CBD is a chemical compound that is found in the cannabis plant or marijuana. It is one of the 104 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. However, CBD is found in marijuana. Its effects on the brain are different as CBD does not contain THC, which causes the mind-altering high. Currently, CBD is gaining too much attention due to its healing properties as curing anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
One of the main contributions of CBD is that it helps cancer patients and also, it is widely used as it can cure nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. It promotes quality sleep as lower anxiety levels can help with good sleep. The inflammation and pain can also be treated by consumption of CBD.
Ashwagandha is a Sanskrit word that means ‘smell of the horse.’ A herb is named Ashwagandha, which indicates that the herb imparts strength and vigor.
Ashwagandha is among the most potent medicines in Ayurveda which is well known for its healing purposes. It is highly effective in various areas, but its rejuvenating and restoring properties can help reduce anxiety, depression and the research shows it has proven benefits for lowering harmful cholesterol levels, promoting good sleep, mood PMS and more by controlling the neurotransmitter GABA.
The second name of Ashwagandha is Withania Somnifera which indicates that it promotes energy and lowers stress levels simultaneously. However, it would help if you were also confused when choosing between CBD and Ashwagandha. But, don’t worry! We will explain to you all the information to acknowledge the possible benefits, side effects, and a lot more so you decide which one is most effective. So, gear up!
Synergistic Effects of Ashwagandha and CBD
As individual benefits of both CBD and Ashwagandha are stated above, combining these herbs can increase the therapeutic potential. When combined with Ashwagandha, which has substantial restoring impacts, the daily supplement of CBD becomes a synergistic pair that can transform lives at any stage.
They are not as effective individually as they are effectively combined. Moreover, they complement each other by pushing their therapeutic potential to the fullest. The synergistic pair provides more accurate results for people suffering from anxiety, depression, mood swings, inflammation, chronic pain, and destructive sleeping patterns.
During the past years, people have turned massively towards Ayurveda, natural remedies, and herbal or plant-derived treatments, mostly for mental health. They prefer herbal medicine over conventional pharmaceuticals due to their significant side effects on their health.
Ashwagandha supplements are well known for lowering high and bad cholesterol levels known to cause many serious health issues. These issues include stress or anxiety. CBD has paired with Ashwagandha, and the potential power increases by complimenting each other as CBD works on the nervous system that also includes GABA.
Therapeutic Benefits of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an ancient herb that was prescribed and used by many herbalists over the years. It has various benefits on the human body as it can work to resolve many severe issues and illnesses. Following are the benefits of Ashwagandha, which humans utilized over the years:
- It can be used as an antidepressant, as it is observed in a study that it has reduced depression of the adults by 79% just by using it for two months.
- It contains many antioxidants, but it can deliver one of the most potent antioxidants combined with CBD. The healthy damage of cells is caused by oxidative stress, and Ashwagandha also works on that, which boosts immunity by promoting healthy cells and organs.
- It can do wonders in curing issues regarding male fertility. It works fantastic for men with low sperm count and motility. Just ninety days of treatment can show results.
- Ashwagandha improves the sexual health of both males and females, as low-stress levels, balancing hormones like testosterone, and more antioxidants in the blood promote better sexual performance.
- It helps lower Cortisol levels as Cortisol is the hormone that causes stress, and high levels of Cortisol often indicate high chronic stress in an individual. It can help to reduce Cortisol levels by 30%.
- It has also shown some uses in muscle growth and fat reduction when used in relatively higher doses.
- It consists of anti-inflammatory properties, and many studies proved how it could be useful in reducing inflammation and C reactive proteins, leading to poor heart health. It also strengthens the immune system that helps to combat viral and bacterial infections.
- Triglycerides and cholesterol are known as bad fats in the blood, which lead to bad cardiovascular health. Ashwagandha reduces Triglycerides and cholesterol.
- It promotes healthy brain activity and good memory, as according to an eight-week study, individuals reported better memory, increased focus, and task performance. It has also been found out that it can also help with early Alzheimer’s disease.
- It has anti-cancer properties as more antioxidants in the blood boost immunity. Also, its anti-inflammatory properties can help with tumors.
Side Effects Of Ashwagandha
As Ashwagandha does not have many health hazards because the human body can tolerate it in low to medium doses, the high dosage can cause upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and irritability. It can irritate the GI tract while, high doses can cause constipation, ulcers, and gastrointestinal distress.
Ashwagandha can interrupt thyroid balance in the body as people who are already suffering from low thyroid function. It is always recommended to use it after consulting a professional. It can be harmful to people who are suffering from hypothyroidism as it can cause weight gain, hair loss, and low energy levels. If a person also suffers from hypothyroidism and consumes Ashwagandha, it raises thyroid hormone levels which can later cause heart failure if left untreated.
Hypertension is one of the leading causes of heart disease. Ashwagandha can naturally cure high blood pressure, but people with already low blood pressure are at risk as if they are consuming it for other reasons with this condition dangerous for them.
Pregnant women should always seek medical consultation before using any supplement regardless of what the benefits are. It can be dangerous for pregnant women and the fetus as it leads to premature labor, miscarriage, and uterine contractions. It can increase immune activity as it is not always good for the body as the body’s immunity more than required results in a state where the body starts attacking itself.
Therapeutic Benefits of CBD
CBD is an excellent pain reliever as it can help reduce inflammation and chronic pain, patients with bone diseases such as arthritis and low bone density, can use it. It has several health benefits. However, many states do not allow it due to its source, and not enough research has been done to prove the benefits.
