15 Interesting Ashwagandha Benefits for Women

The traditional medicine system mainly emphasizes the use of herbs. It is clear from all the Indian texts, inscriptions, or Vedas that herbs play a significant role in the treatment of illness or disease. In ancient times only herbs, shrubs, and plant parts are the way to cure any health issue.

In Indian culture, all herbs, shrubs, or plants are widely used to cure various diseases. It is believed that every part of the plant has the potential to combat any disease. Similarly, Ashwagandha also has a unique place in Indian herbs.

The results of its use for health benefits are quite good. That’s why it becomes popular for the treatment of various health issues even in today’s advanced world.

So, it is going to be important to know the health benefits of ashwagandha. Here, we cover 15 amazing ashwagandha benefits for women that you should read. But first, know about this unique herb and its nutritional properties.

Ashwagandha: Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine

A very popular herb in Ayurveda, Ashwagandha or Withania somnifera belongs to the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family of plants. This herb is mainly found in regions of South Asia, Africa, and Central Asia. As this plant required a dry climate and sandy soil for its cultivation.

Although India is the main cultivator of this herb, due to its increased popularity, its cultivation has begun in Western countries even in the USA.

Ashwagandha is an evergreen herb famous among people due to its medicinal properties¹. It’s roots and fruit part have tremendous properties that increase their use in medicines. Due to its healing potential, it is classified as an adaptogenic herb².

Its name has a unique significance, the word Ashwagandha is formed by two words, ‘Ashwa’ means ‘horse’ and ‘Gandha’ means ‘smell’. The roots of ashwagandha are smells like a horse that’s why it is known as Ashwagandha. The other popular names of ashwagandha are Indian ginseng or Indian winter cherry.

Various researchers have suggested the ashwagandha benefits for women include both physical and mental health. It shows positive results for the treatment of digestive issues, cognitive disorders, hormonal imbalance, thyroid gland function, and also sexual problems.

Nutritional Value of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha benefits women only because of their nutritional value. Hence, it is going to be important to know about it.

Ashwagandha or Indian ginseng has an abundant amount of nutrients that enrich its nutritional value and make it health beneficial herb. The ashwagandha root contains the following essential nutrients.

• Carbohydrates
• Low Fats
• Fibres
• Proteins
• Iron
• Calcium
• Vitamin C
• Carotenes
• Antioxidants
• Flavinoids
• Essential minerals

Useful Properties of Ashwagandha

Before knowing the ashwagandha benefits for women, let’s check the properties of ashwagandha that give it medicinal value. Here are some therapeutic properties of ashwagandha.

1. Astringent

The root of ashwagandha has astringent properties³, which are good for healthy skin and reducing inflammation. Astringents are a kind of substance that will help in contracting tissues, dry up oily secretion, and reduces swelling in tissues.

Similar kinds of characteristics are found in ashwagandha extract therefore it is clear that ashwagandha is an astringent.

2. Anti-Inflammatory

Without any doubt, it is obvious that ashwagandha has anti-inflammatory properties. Because, it shows positive results in the treatment of inflammatory issues like swelling in muscles, arthritis, and more.

Due to its anti-inflammatory nature, it is used to treat infections and chronic inflammatory diseases such as heart disease or cancer.

3. Aphrodisiac

The aphrodisiac property has a significant role in the improvement of sexual potency and fertility in both males and females. Due to the aphrodisia characteristic of ashwagandha, it is used in medicine to treat infertility or sexual dysfunction.

4. Narcotic

The pain-relieving properties⁴ of ashwagandha come in the category of narcotics. These are the substances that function as pain relievers. The narcotic properties of ashwagandha are used to cure pain. And also used to relax the central nervous system.

5. Diuretic

Diuretics are essential for the release of excessive salt and water from the body. This is required when the level of salt and water increases in the body which results in high blood pressure or swelling in the feet, legs, and hands.

The diuretic property of ashwagandha directly helps in controlling blood pressure and also reducing swelling in body parts.

6. Sedative

Sedatives are those substances that help in the relaxation of the nervous system and bring you into sleeping mode. Simply, sedative has a sleep-inducing effect.

Ashwagandha plays an important role in relieving stress hormones and inducing good sleep. Hence, it is understandable that ashwagandha has sedative properties which will help in promoting sleep.

