816 replies to this topic

[Andrey_81]

Anybody tried 1000 mg (or more) of extract at once??? Does it make you more relaxed or opposite

Thnx

[machete234]

My guess is that you could only fall asleep with this better for example in the last days I used 2x himalaya at night as a single dose which works better than one.

Also my other extract is much stronger than the himalaya and I guess I have taken the equivalent of 4x himalaya before so theres probably no real harm in trying this once but it could be sedating.
When its very sedating that could be allready the GABA agonist side of AWG which you should probably avoid. (I reported somewhere I didnt feel too well after stopping the stronger extract for about 2 days and then it normalised)

[Andrey_81]

What is the true.. Besides all the benefits, is ashwagandha used to STOP hair loss or it can make it worse?? I found million articles saying that it is used to stop hair loss because it reduces cortisol. But I also found that many people are saying 'Ashwagandha is great but I stopped because it makes my hair fall'. I'm 30 years old, and I can say that I have less hair that a year ago, or 5 years ago, and I'm using aswagandha for 10 months, so this could bu just coincidence because men normally start to loose hair in thirties.

I take ashwagandha and rhodiola together with multivitamin Optimen (by optimum nutrition), which has many herbs that can make your body to produce more testosterone. Ashwagandha and Rhodiola also boost production of testosterone in the body. There is something fundamental about hair loss that I'm still not clear about. The question is, is increasing testosterone a good or bad thing? Assuming no treatments were being used to combat hair loss, my basic assumption would be that more testosterone = more conversion to DHT = more hairloss.

...but it seems much more complex than that. Some things which increase T are supposed to be good (e.g ashwagandha, rhodiola), whilst I've read others seem to cause some hairloss (e.g. Tribulus Terrestris, or numerous other natural testosterone boosters used by guys trying to bulk up).

Can anyone give me an answer on this? I ask because for various reasons I think I would benefit from a bit of extra T...but clearly also don't want my hair to fall out.

So, can ashwagandha cause hair loss???

[Guardian4981]

Anything that raises T in theory would likely also raise DHT which then may influence hair loss. You could try using stinging nettle which raises free t while lowering DHT. Also using something like Nioxin shampoos will rid the hair of excess DHT. I have been using Ash and haven't found an influence on hair but I have been using rogaine and nioxin for years now so who knows.

[Andrey_81]

Can you please say what type of nioxin (full name) shampoon are you using? Thnx

[d4shing]

Hi, started using ashwagandha powder six months ago ,it helped me a lot at work..and i dont want a single day without it.but i am experiencing decreased libido from it?could there be some problem in my brand i am using a local brand.
http://divyapharmacy...dha_churna.html and it is also in powdered form.

I have noticed decreased libido, too. No real positive effects; at least nothing I could sort out from the rest of my regimen. Also been getting headaches lately but that could be a lot of things. I've tried this once or twice before and always wound up dropping it; then several months later I notice a mostly-full bottle in my box-o-supps and think, oh hey, that's supposed to be good stuff, let's give it a try. This time I'll remember.

Discontinuing.

[machete234]

Also using something like Nioxin shampoos will rid the hair of excess DHT. I have been using Ash and haven't found an influence on hair but I have been using rogaine and nioxin for years now so who knows.

Is that a shampoo with ketoconazole? Because this is said to have a DHT lowering effect.

I pretty much never had hair on the temples not even as a kid and since a few years the hairline goes back slightly or not because Im imagining things.
Sometimes I look at old photos and my hair wasnt that much different, Im 28 now.

So the "Im losing hair" thing is a great way to make myself crazy.

Im taking ratiopharm serenoa extract which is a saw palmetto extract which might have given me a few more hairs at the temples after 2months but Im also not sure.
Im just sure that I have less hair on my hands when washing them daily.

Id be interested what an effect ashwagandha has on DHT and if it really causes you to lose more hair, some sources claim it makes hair better some say that it doesnt etc.
But very likely this question cant be answered so easily.

Edited by machete234, 27 January 2013 - 06:43 PM.

