ashwagandha and immune health
TRANSCRIPT
Ashwagandha and Immune Health
Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunterwww.medicinehunter.com
Sponsored by KSM-66 Ashwagandhawww.ksm66ashwagandhaa.com
Adaptogens Defined
• The term ‘adaptogen’ was originally coined by N. V. Lazarev (1947) to refer to a substance which increases “non-specific” resistance to adverse influences to organism and stress.
• Adaptogens are a class of high value botanicals which improve resistance to stress of all types.
Adaptogens are Increasingly in Demand
• Demand for the adaptogenic herbs has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• People seek relief from stress and anxiety, and want more energy, strength, mental focus and strong immune function.
• Ashwagandha root has risen to the top ten most popular herbs over the past few years due to a surge in human clinical studies.
Ashwagandha, King Of HerbsWithania somnifera fam. Solanaceae
• Ashwagandha refers to the dried roots of Withania somnifera, a woody shrub found wild and cultivated in India, Africa and the Mediterranean.
• Ashwagandha’s use dates back 4000 years, and the root is often referred to as The King Of Herbs.
Phytochemicals in Ashwagandha Root
• Root is rich in withanolides (steroidal lactones), alkaloids, glycosides, fatty acids, chlorogenic acid, numerous amino acids.
• Plus sitoindosides, saccharose, B-sitosterol, hentriacontane, scoploletin, dulcitol, chlorogenic acid.
• Traditionally used for aphrodisiac, anti-aging, anti-asthma, rejuvenating and overall strengthening purposes.
Biological Activities•Adaptogen – helps to maintain homeostasis in times of stress, improves psychomotor skills, mental calculation, reaction times.
•Anti-inflammatory activity
•Antioxidant
•Anxiolytic
•Improves relaxation and sleep
•Improves reproductive health
•Enhances overall cardiovascular function
•Immunomodulator
KSM-66 Organic Ashwagandha CultivationPesticides and other Agri-poisons degrade immune function.
Stress and AnxietyPARAMETERS:
• A single-center, prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial at Asha Hospital, Hyderabad, India.
• A total of 64 healthy adults received 300 mg twice daily of ashwagandha (as KSM-66) or placebo for eight weeks.
• Efficacy measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score, serum cortisol level, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) score, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) score.
Outcomesfor the Ashwagandha Group
• Perceived Stress Scale score reduced by 44%
• General Health Questionnaire scores reduced by 72.9% (good)
• Serum cortisol reduced by 27.9%
• Depression and Anxiety domain scores reduced by 71.6%
Ashwagandha Mitigates Stress
• In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial a totalof 64 healthy adults received 300 mg twice daily of ashwagandha (as KSM-66) or placebo for eight weeks.
• Efficacy measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score, serum cortisol level, General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) score, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) score.
A Second Stress Study
• In a study of 60 male and female participants, three groups were assessed, a placebo group, a group receiving 250 mg of KSM-66 extract daily, and a group receiving 600 mg of KSM-66 extract daily.
Assessed Parameters included:
• Perceived stress scale (PSS) score
• Serum cortisol
• Hamilton Anxiety rating Scale
• Sleep Quality
Results Of A Second Stress Study
• The 250 mg daily and 600 mg daily KSM-66 Ashwagandha groups experienced respectively:
• 33.77% and 38.34% reduction in perceived stress
• 16.40% and 32.63% reduction in serum cortisol levels
• 13.01% and 16.39% decrease in HAM-A score
• 35.21% and 46.01% improvement in the sleep quality score
Ashwagandha and Cortisol• Cortisol helps control blood sugar levels,
regulate metabolism, reduce inflammation, and assist with memory formulation. Cortisol is a crucial hormone for overall health and well-being.
• But…high cortisol is a major stress factor and is associated with weight gain, overall stress and compromised immunity.
• Ashwagandha brings cortisol into a normal healthy range. Reduction in overly high cortisol imparts relief.
Researchers Concluded
•“High-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract improves an individual’s resistance toward stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life.”
Inflammation is Part Of all Chronic Health Disorders
• Inflammation is associated with every chronic health disorder, from dental caries to cardiovascular disease. Control of inflammation is essential to healthy life.
• Chronic inflammation inhibits immune function and degrades resistance to disease.
Ashwagandha Mitigates
Inflammation• In Public Health Approach of
Ayurveda and Yoga for COVID-19 Prophylaxis PhD authors Girish Tillu, Sarika Chaturvedi, Bhushan Patwardhan, and Arvind Chopra, MD identify four ways that ashwagandha helps to control inflammation and promote immunity.
• Ashwagandha downregulates TNF alpha, Interleukin 1 beta, Interleukin 6, and Interleukin 10. The interleukins are cytokines secreted by immune cells.
Ashwagandha Immunomodulator• Immunomodulation is the alteration of
immune response by an increase or decrease in immune activity.
• In eight published human studies ashwagandha demonstrates immunomodulating activity.
• Increasing immune function when it is low and decreasing immune function when it is too high helps to keep immunity in an optimal zone.
Ashwagandha - an Immunomodulator• A randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind, parallel group 8-week clinical study was
conducted in 80 healthy athletes.
• The inflammatory and immune related markers including CD3 (cells/µL), CD4 (cells/µL), CD8 (cells/µL) counts, CD4/CD8 ratio, Interleukin-6 (pg/mL), and TNF-α (pg/mL) were measured.
• At the end of the study KSM-66 Ashwagandha demonstrated• A statistically significant increase in the mean values of CD3 count and CD4 count. • A non-significant increase in the mean values of CD8 count, CD4/CD8 ratio, IL-6 and
TNF-α.• IL-6 and TNF-α decreased by 6.3% and 20.6% respectively.
• Researchers concluded that the high concentration full spectrum Ashwagandha root extract has immunomodulatory benefits.
Ashwagandha is cardio-protective• Withania somnifera exerts a strong
cardioprotective effect, augmenting endogenous antioxidants, maintaining myocardial antioxidant status and restoring hemodynamic parameters, thus producing a cardioprotective effect.
• These parameters include heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance.
Ashwagandha and Cardiorespiratory Endurance
• Cardiorespiratory endurance is a measurement of how well your heart, lungs, and muscles work together to keep your body active over an extended period of time.
• Ashwagandha boosts VO2 max, the key measure of aerobic endurance. This helps to maintain a healthy state of cardiovascular and respiratory function.
Ashwagandha and Sleepwhere somnifera comes in
The Study:
29 people took 600 mg KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract daily, and 19 took a placebo for 10 weeks.
Results were Sleepy…• Significantly shorter time falling asleep
• Significant improvement in sleep efficiency
• Significant improvement in sleep quality
• (Measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, examining subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medications and daytime dysfunction)
• Significant calming effects, reduced nervousness
• (Measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale consisting of 14 psychological and somatic symptoms)
A Second Sleep Study
• In an 8-week study 40 participants were given KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract 300 mg twice daily. 40 other participants were given a placebo.
• Participants were assessed for sleep onset latency, total sleep time, waking after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, total time in bed.
Results Of A Second Sleep Study
• KSM – 66 Ashwagandha supplementation produced:
• 15.58% decrease in SOL (Sleep Onset Latency)
• 29.32% decrease in WASO (Wake after Sleep onset)
• 6.05% increase in TST (Total Sleep time)
• 3.29% increase in SE (Sleep efficiency)
• 2.66% increase in TIB (Total time in Bed)
Ashwagandha Root is one of the greatest plant medicines on Earth