7. Hypoglycemic

This property of ashwagandha is mainly essential for all diabetic patients. The level of blood sugar increases in diabetic patients, and in this case ashwagandha help in lowering the blood sugar.

Even research also proved that it is effective to lower the glucose level by increasing the utilization of sugar for energy production.

These are not the only properties of ashwagandha, it possesses many other properties and for that reason, it is still a need to do a lot more research on the medicinal use of ashwagandha.

15 Interesting Ashwagandha Benefits For Women 

Every property of Ashwagandha is going to be a boon for women. The ashwagandha benefits for women are incredible. From physical health to mental health, in every aspect it gives benefits. Therefore, all women have to consume ashwagandha powder at a particular period of their life when they feel its need.

Through the given information you will understand when would you have to start drinking ashwagandha powder.

All these mentioned ashwagandha benefits for women are proven through various studies and research. Hence, there is no chance to doubt the use of ashwagandha for a particular health issue.

Let’s see what 15 ashwagandha benefits for women are:

1. Effective In Weightloss

Obesity⁵ or weight gain is the biggest problem for every woman. But it is not like that only eating food is responsible for it. Various other factors contribute to weight gain. Some of them are metabolic function, stress, sleeping disorder, or menopause as well.

If you also want to maintain a healthy weight or lose it, then ashwagandha root extract benefits you with its antioxidants. It helps in weight loss by decreasing your appetite or food cravings. The antioxidant property also helps in burning stored fat in the body and keeps your body weight maintained.

Along with that it also overcomes the effect of other factors that causes an increase in weight. Immunity boosting nature of ashwagandha powder is also helpful for healthy body weight management.

2. Reduces Inflammation

The presence of nutrients in ashwagandha gives it anti-inflammatory properties. And most diseases begin with inflammation in cells or tissues. The most common one is cancer which occurs due to chronic inflammation.

Usually, the immune system performs its function to fight against any inflammation, but sometimes it fails to do so. With age, the immune system going to be weak in women that’s why the use of ashwagandha root will be good for them.

Studies have also proved the importance of ashwagandha tea in reducing inflammation or preventing chronic inflammation. This only happens because of some kind of phytochemicals in it.

3. Controls Blood Sugar Level

The blood sugar level is maintained by insulin hormone which is secreted by the pancreas. What insulin does is utilize sugar for energy production. Any kind of decline in insulin secretion results in an increase in blood sugar. Which is not good for health.

Some evidence suggests the use of ashwagandha helps in controlling high blood sugar levels. There are certain components present in it that are responsible for blood glucose control. These compounds show antidiabetic activity as a result cell starts using sugar instead of accumulating it.

The benefit of ashwagandha root is that it reduces sugar cravings that are ultimately helpful for diabetic patients. So, if you have diabetes then no problem to start drinking ashwagandha powder.

4. Keeps Heart Healthy

A healthy heart keeps you away from most diseases. In women, the risk of heart disease is very high. In the USA, 1 out of 5 die just because of heart disease. Therefore, women need to pay attention to their heart health.

Among all the health benefits of ashwagandha, this one needs to know by all women. The main function of the heart is to pump oxygenated blood to different parts of the body. Any blockage in arteries disrupts the function of the heart which result in the development of heart-related problems including a heart attack or heart failure.

In this case, ashwagandha plays an amazing role in maintaining the flow of blood from the heart to different organs. It also increases oxygen levels to keep the healthy flow of oxygen between the heart and lungs.

5. Cancer Prevention

Various studies have been made to find the effectiveness of ashwagandha extract on cancer cells. It is found that ashwagandha root extract has anticancer or tumor-inhibiting properties⁶ that will help in cancer treatment.

Sometimes cells start dividing in an uncontrolled manner and form tumor. The extract of ashwagandha shows effective results in cancer prevention by causing apoptosis of cancer or tumor cells. It also ceases the formation of new tumor cells.

One of the benefits of ashwagandha for women is it helps them to prevent ovarian and breast cancer. The cases of breast cancer in the USA are very common even in India the rate of breast cancer is very high.

The presence of the withaferin compound in ashwagandha is responsible for the death of cancer cells or to kill tumour cells. This compound produces reactive oxygen species in the targeted cancer cell and affects its functioning.