[Andrey_81]

Hmm... I understand that ashwagandha has something to do with GABA, and therefore it is good for anxiety and panic, but I have tried all kinds of other stuff including phenibut and I can confirm that ashwagandha works much better for me than all other things. Phenibut can make me less anxious, but ashwagandha keeps me confident and blocks all the panic.

Can it be that my problems with anxiety, panic, sweating and hot flashes could be more physical than psychic? Could it be that GABA is not a problem in my case?

Maybe I have thyroid problems, who knows... I know that changes in the mood, anxiety, hot flashes, panic... can be due to the problems with thyroid. One example... I have hot flashes and I feel anxious. I take 250-500 mg of ashwagandha and in 3 minutes I'm back to normal life. How can this be? 3 minutes? How can one herb work in just 3 minutes? Is it possible that it works so strong on thyroid? Can this influence on thyroid (or GABA) be noticeable in just 3 minutes?

[sthira]

I take 250-500 mg of ashwagandha and in 3 minutes I'm back to normal life. How can this be? 3 minutes? How can one herb work in just 3 minutes?

The power of suggestion?

[Andrey_81]

I take 250-500 mg of ashwagandha and in 3 minutes I'm back to normal life. How can this be? 3 minutes? How can one herb work in just 3 minutes?

The power of suggestion?

Not possible. When you try all kinds off stuff you know what really helps and what is placebo effect. Ashwagadha works for me for the past 11 months.

[Ichigo]

I have been taking Ashwagandha Himalaya for a few weeks already, maybe a month.. and unfortunely I don't notice any difference so far.. I yet have 3 more months of supplyment to take it.. so we will see, though I am quite dissapointed because I expected so much from it. (atleast this proofs that placebo doesn't work on me)

[smithx]

Does anyone have any insight into the analysis I did suggesting that Withaferin A is neurotoxic at levels that are present in common ashwagandha products? I'm hoping the analysis is wrong and that I have missed something, but any corrections/input would be greatly appreciated. The thread is here (posts # 53 and 54):

http://www.longecity...136#entry557136

I have no insight, but I hope someone else will look at this because it seems potentially significant.

[Adaptogen]

I have noticed decreased libido, too. No real positive effects; at least nothing I could sort out from the rest of my regimen. Also been getting headaches lately but that could be a lot of things. I've tried this once or twice before and always wound up dropping it; then several months later I notice a mostly-full bottle in my box-o-supps and think, oh hey, that's supposed to be good stuff, let's give it a try. This time I'll remember.

Discontinuing.

Ashwagandha has without a doubt been giving me headaches. I first noticed it when taking it during the day, I would feel a minor twinge of pain. I wasn't sure if this was the ashwagandha. However, this has happened a few more times. Last night I took a larger dose and woke up today with a pretty bad headache. Does anyone know what the cause of this might be? Someone mentioned dehydration but I don't think that is it.

[machete234]

I think its withdrawal because this is fixed by taking another pill but what I find a bit strange is that older threads havent mentioned this at all.
For example when I spread out 3 pills for morning, noon, evening with meals then the headaches are minimised or not present.

When I quit after a few weeks I have these headaches for 2 days and then Im back to normal, strange enough bacopa helps really a lot so that the quitting period is not as bad.

Id really like to know what this is and what causes it and if it had anything to do with other supplements and nootropics that are taken.
I take piracetam and aniracetam more or less irregularly but no choline, maybe it could have to do with choline.

Edited by machete234, 16 February 2013 - 08:33 PM.

[Ichigo]

Could you guys tell me how long it took for Ashwagandha and Bacopa to work for you guys?

[machete234]

AWG: With the extracts I notice a difference within 30 minutes, the first time I had a bit too much and thought "Wow I feel drowsy hopefully nobody notices Im on something" with a proper dosage I just feel relaxed and maybe spaced out at times but I can still do intellectual tasks just as good for example dual-n-back or writing texts.
So the cognitive impairment is close to zero.

Bacopa: Maybe after an hour I feel a subtle mood lift, but I dont like to combine those 2 either one or the other.

[Strelok]

I've been taking some Himalaya Ashwagandha for the past 3 or so weeks, and haven't really noticed anything. I'm also taking a slew of other supplements, so perhaps that's why its effects don't stand out. But from all the reading I've done on this herb, I get the impression that it's something you want to take for weeks or months so that the active constituents can build up in your body and their (usually) subtle, homeostatic effects work slowly over time.

