Wondering if anyone's tried ashwagandha for anxiety and depression. I'm interested in adaptogens, especially since I can't drink kava during the day (more of an evening thing for me) and I'm thinking of maybe doing a rotation of supplements for general mood health. This one seems interesting to me since it has a relaxing and stimulating quality as opposed to ginseng which can worsen anxiety in my experience. I'd love to learn more if anyone has experience with it.
Ashwagandha?
- Thread starter kl.KarmaG
- Start date
I haven't tried Ashwagadha, but I know people who have had a very good experience with Rhodiola. Have you checked out that adaptogen?
http://www.amazon.com/Foo...HHA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_1
Kava works well enough for me, so I never tried it.
http://www.amazon.com/Foo...HHA/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_1
Kava works well enough for me, so I never tried it.
Thanks for the reply, Steve. I tried Rhodiola a couple of years back and had a really interesting reaction. I'm still not sure if it was because I took it on an empty stomach with a cup of coffee (my blood sugar was not well controlled at that time and I was having frequent hypoglycemic episodes) or if it was the herb itself, but I got really sweaty, dizzy and anxious (probably due to the symptoms) and was near passing out. I had to lie down on the cool floor for a while until it passed. After that I had a good day, but felt very removed and almost dissociated. Nothing could phase me, but I felt like I was in a clear haze, if that makes any sense. I actually have some rhodiola now (raw root) and could try making a tea with a really low dose to see what happens. My blood sugar is pretty stable now and I'm much more in tune with my body's reaction to things so I may consider it. Still, I feel a bit hesitant because of the previous reaction. It seems atypical, though, and I haven't heard of anyone having a similar experience.
EDIT: I should add that I take Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero) during the day on a fairly regular basis but am looking to cycle it with something else to give myself a break every couple of weeks which I think is supposed to increase the efficacy of adaptogens. I really do love the Eleuthero though. No weird side effects or spaciness like with the Rhodiola and it helps my anxiety and motivation considerably.
EDIT: I should add that I take Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero) during the day on a fairly regular basis but am looking to cycle it with something else to give myself a break every couple of weeks which I think is supposed to increase the efficacy of adaptogens. I really do love the Eleuthero though. No weird side effects or spaciness like with the Rhodiola and it helps my anxiety and motivation considerably.
kl.Gray Owl
Kava Enthusiast
It looks like ashwagandha should have anti-muscarinic effects, which makes sense being a member of Solanaceae like belladonna and datura, it's likely to cause dilation of the eyes, dry mouth, and other effects similar to antihistamines. Also it might stimulate thyroid activity, if you get hot flashes, sweats, palpitations you need to lower your dosage. I wonder if it would help my Crohn's disease symptoms like intestinal cramping and pelvic floor spasms, might be a good substitute for prescriptions like methylscopolamine. I'd say that it affects different systems from kava, but don't know if it could have a combined effect with kava.stevev said:
My prescriptions are very expensive, so long term I want to find natural alternatives mainly so that I could be self-sufficient, this would be important if there was some sort of natural disaster that made it difficult if not impossible for me to get prescriptions filled. Also, I see my role in a post-apocalyptic society as a medicine man, partly out of necessity, but I might as well help other people with all of the information that I have amassed. Not having access to kava is going to suck, though, unless I move to a tropical area or can hook up with a trade route to a tropical region.
I take eleuthero on the same days as kava without any issues and I've noticed that there are products out there that combine the two so it should be fine. It's pretty mild but I definitely notice a difference. I'm not too sure about ashwagandha so I'd probably take it separately to see how it affects me first. From what I can tell, there may be an increase in drowsiness if used together (I'm speculating, of course) but other than that I don't see any obvious issues. I'm naturally cautious and like to learn about an herb/supplement on its own before combining with anything else.stevev said:
kavalover
Outsider
I wouldn't mix that with kava though, just my opinion. Scopolamine is anticholinergic, and it my experience this does not mix well with kava because I find the anticholinergic action is increased when kava is added, to the point where it almost feels like anticholinergic syndrom. such as dry mouth, loss of equilibrium, possibly delirium depending on dose. Kava acts as a potentiator here and thus I wouldn't recommend it.stevev said:
I chew brugmansia leaves due to scopolamine content and have done so with kava, and the effect which is increased for me is the restlessness common with anticholingernic syndrome, so just beware of the potential increased negative effects. Though atropine is also found in high amounts in brugmansias, but it's just food for though if you consider mixing these two.
Good to know, kavalover. Tropanes scare the crap out of me so I won't touch them with a ten foot pole. I know that Ashwagandha is related but so is the tomato. The only "weird" effects I've heard about Ashwagandha is bizarre dreams. Thanks for the input, though. I'm going to tread carefully with this, if I even do decide to try it. I just got in a bunch of black seeds (nigella sativa) and will be trying these out for a while to see if they would be a good daytime supplement. If not, I'll move on to Ashwagandha and see how that treats me.