6. Cure Any Skin Problems

Taking care of their skin is the foremost part of a woman’s life. Every woman wants healthy and glowing skin. But sometimes unhealthy lifestyle, diet, or other factors causes skin issues including psoriasis, irritation, and most commonly sunburn.

No matter what kind of skin problem you have, ashwagandha leaf extract will not only help in curing that skin issue but also gives you flawless skin. This is because of the high antioxidants of ashwagandha powder, which help in reducing harmful free radicals.

High antioxidants fight against fine lines, dark spots, wrinkles, acne, and more. Along with that, the presence of alkaloids in it also increases the benefits of ashwagandha. It helps in cleansing skin and opens up the closed skin pore.

Keeping skin moisturized is also very essential, and ashwagandha does it efficiently by producing DHEA hormone and skin-hydrating proteins. DHEA hormone along with estrogen is responsible for natural oil and collagen production which help reduce aging.

7. Reduces Stress Or Anxiety

Stress is always linked with the development of other diseases whether they are mental, skin, or other physiological changes in the body. That’s why every woman needs to keep themselves calm and relaxed. Never take too much stress, otherwise, it will show adverse effects.

The use of ashwagandha to relieve stress response is good and proven through research studies. That’s why ashwagandha is widely used as an adaptogen⁷, a stress-controlling compound. It helps in the regulation of the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system which functions in response to stress or anxiety.

Ashwagandha helps in controlling stress and anxiety by controlling the function of the cortisol hormone, which is a stress hormone. Several studies underlined the benefits of ashwagandha in decreasing chronic stress levels.

Therefore, the use of ashwagandha root extract is satisfactory for women’s mental health and also tension relief.

8. Also Effective In Vitiligo

The most common skin-related problem is vitiligo, in which skin starts losing its color. This usually happens when the production of skin color pigments ‘melanin’, decreases. It not only affects your skin but also your hair.

Although vitiligo doesn’t cause any threat, women suffering from vitiligo will feel bad about their situation and sometimes loses the confidence to go in public. If you also having this issue then stop worrying. Ashwagandha root extract shows tremendous results on vitiligo.

In Ayurvedic medicines, ashwagandha is used for the treatment of vitiligo. As it is a herb and in Ayurveda herbal treatment is considered to be best for vitiligo.

9. Improves Cognitive Functions and Mental Health

Ashwagandha is very effective to improve the cognitive functioning of the brain. It acts as a natural neurotransmitter to relax the nervous system. For the relaxation of the nervous system, there is a compound GABA in the brain whose production is enhanced by ashwagandha.

Some researchers also suggest that ashwagandha also helps in improving concentration, focus, mental alertness, and memory. Daily consumption of ashwagandha shows improvement in cognitive function, mental stress, and mental health.

Due to the effective results of ashwagandha, it is used for the treatment of various mental problems like schizophrenia, and mild cognitive impairment.

10. Maintain A Healthy Menstrual Cycle

For women, menstrual problems are very common. Every woman is suffering from an irregular menstrual cycle. Irregularity in periods is common in teens but sometimes it is observed in adult women as well.

Delayed periods or irregular periods might be sign of the development of bigger problems like PCOD, ovarian cyst formation, or fertility issues. So, it is very important to keep your menstrual cycle normal and healthy.

For that, ashwagandha is an amazing and natural remedy. It regulates the hormonal imbalance, and the menstrual cycle reduces heavy bleeding and is also very effective to cure PCOS/PCOD.

11. Prevent Early Menopause

Although all the ashwagandha benefits for women are essential to know every woman this is very important.

Menopause is a state defined as the end of the menstrual cycle. Usually, it occurs at the age of 40 to 50 years but in some cases, it comes at an early age. Menopause is directly associated with the change in the physical and mental health of women.

Premature menopause or early menopause increases the risk of the development of diseases like osteoporosis or cardiovascular health issues. That’s why it is essential to prevent early menopause, otherwise, other complications will come up along with it.

Women who are in their 30s are suggested to drink ashwagandha in milk will be the best way to prevent early menopause. It will not only help to reduce the chances of early menopause but also balance hormonal imbalances and symptoms of menopause.

12. Good For Sleep Quality

Sleep quality is directly affected by stress and anxiety. Whenever you feel stressed and anxious, you can’t get good sleep. Hence, it is very important to keep yourself calm and relaxed for good sleep.