[Ichigo]

I am asking because I took the Ashwagandha Himalaya brand for more then a month and Bacopa a few weeks already and I don't notice any effects. if there really was a change I wouldn't have any problem to see it because I am almost have Anxiety all the time and Social Phobia, and I don't notice any change in it.. I really had very big hopes from these 2 herbs.. since I have many left I will continue taking it and maybe it will work after more intake..

[Strelok]

I'd suggest experimenting with a higher dosage, and then see if some appreciable benefits kick in. That's what I'm going to do, anyway. I figure that this first bottle of Ashwgandha will somewhat saturate my body with the active constituents of the herb, and then I can shift things into a higher gear with an increased dose on the second bottle. If I don't notice anything at that point, I'll move on to something else.

[nupi]

I am asking because I took the Ashwagandha Himalaya brand for more then a month and Bacopa a few weeks already and I don't notice any effects. if there really was a change I wouldn't have any problem to see it because I am almost have Anxiety all the time and Social Phobia, and I don't notice any change in it.. I really had very big hopes from these 2 herbs.. since I have many left I will continue taking it and maybe it will work after more intake..

If you have significant (Social) Anxiety, chances are the two will not be enough.

[Andrey_81]

I've been using ashwagandha for 10-11 months. For me, doses from 500-750 per day (morning, afternoon and before bed in case of 750 mg, and morning and before bed in case of 500 mg), work the best. All above is not good and it's hard to sleep. 5 days on, 2 days off is also good to follow, based on my experience. I used to take it more than few weeks without break and it will also work, but after a while I wasn't able to sleep (due to higher doses, more than 1000 mg per day) so I stopped last week I had a break for only 3 days. After that all back to normal but I have to continue in lower doses and it will work great. In my opinion, less is more when we talk about this herb. Do not take more than needed and once in a while take a break.

Regarding bacopa... For me it's not that good. It makes me more anxious. I had some good experience before, but it only lasted one week. After that I had higher anxiety and I cannot say that it goes well with ashwagandha. I don't like bacopa. It doesn't make me more focused.

I took it one day when I stopped ashwagandha and it was like a hell. I wasn't able to talk due to lack of confidence.

Edited by Andrey_81, 18 February 2013 - 12:29 PM.

[Ichigo]

Right now on EBAY someone sells the BACFO brand of Ashwagandha and Brahmi, it has 60 capsules and double dose then the Himalaya brand, BACFO has (500 MG a capsule) and its almost the same price.. I wonder if there is any different in the quality between those brands..

[riloal]

^{Hi, anyone else noticed thinning and hair loss while on ashwagandha? Thanks}

Edited by riloal, 07 March 2013 - 02:28 PM.

[roamwhereiwant2]

I joined this forum today so I could mention Tulsi (Holy Basil) for anxiety. I take it with ashwagandha. I started with Tulsi and it worked fast - I got results the first day. I have a lifetime history of anxiety and sometimes depression with anxiety. I tried the usual antidepressants with so-so results. For the last 2 years, I've taken 5-HTP and L-Theanine and that helped, but not a lot. I stopped 5-HTP because it raised my blood pressure.

I tried Tulsi alone for 3 days with great results – my anxiety went from a usual background level of 6-8 (with 10 being the highest level) to 0-2 - the first day. Then I added ashwagandha. And I feel even less anxiety plus I feel more resilient and less reactive. I don't ruminate so much (go round and round thinking about something). I may adjust the dosage after awhile, but for now I take Gaia brand Holy Basil - 2 caps in the morning and 2 caps after dinner. I take Vitamin Shoppe brand ashwagandha- 470 mg – 1 cap morning, noon, and after dinner. The ashwagandha gave me a headache at first, but hasn’t recently.

What I experience is the absence of anxiety. Nothing seems to be added, I’m just free from that strong and unpleasant sensation.

roamwhereiwant2

Edited by roamwhereiwant2, 19 March 2013 - 04:36 PM.

