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After researching it, primarily on the consumerlabs website, I ordered some ashwaganda for my mother who has been diagnosed with mci. I would like to know of the experiences of any members (or their families) who have taken the herb. I am a bit hesitant, as my mother is on coumadin, and ashwaganda has been noted on a few sites to possibly increase bleeding. I asked my mother's cardiologist, but he had never heard of the herb. Anyway, is there anyone who has found that the supplement has increased mental acuity or decreased stress or anxiety? Thanks in advance

komatta wrote:After researching it, primarily on the consumerlabs website, I ordered some ashwaganda for my mother who has been diagnosed with mci. I would like to know of the experiences of any members (or their families) who have taken the herb. I am a bit hesitant, as my mother is on coumadin, and ashwaganda has been noted on a few sites to possibly increase bleeding. I asked my mother's cardiologist, but he had never heard of the herb. Anyway, is there anyone who has found that the supplement has increased mental acuity or decreased stress or anxiety? Thanks in advance

Ashwagandha is a nightshade. I don't tolerate nightshades and have high histamine reactions to Ashwagandha. If your mother doesn't have any autoimmune conditions and isn't at risk for them, maybe it would be okay, but others will say that eating nightshades (although Ashwaganda isn't usually mentioned), puts pretty much everyone at risk of leaky gut. Meanwhile Ashwagandha is widely promoted in the context of brain health and has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine. I think it's a hard one to tease out, at least for me.

As you know, Ashwagandha is an adaptogen so it helps to manage stress. I've tried several manufacturers with different results. I've settled on this brand based on Rudy Tanzi's "Alzheimer's-in-a-dish" work. In a lecture, he claimed that this brand stabilized abeta. My initial reaction to it was fairly strong. I took it at night. It helped me to sleep soundly, with some vivid dreams. The first week, however, I awoke VERY early 3-4AM, raring to go. I drove my husband crazy. That wore off after a week or so. Now, it just has a nice relaxing effect for me.

I've been taking it for several months now and think it's helped deepen my sleep and further reduce my anxiety levels when taken in the evenings with Magnesium. I feel pretty great and have been really "getting things done".

But, when I started taking it, it was in the morning, and combined with coffee it seemed to make me "aggro" and tense. I've not bothered to switch back to confirm my morning/caffeine issues, but I remain wary that it could give unexpected results with certain confounders. Try and see.

circular, Julie G and Brainz, thanks for your replies. Based on Consumer Lab reviews, I have purchased Nature's way brand. I again contacted my mother's cardiologist and spoke to the nurse about taking the herb while my mother is on Coumadin, and she is supposed to get back to me. The last time I spoke to the Dr. about this, he told me he hadn't heard of the herb.
Some further questions: What is the dose you have been taking? Consumer lab compares the various supplements by withanolides, which is the active ingredient. The site says that a daily dose is at least 6 mg, but that most studies use doses of 10 to 30 mg daily. The dose on Nature's way is 2 or 3 capsules daily. 3 capsules is 95.3mg of withanolides, which seems like alot.
Are there any other supplements which you have found relieved brain fog and helped with cogniton.
Again, thanks in advance for your replies.

I took Nature's Way Ashwagandha 500mg once or twice a day for about a month. I didn't notice any effects from it, so I stopped. Whether the lack of effect was due to the formulation, my particular biology, or, perhaps, a lack of perception on my part, is unclear.

Thanks for the feedback Brian2. I hope that my mother has better results. I think that consumer lab said that in one test of Ashwaganda, positive results were not seen after 4 weeks, and required 8 weeks of dosing.

Just as a follow up, my mother's cardiologist's nurse called and told me that the doctor, though he had never heard of ashwaganda, had said to avoid it. SInce several sites indicate that it may increase bleeding, and since my mother is on coumadin, I suppose it does make sense.

My integrated MD years ago had me try Ashwaganda. I tried for a month, and was sleepy and miserable the whole time. I recently learned that it's a nightshade. I'm nightshade-intolerant, which I discovered through daily experimentation with single foods, only later learning how they are tied together. Potato today = joint pains tomorrow.

bladedmind wrote:My integrated MD years ago had me try Ashwaganda. I tried for a month, and was sleepy and miserable the whole time. I recently learned that it's a nightshade. I'm nightshade-intolerant, which I discovered through daily experimentation with single foods, only later learning how they are tied together. Potato today = joint pains tomorrow.

You are the second poster with negative ashwaganda experience. Others have expressed positive outcomes. Seems like it depends on the individual, like everything, I guess.