As it is already proven through studies that ashwagandha is a good stress booster. It reduces anxiety and tension. This property of ashwagandha plays a significant role in your sleep.

The natural compounds of ashwagandha have sleep-inducing properties that give positive results. That’s why it is widely used not only for better sleep but also to deal with sleep-related disorders like insomnia.

Well, it does not directly induce sleeping but it reduces anxiety or stress level which results in relaxation of the mind that ultimately gives you a good sleep.

13. Prevent Vaginal Infections

This is quite shocking that vaginal infection occurs due to the own bacteria in the vagina. The bacteria especially Lactobacilli live in the vagina and are known as vaginal flora. They are important to keep the vagina healthy and inhibit the growth of infection-causing microorganisms and yeasts.

When the imbalance in vaginal flora happens it results in the development of vaginitis or vaginal infection. According to the researchers, ashwagandha benefits for women also include that it is effective for the prevention of vaginal infection.

Mostly the use of ashwagandha is observed for the treatment of yeast infections in women. The antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of ashwagandha are the reason for its increased use in the prevention of vaginal infections. Hence, it is an herbal way to fight vaginitis.

14. Effective For Fertility

The abundant nutrients of ashwagandha play an essential role in improving the fertility health of women. When the female’s fertility gets affected it ends up with infertility. The most common factors that affect fertility are ovulation problems, PCOS, endometriosis, and problem in the uterus or fallopian tube.

Due to these problems, females can’t able to conceive babies or get pregnant. If by chance conceive a baby then there is a high possibility of miscarriage. In this case, ashwagandha is a good remedy to improve fertility.

Ashwagandha roots have macro and micronutrients that not only regulates the endocrine system but also balances the sexual hormonal imbalance. It also improves reproductive hormone levels. In this way, ashwagandha reduces infertility and improves the fertility rate in women.

15. Also Improves Sexual Dysfunction

This one is the last health benefit on this list of 15 ashwagandha benefits for women. Sexual dysfunction is a state in which women face problems with sexual functions, sexual response, desire, or orgasm. Due to this, their relationship with their partner also gets suffered.

Studies reveal that ashwagandha benefits women who are suffering from sexual dysfunction in many ways. It improves sexual function, desire, and orgasm, and also relieves sexual pain. It shows effective results in reducing female sexual dysfunction.

Researchers have found that stress, anxiety, or depression are the reason for sexual dysfunction in women. And the use of ashwagandha supplements reduces stress that ultimately arousing sexual desire.

So, these are all 15 ashwagandha benefits for women.

Ways To Consume Ashwagandha

Now you know all the 15 ashwagandha benefits for women, but it is very important to know how to consume it. It is essential to know the correct way of its consumption to receive its advantages.

Here are some advantageous ways of taking ashwagandha.

1. Ashwagandha powder in warm water with honey.
2. Ashwagandha Milkshake
3. In the form of tea as Ashwagandha Tea
4. Ashwagandha capsules or tablets

In conclusion:

All the mentioned ashwagandha benefits for women are just to tell you the health benefits of ashwagandha. If you want to start consuming it then sure go for it but in case you have any health complications already first consult your doctor before consuming it.

Hope all the women this article on ashwagandha benefits for women will be helpful. Now, you know how much the ashwagandha plant is important in Ayurvedic medicine. All the health benefits of Indian winter cherry enhance its use in ayurvedic herbs.

Frequently asked questions:

Q. When should women take ashwagandha?

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2. Winston, David. Adaptogens: herbs for strength, stamina, and stress relief. Simon and Schuster, 2019. ↩︎
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5. Elhassaneen, Yousif A., Reem A. Boraey, and Amal Z. Nasef. “Biological Activities of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L.) Roots and their Effect on the Neurological Complications of Obesity in Rats.” American Journal of Food and Nutrition 11.3 (2023): 71-88. ↩︎
6. Widodo, Nashi, et al. “Selective killing of cancer cells by leaf extract of Ashwagandha: identification of a tumor-inhibitory factor and the first molecular insights to its effect.” Clinical Cancer Research 13.7 (2007): 2298-2306. ↩︎
7. Salve, Jaysing, et al. “Adaptogenic and anxiolytic effects of ashwagandha root extract in healthy adults: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study.” Cureus 11.12 (2019). ↩︎

Last Updated on July 22, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology