let me lift your spirit

‘In a certified-organic field in Ramganj Mandi, India,  Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), the jewel in the crown of the 5000-year-old system of Ayurveda – which means science of life – thrives in dry, waterless soil, turning a bright green and flourishing’.  It’s harvest time!  The plants are now yellowish and dry.  ‘Women in the field are hard at work, pulling up whole ashwagandha plants, revealing the roots, which are employed for a plethora of health purposes’, keeping it at the top of the 7,500-plants-employed-in-the-world’s-most-ancient-system-of-health-care-list.

So well-explained…

‘In the Indian Materia Medica, ashwagandha is listed as a tonic, an aphrodisiac, and strength-giving, and is purportedly useful for all cases of debility, nervous exhaustion, and low energy, brain fog, and loss of strength. The plant also enjoys use as a topical aid for the relief of a variety of skin disorders, and applied as a paste to the eyes to treat vision disorders. In ancient texts, Ayurvedic scholars recommend cooking ashwagandha root in fatty milk, no doubt to efficiently extract the resinous and fatty compounds in the root.’

Ashwagandha can be found in the form of capsules, tablets, pastes and drinks.  This ‘elite botanical that enhances energy, endurance, stamina, and various paramaters of mental function, while reducing stress hormones in the blood and promoting a healthy night’s sleep’ should be in all of ours’ medicine cabinets.  😉

And, then there was a 2016 study that focused on weight management.  Again!  Take ashwagandha, if this is a personal goal.  It apparently helps with weight management.

‘Lastly, a 2017 study of 50 adults examined the safety and efficacy of ashwagandha in memory improvement and cognitive function. While the placebo group showed no particular improvement in cognitive function, the ashwagandha group tested better in immediate and general memory, improved executive function, attention and information processing speed.’  This reason is my favorite.  The main reason I would want to take it.

At the National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur, professor Sanjeev Sharma explained that eye centers are using this extract for patients with glaucoma.  And, when mixed with oil and massaged in where there are areas of nerve damage, pain is relieved.

This ancient root, the Ashwagandha plant, is so fitting for our modern world.

Yay.  I look forward to getting my hands on some of this…in the future…

Enjoy!

And, like always, please talk back to me.  Let’s chit chat.  Please comment, letting me know about your experience with ashwaganda or another healing plant, for that matter.

Word!

~Lisa

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2017/03/12/ancient-herb-ashwagandha-gives-boost-to-modern-world.html