Ashwagandha negative side effects – Aswagandha is a plant that has been used for a long time in eastern medicine or rather, the berry and the root of the plant has been utilized to make medicine if we’re being specific.
It’s been utilized for many different conditions although there isn’t enough scientific research yet so we cannot say with absolute certainty that it’s helpful although unofficially people report that it has helped them when dealing with issues such as arthritis, anxiety, ADHD, balance, tuberculosis, insomnia, asthma, OCD, bronchitis, fibromyalgia and many others.
Individuals report that taking ashwagandha is helping them deal with stress as well while others use it to improve their thinking abilities and even deal with inflammation, pain and swelling.
It’s sometimes used by people that believe it can slow down their aging while others believe it solved the problems they had with their fertility and increased their sex drive.
People truly use this plant for many things especially in the Ayurvedic, Indian and Unani medicine where it’s utilized for almost anything.
The name comes from the Sanskrit language that means horse smell which comes from the strong aroma that the root has.
It’s a plant that contains chemicals that are able to keep our brain calm, lower blood pressure and inflammation while also being able to improve our immune system.
It’s a plant that can be used for anything and many people had their problems and symptoms reduced after using it but there are still no studies or research done on it to see the exact uses of the ashwagandha.
Even though people mainly report positive effects there are of course some negative reports that circulate around and combined with what scientists believe this plant may do to negatively impact our organism due to the properties it has are the following:
Ashwagandha Negative Side Effects
Diabetes
Ashwagandha is sometimes able to reduce the blood sugar levels in some people which can directly affect the medicine that they are already taking for diabetes which can result in very low blood sugar levels.
It’s very important to constantly keep your blood sugar level in check and monitored when you’re a diabetic and taking ashwagandha.
Stomach Ulcer
Ashwagandha is able to irritate the ulcers you have in your stomach and gastrointestinal tract so don’t even think about using if you have any as it might be extremely dangerous and cause a lot of unwanted pain and suffering.
Thyroid Issues
If you’re having problems with your thyroid it’s not recommended that you use ashwagandha negative side effects and stay away from it because ashwagandha is able to raise the hormone levels in your thyroid and if you’re already having issues with it, it might negate the effects of the medications you’re taking to keep your hormone levels balanced.
Pregnancy and Post-pregnancy
Ashwagandha also isn’t very safe when you’re pregnant or post-pregnancy when you’re breast feeding.
More testing is necessary to be sure but it’s believed that using it can cause a miscarriage and be harmful to the baby if you’re taking ashwagandha and breast-feeding at the same time so it’s better to stay on the safe side and avoid ashwagandha in these two cases.
Blood Pressure
If your blood pressure isn’t consistent and you have issues with it, ashwagandha negative side effects might worsen it by dropping it very low. If your blood pressure is already low and you take aswagandha you’re risking to lower your blood pressure to a point where it’s very unhealthy.
It’s also not recommended if you have high blood pressure because if that’s the case, you’re already taking medication to deal with your issue and ashwagandha might interrupt or negate the effects of the medicine you are taking and render the medication useless keeping you exposed to the high blood pressure.
Surgery
Ashwagandha is able to slow down our nervous system which is really bad if you’re going to have surgery anytime in the next two weeks.
It’s highly recommended that you stop taking ashwagandha for at least two weeks before your surgery and not take it afterwards because it might have negative side effects with the anesthesia drugs that you’re given so you can undergo the surgery, further slowing your nervous system and making it very hard to recuperate.
Auto-Immune Disease
Ashwagandha is also not recommended and might have negative side effects when taken by people who have auto-immune diseases including multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and so on.
It’s possible that the ashwagandha further enhance the symptoms of these diseases and make the patient worse by making the disease more active. Avoiding ashwagandha is the safe bet if you’re suffering from any of those diseases.
Immunosuppressant
Ashwagandha is able to improve your immune system and because of it, it has a negative interaction when the person takes an immunosuppressant (a drug that decrease the immune system) and ashwagandha at the same time.
So if you’re taking immunosuppressant such as: Imuran, Zenapax, Simulect, Rapamune, Deltasone, Orasone, Glucocorticoids, OKT3 or similar, make sure you stay away from ashwagandha because it might have a negative reaction in your system.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are also medications that might have a negative side effects when combined with ashwagandha because they are medications with sedative effects and ashwagandha causes sleepiness and drowsiness sometimes.
The interaction of taking both together might cause an increased amount of sleepiness in the individual that took them together which isn’t recommended at all by healthcare professionals. If you’re taking medication such as: Valium, Klonopin or Ativan, make sure you stop with your ashwagandha use.
CNS Depressants
These medications, just like the previous ones have sedative properties and cause sleepiness and shouldn’t be taken with ashwagandha because of the same reasons.
Some CNS depressants that might have a negative interaction with ashwagandha are: Ambien, Donnatal, Ativan and so on.