- Anxiety and depression are mental and physical health hazards that are treated by conventional pharmaceutical methods. These methods are loaded with side effects but, CBD can provide excellent results in treating anxiety, depression and promoting overall good mental health, lower stress levels, and better mood.
- It is used to treat sleep disorders among people of different age groups. It is majorly beneficial for people who have insomnia. CBD is also used for treating kids with anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
- It can fight cancer treatment’s side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and pain caused by chemotherapy. It also has cancer-fighting and prevention properties at early stages.
- It can promote good skin health due to its anti-acne properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and controls excess sebum production, which leads to cystic or fungal acne.
- People with neurological disorders can get benefits from CBD as it can act on signaling systems. Multiple neurological disorders can be treated by using CBD, which includes epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. CBD has also proved prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease at early stages. It also helps with schizophrenia and other mental disorders by reducing psychological disorders and paranoia.
- CBD helps to maintain adequate cardiac health and circulatory system, and it helps people with hypertension. It regulates normal blood pressure, which is essential in maintaining a healthy heart. A recent study found that CBD helps lower stress levels which regulate normal blood pressure.
- CBD has also proven beneficial for people who are suffering from substance dependency. It reduces the withdrawal symptoms of the most challenging drugs to quit as morphine and heroin.
- It can prevent diabetes by 56% by reducing inflammation and water retention in diabetic patients.
- CBD has anti-tumor effects, and it has also been proven to control cancer(lung, colon, brain, and breast).
Side Effects of CBD
Although CBD does not show any significant health hazard to its users if it is a pure one and consumed in the proper dosage, a few are the side effects it carries, which can be inconvenient for its users. It can cause low energy levels and fatigue, and it disturbs the digestive system by causing diarrhea and vomiting. It can also change the user’s appetite, which results in weight changes.
CBD does not consist of many side effects but can cause various issues, primarily when used in combination with other medicines or supplements. So, it is always a good idea to consult a professional before using it with something else.
According to research, high doses of CBD can disturb liver function, resulting in liver toxicity later on.
Inevitably, it has full potential to cure depression and reduce anxiety if used accurately but, when the doses are unnecessarily high, it can disrupt brain function, causing paranoia, hallucination, and depression.
It is dangerous for people with low blood pressure as it can cause their blood pressure to drop further. It can result in dizziness. It is not addictive, but it contains fewer withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability, bad mood, feeling low, and insomnia.
Comparison Between Ashwagandha and CBD
As it is noticeable that both Ashwagandha and CBD hold similar properties and are used for almost the same purposes, even the slight drawbacks they both contain are identical. As discussed above in detail, both are mainly used to treat anxiety, depression, inflammation, chronic pain, hypertension, diabetes, mental disorders, sleep disorders, chronic fatigue or weakness, cancer, and low immunity.
To conclude reasonably, it is essential to discuss each use of CBD and Ashwagandha point by point.
Similarities Between Ashwagandha and CBD
- Both Ashwagandha and CBD are useful for reducing stress and reducing stress’s adverse effects on the body. CBD works on the neurotransmitter GABA, which eases muscular tension and promotes nerve cell recovery to help the user relax. Whereas Ashwagandha has similar outputs by working differently as it controls stress through hormones by reducing stress hormones and improving blood glucose metabolism, this stops functioning with prolonged stress.
- CBD reduces inflammation by regulating specific receptors, such as the adenosine and endocannabinoid systems. Ashwagandha has better anti-inflammatory actions than hydrocortisone, which is well-known pharmaceutical medicine for inflammation.
- CBD helps to cure anxiety through GABA. It results in muscle relaxation, which induces better sleep. Furthermore, it also reduces pain, which brings comfort as it is essential for rest. On the flip side, Ashwagandha effectively cures insomnia as it can take control of nervous system dominance. It is the part of the nervous system that can recognize and respond to stress. When this part of the nervous system is activated, the body recognizes the pressure and goes into the restlessness phase, which causes insomnia. Still, Ashwagandha controls its dominance which promotes good sleep. Ashwagandha fights with adverse side effects of sleep deprivation and improves sleep quality in the long term.
- CBD is known as a potential reliever. It specifically works on brain receptors and controls the pain signaling reaching the brain. These brain receptors are activated by using CBD, which helps in neglecting pain signals as it reduces pain sensations from medium to higher levels. Ashwagandha is not as beneficial as CBD, but it can cause pain reduction, mainly pain associated with the nervous system.
- CBD has shown potential benefits for anti-cancer over the past decade. It works by reducing inflammatory compounds that promote cancer, likely killing cancerous cells, and oxidative damage. Ashwagandha is a beneficial anti-cancer supplement that limits cancerous cells’ growth, resulting in a reduced cancer spread. It reduces pain and inflammation, which is associated with cancer, antioxidants in Ashwagandha can promote healthy cells, and it also increases the effectiveness of cancer treatment like chemotherapy, etc.
Final Words
Gladly, now you know all the relevant information about CBD and Ashwagandha and also the answer to which one is the most effective. CBD and Ashwagandha are being used for many years individually and combined. They contain many health benefits, and there is no doubt about that, but they carry a few severe side effects so that one should always use them with proper consultation. Also, it will be wise to rely on what your medical instructor guides you and research your part.
