Ashwagandha For Menopause

Discover the transformative power of Ashwagandha for menopause relief. Explore the benefits and effectiveness of this natural supplement in managing menopause symptoms.

Ashwagandha is a medicinal plant that has been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. While it has become more popular in the health and wellness field over the past few decades, it’s been around for some time and has been used to treat a variety of ailments.

Newer research is finding that Ashwagandha may be beneficial for women during certain life stages, particularly those undergoing menopause.

Ashwagandha menopause benefits are multifaceted and can be beneficial for more than just symptom relief. Find out more below.

What Is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is an evergreen shrub with yellow flowers in the nightshade family. It is native to areas of India, Africa, and the Middle East. It is also known as Indian Ginseng and Winter Cherry.

Ashwagandha can be grown in certain areas in the United States and propagates readily from seeds. It’s available over the counter in pills, capsules, gummies, powders, liquids, teas, and more.

You can find concentrated forms of Ashwagandha in supplements often used to treat stress and anxiety but may also be used for male infertility, and athletic performance but studies on these are limited. (Source)

Ashwagandha is one of the most important herbs used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine which is an alternative form of medicine with historical roots in India. Its scientific name is Withania somnifera, but the name Ashwagandha is Sanskrit for “smell of the horse” due to its natural musky odor. (Source)(Source)

Ashwagandha is also a popular adaptogenic supplement, which is a natural substance that is believed to help the body better adapt to stress. It can often be found combined with other herbs that act similarly, such as Rhodiola.

Challenges During Menopause

Menopause is a condition that occurs in women beginning around the age of 50. It is signified as the end of the reproductive years and the cessation of a menstrual cycle.

Women may begin to experience peri-menopause as early as 40. This is the transition period before menopause and may be associated with irregular menstrual cycles and similar symptoms to menopause itself. Post-menopause is the time your body has completed the transition and is signified by a lack of menstrual cycle for at least 12 consistent months.

During menopause, women experience a sharp alteration in hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone. Not only does this create many uncomfortable side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, weight gain, decreased libido, hair loss, increased body hair, and more, but it can also increase a woman’s risk for developing certain chronic conditions such as heart disease. (Source)(Source)

Taking Ashwagandha can help but many may be wondering how. Does Ashwagandha increase estrogen levels? And can you use Ashwagandha for hot flashes? Let’s find out.

How Can Ashwagandha Help With Menopause?

Unfortunately, there is no way for any woman to avoid menopause altogether however, Ashwagandha may help provide benefits to women to make the transition easier.

Ashwagandha’s benefits for menopause include improving hormone levels and treating symptoms associated with menopause such as hot flashes, weight gain, decreased muscle mass, and more.

Most women will attest that the worst part of experiencing menopause is the symptoms that accompany the transition out of their reproductive years.

Ashwagandha may help to ease the discomfort of many common symptoms associated with menopause and perimenopause (the transition period before menopause). Research has found that taking concentrated ashwagandha supplements may help to increase estrogen levels.

During menopause, estrogen takes a sharp decline. Helping to slightly raise these estrogen levels back up can reduce the severity of the symptoms associated with menopause which are often a result of these hormonal changes themselves. (Source) 

Additionally, Ashwagandha may help to increase levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a common treatment for symptoms such as hot flashes, and may help to aid in weight loss for some by lowering cortisol levels and helping to increase muscle mass. (Source)(Source)(Source)

While the research appears promising, the studies available are small and scientists remain unsure of the exact mechanism of action. Because of this, further research is still warranted.

Based on the studies available, most studies support taking between 250-500mg of concentrated ashwagandha per day for at least a month to see any benefits. Of the small studies available strictly for menopause, 300mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily was used but doses can go up to 5,000mg.

Ashwagandha can be taken at any part of the day. Some feel it works best when taken at night because it has a calming effect while others prefer to take it first thing in the morning to help stay on track with taking it consistently.

When you take it matters less than taking it consistently. Some studies have split the dosage of Ashwagandha between morning and night but it should be taken at a time that works best for you.

It is not currently known how long Ashwagandha stays in your system. Some estimate it could stay in your body for up to one month but further research on this is needed. The amount of time Ashwagandha stays in your system will vary by individual.

How quickly Ashwagandha takes effect will also vary by individual and depend on other factors including the dose and type of supplement used (capsule, pill, powder, tea, extract, gummy, etc.), as well as time of day it’s taken, and age and gender of the person taking it. Most studies have found Ashwagandha to begin showing benefits sometime between 4-12 weeks but individual results will vary.

How Supergreen Tonik Can Help With Menopause

If you are currently struggling with menopause or perimenopause symptoms, taking a green powder with Ashwagandha, such as Human Tonik’s Supergreen Tonik may help.

Green powders such as this one contain a concentrated dose of Ashwagandha along with a variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help fill in nutritional gaps and promote a healthy, well-rounded diet.

Supplements such as this also contain additional herbal ingredients that may complement the effects of ashwagandha, such as Rhodiola, as they both contain adaptogenic properties.