Ashwagandha is an ayurvedic ancient medicinal herb that consists of various health benefits. It is well known as an adaptogenic herb of Ayurveda that helps the body to overcome anxiety and stress. It helps treat multiple diseases such as bronchitis, asthma, arthritis, depression, insomnia, backache and chronic liver diseases. It improves physical strength and vitality. It revitalizes the immune system after illness. Ashwagandha also possesses antioxidant properties that protect against cellular damage caused by free radicals.
Muscle Growth and Recovery
Due to its extensive range of benefits, this super plant can maximize physical fitness. Various scientific data suggests Ashwagandha for muscle building, as it is a natural booster. It could supercharge your gym sessions because your body will take a shorter time to recover, and you can start your next training session sooner. It increases muscle mass and reduces body fat. It increases energy production and promotes balance in the body to increase or decrease key hormone levels and bring them to appropriate levels. This natural remedy is beneficial for muscle soreness recovery after a hard workout which occurs when the fibres of your muscles are damaged. Thus, taking the Ashwagandha supplements can speed up the healing of damaged muscle fibres.
Study Reports on Muscle Growth
A study on 57 men found that taking Ashwagandha led to a substantial increase in strength and muscle mass and more than doubled their reductions in body fat percentage compared to a placebo group. Another study revealed that Ashwagandha positively influenced muscle growth in only eight weeks, increased chest circumference by 4% and 17% more muscular arms.
Ashwagandha’s most noticeable impact is its ability to lower cortisol levels significantly. Cortisol is a catabolic steroid hormone released during physical and emotional stress. It helps to mobilize the energy stored in muscle tissues. The more cortisol you have running through your veins, the less your body stays in the anabolic state required to build muscle.
Prescribed daily dose (PDD)
Another study found that healthy men who took around one gram of Ashwagandha per day gained muscle strength after 30 days. This quality of Ashwagandha also makes it helpful for muscle regeneration and recovery from weakness in any post-illness convalescence period. Various forms of Ashwagandha are available in the market in capsule or powder form. You can choose between powder, tonics and pills. The ideal form of Ashwagandha is root extract.
Side Effects
One can tolerate Ashwagandha in small-to-medium doses, as large doses may cause stomach ache, diarrhoea and vomiting. It is avoidable during pregnancy. However, long-term studies to thoroughly examine the possible side effects are not enough. Therefore, as with any other herbal supplement, one must consult a qualified medical practitioner before using Ashwagandha supplements.
To conclude, Ashwagandha will benefit from muscle damage after workouts. It will help build muscles twice as much. Hence, you can naturally support your muscle building thanks to the effects of Ashwagandha.
