11 replies to this topic

[sam7777]

I find that this supplement is one of the few that really helps to prevent over agitation and anxiety. However, its effect is a bit more hard to explain, because it doesn't really have a pronounced noticeable effect. It is more that you later on throughout the day do not feel such severe anxiety or fatigue set in. It is good for adrenal fatigue and thyroid problems in certain instances. But yes, it made me grow a beard lol.

One of the things it is said to do is help regenerate and protect neurons. It increases acetylcholine and gaba simultaneously. Ashwaghanda supplies DHEA and Androgen, affects the level of GABA, prevents the breakdown of cortisol, allegedly is also an acetylecholineterase inhibitor, and is superior to gotu kola at creating dendrite and brain nueron growth, particularly repairing damaged areas, and some say it is stimulating and pro libido.

I was wondering if anyone knows much about it, and more importantly if they know of any good studies showing its pharmacological and biochemical mechanisms. Experiences with this as a nootropic?

Since I have problems with my pituitary gland and adrenals and underproduce DHEA and Anti diuretic hormone and aldosterone, am prone to dehydration, get these sunken eyes kinda like skelator. I know of nothing that is capable of preventing my issues with electrolyte imbalances except for this supplement, so I firmly believe it does something to DHEA and Aldosterone.

One of the things I noticed is that it really seems to dull my mood and put me on an even keel, as I am prone to mania. I cannot abuse stimulants with ashwagandha. If it is within my system for even just the past several days, it will make it so that I can drink an entire pot of coffee, and really feel no psychoactive effect. It makes coffee weak and useless. This is someone aggravating, because ashwagandha does not help with low motivation at all. It is kind of deadening. But, I did notice a degree of physical energy when I first started taking it at 6 am, I had energy at noon. I need to repeat this and see if it will still do that. I typically sleep in late, which lowers my energy as it is.

[Mr Serendipity]

Wow this is what I need.

I believe I have adrenal problems, due to having a very slow, even incomplete puberty. Being 23 years old without a beard.

How old are you and how much ashwaganda were you taking?

Funnily enough I recieved 500g of ashwaganda in the post today (not for any particular purpose, just to try out), and am waiting for some pregnenolone which I specifically ordered to help with my adrenals.

Hopefully now I'll have a double whammy.

Edited by manny, 17 August 2011 - 02:16 PM.

[moomoo]

I found it too "dulling". The first week I was surprised at how boring I was feeling - none of my usual spark, creativity, curiosity at all. Stopped taking it.

[nupi]

Mhh so that may be the Ashwaghanda rather than my current dull holiday life (that's to change in a few days so I am not yet making a call). Interesting.

[GoingPrimal]

Hey guys.

I've been studying yoga and meditation intensely for the past year. Yoga's not the stuff you see new-age yuppie mothers doing on Sunday mornings - like most other things in this country that is America's watered down version. Real yoga is pretty hardcore in terms of how far it can expand your consciousness, which is part of the reason I'm interested in it.

I noticed that you guys mentioned pituitary and adrenal problems - yogic practices are one of the few things one can do to stimulate and regulate the body's glands and nervous/endocrinological system. For example, uddiyana bandha is said to "stimulate the function of the pancreas and liver and strengthens the internal organs... The adrenal glands are balance, removing lethargy and soothing anxiety and tension," p. 481 of Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha (an EXCELLENT book by the way. If anyone is interested in TRUE hatha yoga, start here and work your way through the rest of the Bihar Yoga books.) It should be noted, however, that uddiyana bandha is but one example and a rather advanced one at that, you should definitely work your way up to it.

Anyway, the book I mentioned explains a ton of asanas and lists the benefits of them, including which glands they stimulate/tone/massage. Hope that was a bit of help if any

Edited by GoingPrimal, 23 August 2011 - 09:28 PM.

[sam7777]

That type of yoga would be something sort of like acupuncture then I suppose, lending itself towards the meridians.