[Guardian4981]

Regarding bacopa... For me it's not that good. It makes me more anxious. I had some good experience before, but it only lasted one week. After that I had higher anxiety and I cannot say that it goes well with ashwagandha. I don't like bacopa. It doesn't make me more focused.

I took it one day when I stopped ashwagandha and it was like a hell. I wasn't able to talk due to lack of confidence.

I share similar experience to bacopa, though not sure if it was anxiety per sey. Bacopa seemed to give me vertigo, only time in my life I have felt vertigo, the vertigo did seem tied to being anxious, but when I am anxious and not using bacopa I do not get vertigo.

Usually when I am anxious my legs feel numb but I never feel like I can't stand up, actually standing up seems to help. But when I am using bacopa and get anxious I feel like I am going to fall down if I don't sit down.


Ashwagandha I am still on the fence with, at time it seems to help me feel more confident and energized, other times it seems to give me a headache and I feel lethargic.

Overall, I think I would not invest in using ashwagandha all the time. For the money I think there is better options such as mucana pruiens or Longjack. Forskollin is pretty good as well, though I can get headaches from it I never feel lethargic on it.

[BDon]

A study suggested that Ashwagandha works as a test-booster in humans only at the dose of 5 grams and +. But just expensive to run 5g daily?

[Andrey_81]

I found that ashwagandha works even better if taken with coffee. One espresso in the morning + 500 mg of ashwagandha and I will great whole day There is no anxiety do to caffeine, it seems that ashwagandha blocks it completely, but I definitely can feel better mood and concentration. Sometimes, additional dose of 500 mg is required. No problems with sleep. I also take 150 mg of rhodiola before coffee.

Edited by Andrey_81, 22 March 2013 - 03:02 PM.

[Andrey_81]

I found that ashwagandha works even better if taken with coffee. One espresso in the morning + 500 mg of ashwagandha and I will great whole day There is no anxiety do to caffeine, it seems that ashwagandha blocks it completely, but I definitely can feel better mood and concentration. Sometimes, additional dose of 500 mg is required. No problems with sleep. I also take 150 mg of rhodiola before coffee.

Sorry... I wrote something wrong. The right dosage is 250 mg (and not 500 mg).

[Andrey_81]

Just one more update... For the past 2 months, together with ashwagandha I've been taking rhodiola rosea (150 mg in the morning and 150 mg at 3 PM or at 6 PM, depending on the day) and schizandra extract, 500 mg, before bed.

Schizandra is also adaptogen herb and I read that it takes some time (2-3 motnhs) to see the benefits. I'm really not sure, but for the past 2 weeks I feel even better than before without any reason. OK, ashwagandha helps, but this feeling is different and stronger. I'm not sure whether it is due to the long rhodiola use or long schizandra use, but something good is happening. I think it's because of schizandra because it's the only thing new in my usual daily routine (ashwahandha + rhodiola).

To describe how I feel... I can only say that I feel calm, no sweating, and nothing can make me stressed. I feel so good that I started to drink coffee (2-3 times per week). I have no anxiety issues and I'm perfectly calm. This is no placebo effect, because I didn't expect anything from Schizandra. In first month nothing changed but then suddenly I started to feel different and I didn't know why. I have no mood swings.

Who knows, this could be synergy of all three herbs (ashwagandha+rhodiola+schizandra). I used to take 500-750 mg of ashwagandha per day, now only 250 mg is strong enough to keep me 'normal'.

If I compare myself now and year ago, I can say that I'm almost cured, and all this happened due to the herbs I've been using (ok, I tried 3 times phenibut). You cannot imagine how bad I felt a year ago (see my first post). I can see a big change in this one year period and from month to month I'm getting better and better. This is just amazing. All with a help of nature

Edited by Andrey_81, 26 March 2013 - 01:34 PM.

[Galaxyshock]

Good to hear Andrey. I've been taking those same herbs along with cycling some other adaptogens. I started Schizandra early this year and the switched to "Schisandra adrenal complex" that I recently run out of. I too have noticed that change of 'baseline' to calm and collected and can't help but think Schisandra has some tremendous therapeutic value for stress responses, anxiety issues etc. I've also noticed healthier appearance of skin / facial aesthetics and people giving me more looks. There's still room for improvement but the results so far are pretty awesome.