After intense training, I tend to book myself for full-body massage to help my body recover.
As a routine, I booked myself a session after hiking 21km in the Drakensberg as part of my training for Mount Kilimanjaro.
There are several health benefits to receiving regular massages as part of a health or fitness routine. Athletes and coaches swear by sports massages.
Instead of my usual place, I tried a Komani Health Shop and was given a message by Dr Lydia Jaceni, a naturopath. After our session, she introduced me to a product called Ashwagandha, which came in the form of drops, for the tension in my shoulders.
The plant is a small shrub with yellow flowers that’s native to India and North Africa. Extracts or powder from the root or leaves is used to treat a variety of conditions.
Dr Mary Bove, previously the director of medical education at Gaia Herbs and currently a member of the Gaia Herbs Scientific Advisory Board, considers Ashwagandha to be grounding, calming and restoring.
After using it, I noticed that my sleep quality improved, I had less tension in my shoulders and my joints did not hurt when I ran.
After much research these are some of the benefits that I found that ashwagandha has:
It may help reduce stress and anxiety
Ashwagandha is perhaps best known for its ability to reduce stress.
Researchers say it blocks the stress pathway in the brains of rats, by regulating chemical signalling in the nervous system
Also, several controlled human studies have shown that it can reduce symptoms in people with stress and anxiety disorders.
For men
In untrained healthy men performing resistance training for eight weeks, consuming Ashwagandha root is shown to support healthy muscle strength and recovery.
This may be because Ashwagandha promotes healthy levels of creatine kinase (an enzyme), which reduces natural muscle damage and supports muscle recovery.
Arthritis
Ashwagandha may act as a pain reliever, preventing pain signals from travelling along the central nervous system. It may also have some anti-inflammatory properties which may be effective in treating forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.
A small 2015 study in 125 people with joint pain found the herb to have potential as a treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis.