 723). This is followed by the seeds of the ashwagandha plant hosting “milk-coagulating, hypnotic, and diuretic properties” (Bharti et al, 2016, p. 723). To learn more about ashwagandha and its powerful properties check out our full article - What is ashwagandha - by clicking here.
Age-related benefits of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has a wonderful capacity in both healthy adults and adults with certain health concerns to bring improved health potential amongst adults in the age range of 20 to 40 years old. According to a systematic review of research for ashwagandha use for mental and physical conditions conducted by Lopresti & Smith (2021), there is a plethora of safe and healthy ashwagandha use human trial studies with participants ages 20 through 40 years old.
The effects of ashwagandha on stress and anxiety were evaluated across seven “randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies” of which six out of the seven studies fully included adults within the age range of 20 to 40 years old. Overall study results highlighted decreased anxious mood in participants consuming ashwagandha, often evaluated and determined by administering the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) when compared to the placebo group. Dosage of ashwagandha intake ranged from 250 milligrams (mg) to 12 grams (g) daily, with majority of studies providing root and root/leaf extracts to study participants, excluding three studies using KSM-66 ashwagandha extract (Lopresti & Smith, 2021).
Ashwagandha for sexual function and fertility benefits, a popular topic in ashwagandha health benefits studies, had eight human trial studies, each of the eight studies including adults ages 20 through 40 years old in their participant sample size, systematically reviewed by Lopresti & Smith, 2021. One of the eight studies, only researched female participants, including women ages 20 to 40 years old, consuming daily 600 mg of KSM-66, an ashwagandha root extract for eight weeks. This study showed various measures of sexual dysfunction improvements amongst the females consuming ashwagandha. Five of the studies evaluated the effects of ashwagandha on men’s fertility and overarching results showed improvements in sperm concentration and motility across studies as well as increases in key fertility hormonal concentrations. Overall the eight studies ranged from participants consuming 600 mg to 5 g daily of ashwagandha root extracts, ranging from six weeks to 12-week long studies. The beneficiaries of these research studies found overall health improvements ranging from female sexual function and pleasure, as well as, increased fertility hormonal concentrations in men. This area of research in sexual function and fertility is only continuing to grow in filling this knowledge gap and aiding the target population of adults ages twenty through forty years old (Lopresti & Smith, 2021).
The amount of evidence-based scientific research and literature continues to grow in support of safe and beneficial use of ashwagandha by adults ages twenty to forty years old. The benefits it lends to this age group (20-40 years old) in regards to stress reduction is wonderful, with different versions of ashwagandha supplementation available, whether ashwagandha root extract or a combination of ashwagandha root and leaf extraction for accessing this plant’s medicinal benefits. In addition the potential mitigation and reduction in anxiety symptoms for those in need is well-supported in scientific research supporting safe and healthy consumption of ashwagandha by men and women ages 20 to 40 years old. Furthermore, scientific literature and research is continuing to be bolstered by growing methods for aiding fertility and sexual function for men and women, ages 20 to 40 years old who are within the peak age range of starting and growing families of their own. The Ayurvedic plant of Ashwagandha hosts a wealth of benefits for both the adult and aging body as individuals aim to improve their health day by day and is a potential worthwhile addition into your personalized health regimen if you are an adult between the ages of twenty to forty years young.
References
Bharti, V. K., Malik, J. K., & Gupta, R. C. (2016). Chapter 52 - Ashwagandha: Multiple Health Benefits (E-book edition). In R. C. Gupta (Ed.), Nutraceuticals: Efficacy, safety, and toxicity (pp. 717–733). Elsevier Health Sciences. Retrieved July 2, 2022 from https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802147-7.00052-8.
Lopresti, A.L., & Smith, S.J. (2021). Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) for the treatment and enhancement of mental and physical conditions: A systematic review of human trials. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 28, 100434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hermed.2021.100434