Spiced Ashwagandha Cashew Drink

Ashwagandha is one of the most important medicinal plants in Ayurveda

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a plant from the nightshade family. In Germany it is also called sleepberry, winter cherry or “Indian ginseng”. The name Ashwagandha comes from Sanskrit and means something like: smell of the horse, because the roots smell strongly of horse.

The botanical name is interesting from a naturopathic point of view. While Withania describes the plant genus, which also includes some other Withania species, the term “somnifera” comes from Latin and means “sleep-bringing” (somnus = sleep, ferre = bring) and thus points to one of the main areas of application Ashwagandha – namely sleep disorders. (source: Zentrum der Gesundheit)

Effects of Ashwagandha

It is traditionally used as a sedative for stress-related sleep disorders or to strengthen the thyroid but Ashwagandha offers numerous therapeutic effects:

• promotes sleep
• stress and anxiety relieve
• rejuvenating properties (increases DHEA levels, an anti-aging hormone)
• useful for dementia
• anti-inflammatory
• anti-tumor
• antioxidant
• supports immunity 
• sharpens memory and focus
• promotes blood formation
• supports thyroid T3 and T4 production
• hormonal balance, the heart-lung system and the central nervous system.

You can read more here.

Ashwagandha acts as an adaptogen against stress

Ashwagandha has been used in Ayurveda for several thousand years for numerous ailments, such as insomnia, anxiety, joint pain, fertility problems and impotence, but also to improve brain performance and improve mood. Cortisol is an important stress hormone and if too high for too long can cause a lot of health issues. A study has shown how the adaptogenic properties of Ashwagandha decreases cortisol levels and increases stress resilience.

Ashwagandha and the thyroid

With hypothyroidism, we often suffer from exhaustion and fatigue, so it may sound counterproductive to take a herb also known as the sleeping berry. However, the effect rather ensures a good night sleep, but does not promote tiredness during the day. Ashwagandha has shown to have an effect on thyroid hormone production and improving hypothyroidism.

It seems like the benefits of this plant root are endless. It has shown improvement for joint pain, arthritis, decreasing triglyceride and thus blood glucose levels, and so much more.

How to take Ashwagandha

So you might wonder if there is anything to be careful about the intake, but it is considered safe in the recommended amounts and has very few side effects. There has been done a toxicity study, which shows the no-observed-adverse-effect-level of WSE (Withania somnifera extract) is 2000 mg/kg body weight, the highest level tested.

Ashwagandha is available in the form of the ground root. These are available as loose powder, filled into capsules or pressed into tablets. There are also root extracts. They contain the active ingredients typical of Ashwagandha in high concentrations and are therefore often more effective than the powder. Depending on your severity of issues you can either use the powder or the root extract. Please ask your functional medicine doctor or naturopath about the best dosage for you.

Ashwagandha safe and beneficial for kids and teenagers

Since Ashwagandha is considered a safe and beneficial herb for both children and adults. Head over to my articles in the HEALTH section to keep reading about the benefits of Ashwagandha for kids and teenagers.

Spiced Ashwaganda Cashew Drink

beverages

Serves: 1

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Enjoy this health-supporting drink either warm or cold with some ice cubes.

Ingredients

• 250ml any kind of milk, I used cashew milk
• 1-2 tbsp honey, or any kind of sweetener
• 1 tsp Ashwaganda root powder, organic
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
• a pinch of ground clove
• a pinch of ground caraway
• 3-4 ice cubes for the cool version, optional

Instructions

1

Combine all ingredients

2

Heat on medium heat until the aromas of the spices unfold.

3

Sieve into a mug and enjoy.

4

For the iced version let the drink cool then add ice cubes.

Notes

This drink is very versatile. Adjust the spices to your taste. Add more or less sweetener. Start with a smaller amount of turmeric.