| A few weeks ago, my friend Bella and I were skimming pharmacy aisles looking for ashwagandha, an ask from her younger sister. Once found, she snatched some capsules for herself too. "It's all over TikTok," she told me. "Apparently, it can help you sleep better." With so many people looking for ways to improve their sleep, I found myself scrolling to figure out what the ashwagandha frenzy was all about. Some TikTok users say it can help calm you, while others claim it can boost your energy. Ashwagandha, also known as "Indian ginseng," has been used for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. It is considered an adaptogen, which means that if you're under stress and making too much cortisol, it can help lower it. It can also help raise cortisol levels if you are not making enough, says Yufang Lin, an integrative medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Some small studies have shown benefits. One of 64 people showed that subjects rated their stress as 44% lower, on average, after taking ashwagandha root extract for 60 days. In another study of 144 people, those who took the herb's extract for six weeks reported a 72% increase in sleep quality. "Can we say it's conclusive? No, I think it's hard to make that statement," Lin says of the studies. Yet "you have thousands of years of history of clinical use," she says. Most people tolerate ashwagandha well. Yet some may experience mild side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, says Hakima Amri, cofounder of the Integrative Medicine Initiative at Georgetown University. It's not recommended for those with hyperthyroidism, as it has thyroid-stimulating effects, Amri adds. And Lin says that ashwagandha can potentially cause uterine contractions, which can contribute to the loss of pregnancy. Traditionally, ashwagandha is prescribed by a practitioner who has studied the Ayurvedic or Unani medical system. But in the US, it can be bought over the counter. "Just because it's something you can purchase over the counter doesn't mean that you should just chug it," Lin says. Amri recommends that people seek professional opinions before trying ashwagandha. It's also important to get health information from authoritative sources — not TikTok videos. "You have to be very careful when taking supplements," Amri says. "Natural doesn't mean safe." — Antonia Mufarech | 
No comments:
Post a Comment