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ashwagandha has been traditionally used
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within Indian medicine for centuries a
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more recent research has provided
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evidence to suggest that it may actually
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hi my name is Al I'm a registered Sports
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dietitian and today we're going to look
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at what ashwagandha is what the benefits
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may be to taking it and what the
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research says so firstly what is
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ashwagandha ashwagandha is a herb used
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in ayurveda which is a traditional form
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of alternative medicine based on Indian
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principles of natural healing it is also
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known as Indian ginseng and winter
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cherry ashwagandha is classified as an
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adaptogen which means that it helps the
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body to adapt and cope with stress one
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of the most common known benefits of
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ashwagandha is its ability to combat
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Stress and Anxiety ashwagandha appears
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to interact with the mediators of stress
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such as cortisol and also acts on the
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hypotonic pituitary adrenal axis known
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as our HBA axis which is the system in
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our body that regulates the response to
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stress Studies have shown that
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ashwagandha helps to reduce morning
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cortisol levels and has an ability to
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reduce HPA access activity in stressed
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individuals this is thought to be why it
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can lower stress levels as the HPA axis
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stresses in a study published in the
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Indian Journal of psychological medicine
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they observed the impact of ashwagandha
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root extract on subjects with chronic
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stress they reported that cortisol
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decreased by almost 28 versus 7.9 for
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the placebo group and also found a
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significant reduction in depression and
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anxiety scores in the placebo group
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there was actually a slight increase in
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anxiety and a small decrease in
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depression and stress similar findings
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were also observed in a more recent
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study in 2019 where those who took
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ashwagandha supplements for eight weeks
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had significantly reduced perceived
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stress levels as well as cortisol levels
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in comparison to the placebo group The
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participants who took the ashwagandha
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supplements also noticed an improvement
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in Sleep Quality we'll talk a bit more
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on this later so hang around if you want
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to know how ashwagandha may be able to
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help you get some more good quality Zeds
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as an adaptogen ashwagandha has been
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seen to have beneficial effects on
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athletic performance with a
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meta-analysis in 2021 concluding that
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active individuals who took ashwagandha
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saw improve in strength power and
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fitness levels as well as in their
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recovery there were some limitations to
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this study though predominantly that
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there is such little evidence in this
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area the ability of ashwagandha to
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improve things like strength and
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performance is likely attributable to
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its ability to enhance recovery and
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regulate stress within the body however
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ashwagandha is also known to help
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naturally boost testosterone levels in
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men which may be responsible for the
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increases in muscle mass and strength
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that is observed in many of these
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studies researchers from one study
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advise that the ability of ashwagandha
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to support muscle growth was
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attributable to its effects on
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increasing testosterone which supports
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muscle growth and decreases levels of
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cortisol which can be catabolic and may
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reduce gains in muscle mass a study of
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43 overweight men aged between 40 and 70
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who experienced mild fatigue took
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ashwagandha extract or a placebo for
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eight weeks those who took ashwagandha
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had an 18 increase in dheas which is a
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sex hormone involved in the production
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of testosterone this led to an almost 15
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percent greater increase in testosterone
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than those who took the placebo aside
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from the role of testosterone and
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strength and performance testosterone is
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also a key hormone for male fertility
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when it comes to improving fertility
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though the science is mixed and there
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isn't enough data at present to confirm
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the potential benefits of ashwagandha
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from male fertility ashwagandha has also
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been studied for its potential immune
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boosting properties some research has
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found that it has an ability to modulate
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immune responses this again can be
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attributable to ashwagandha's effect on
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cortisol a stress can reduce the immune
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system's ability to fight infections but
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also can be related to ashwagandhas
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anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
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properties finally ashwagandha May
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promote restful sleep and even improve
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sleep in those who have sleep issues
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a review conducted in 2021 of five high
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quality studies found that ashwagandha
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has a small But Mighty effect on overall
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Sleep Quality with the effects on sleep
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being more predominant in the subgroup
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of adults diagnosed with insomnia
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it appears that the prestige benefits
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outweigh potential risks when it comes
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to taking ashwagandha with most studies
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highlighting that there has been no
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adverse side effects observed with
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various dosages so many of you have told
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us in reviews on the website that you've
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personally experienced benefits from
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taking out and let that be the take-home
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message if it benefits you take it but
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remember not all supplements work for
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everyone I hope that this video has
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cleared up some of the science around
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ashwagandha and its benefits if you have
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any questions please drop them in the
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comments box below and be sure to like
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this video and hit subscribe to the my
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protein YouTube channel for more great
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evidence-based nutrition information