In any case, I think ashwagandha and piracetam work similiarly, AMPA and NMDA glutaminergic/acetylcholinergic modulation, intrahemsiphere communication of the sides of the brain, receptor density increase, increased nerve growth factor, reduction in cortisol, which means probably increase in DHEA. I thought it was pretty darn interesting that if you antagonize aldosterone receptors it prevents piracetam from working. If you did the same thing it would probably block aswhagandha's effects. I assure you, the witholionides in ashawagandha must be agonizing aldosterone and glucocorticoid receptors in the body, perhaps the hippocampus and amygdala, which would explain tons.

I know glucocorticoid receptor densitiy in the hippocampus controls memory and can even destroy brain cells in elevated states of stress. The brain consuming over 20 percent of your body's ATP and producing massive amounts of free radicals, all the gluconeogensis occurring in the brain, - I would imagine this would require a lot of electrolytes, which aldosterone is mainly implicated in. So perhaps the rease piracetam and ashwagandha make the brain work better is because they increase the efficiency of electrolytes in the brain?

It is a shame that ashwagandha dulls so intensely though, but perhaps it is an effect in people like myself with a history of intense stress, and a sign that I have just burnt out my hippocampal brain cells, in which case the ashwagandha is one of the few substances capable of regrowing those cells.

[chziime]

Piracetam definitely dulled my emotions... so I stopped that. But am now taking Bioforge V3 as a bodybuilding supplement, which has Sensoril ashwagandha. It levels me out a bit, but I fear it might have a not-as-bad dulling effect... Does anyone know what causes this, who is more susceptible to it, how to counter it... etc? I'm going to take a week off to cycle anyway and check how I feel. It also has tongkat ali and some other adaptogenic herbs, so for all I know I'll feel worse!

[immortalbeing]

Real yoga is about the mind. The philosophy suggests 3 bodies . 2 of which are immortal

[sam7777]

Ashwaganda changes many many hormonal aspects of the body. No single source on the internet will explain to you how these herbal nootropics can effect the body. I am a rare rare individual in how I study these. No one uses these herbs for nootropic reasons, so no one understands how they effect the mind. They are too busy trying to figure out how to get the herb to make them hallucinate or how to deal with their adrenal fatigue or fibro myalgia or whatever.

Things that permentanly alter the receptor sensitivity of the body to sex hormones and corticosteroids, will ultimately wreak havoc on serotonin and acetylcholine- hence you get altered mental state. For me ashwaganda, put my adrenals on hold so to speak and has the body use other systems to make up for it- though without strong adrenals your IQ nosedives, it greatly altered my sex hormone levels also. This essentially means I was in a state of deadened thinking while at the same time suffering the effects of through the ceiling levels of testosterone.

You have to realize however, that I was very sick to begin with. My neurotransmitters were extremely low. Things that make most people hallucinate, only make me feel slightly normal or well. Things that would knock a normal person out, make me more social. Chronically ill people have serotonin systems that are nearly fully broken. Ashawaganda typically would not effect serotonin so strongly in a normal healthy person. But, even still I think it is too strong compared to other herbs.

[Thorsten3]

Ashwagandha just made me want to sleep

[canz]

^{Have any of you tried supplementing this with Ginko Biloba? I am looking into supplementing Ashwaganda, but don't want to suffer the deadened feeling of no drive or motivation. I'm thinking of trying Ginko Biloba with it to alleviate the dull state, and be able to take advantage of the testosterone boosting effects and neuroprotective capabilities. I imagine that the ashwaganda would prevent irritability and overstimulation from ginko biloba, while the ginko would alleviate dullness and oversedation.}

Edited by canz, 16 November 2011 - 03:05 PM.

[gamesguru]

^{Have any of you tried supplementing this with Ginko Biloba? I am looking into supplementing Ashwaganda, but don't want to suffer the deadened feeling of no drive or motivation. I'm thinking of trying Ginko Biloba with it to alleviate the dull state, and be able to take advantage of the testosterone boosting effects and neuroprotective capabilities. I imagine that the ashwaganda would prevent irritability and overstimulation from ginko biloba, while the ginko would alleviate dullness and oversedation.}

I have mixed equal parts gingko and ashwagandha in the past and been very tired and cloudy for hours. Maybe if you do like 3x the gingko as ashwaganda, it could work.