Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a small woody plant with yellow flowers native to Africa. Classified as an adaptogen, due to its ability to help the body manage stress better, it has been used over the years due to its wide range of medicinal benefits. Modern science also links it to health benefits, such as reduced stress and anxiety and improved blood sugar levels, mood and memory. The medicinal herb appears to help lower levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by your adrenal glands in response to stress. More specifically, daily doses of 125 mg to 5 grams for 1–3 months have shown to lower cortisol levels by 11–32% Ashwagandha has been very effective for lowering blood sugar levels and has been used to manager blood sugar levels for healthy individuals and people with diabetes. In another study in people with type 2 diabetes, an ashwagandha supplement taken for 30 days helped lower fasting blood sugar levels as effectively as oral diabetes medication. Ashwagandha may help boost fertility and promote reproductive health, especially in men. In one 3-month study in 75 men experiencing infertility, five grams of ashwagandha daily increased sperm count and motility. In another study in men, 600 mg of ashwagandha per day for eight weeks led to a 1.5–1.7 times larger increase in muscle strength and 1.6–2.3 times higher increase in muscle size, compared to a placebo