Withania somnifera - Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera, otherwise known as Indian Ginseng, is held very dear to the heart of practitioners of Ayurveda, which is the oldest known system of medicine on Earth. Ashwagandha is sometimes referred to as the 'King of Ayurveda'.

Belonging to the mysterious & powerful Nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), Ashwagandha is typically found and cultivated in India, and is often used by those with overworked and tense lives. The roots are currently being applied in Ayurvedic medicine to treat hypertension and stress related ailments, while it has been traditionally used to help the body deal with chronic fatigue, impotency, memory loss, neurological problems and anxiety. As an adaptogen, this herb has actions as a motivational stimulant, aphrodisiac, cognitive enhancer, & calmness-producing agent.

• Ashwagandha's potent ability to reduce anxiety & improve mood may be in part due to its GABA mimicking effects. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/1660034/reload=0;jsessionid=9Ujjkg3YR5UiIgeaHbwd.2 

• Ashwagandha has been shown to posses immense anti-oxidant activity and recent research has shown that it can protect the body from the structural changes induced by morphine use & subsequent withdrawal. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874197000640 

• Ashwagandha has also been shown to increase acetylcholine receptor activity while upregulating the affinity of the Muscaranic Acetylcholine receptors 1 & 2, and this may explain it's positive effects on cognition, memory, & mood, while strengthening the para-sympathetic nervous system, also known as the 'rest & digest' response. http://shareayurveda.com/pdf/Ashwagandha.pdf 

• Ashwagandha has been shown to stimulate the thyroid gland, increasing serum levels of thyroid hormones 3,3′,5-triiodothyronine (T3) and tetraiodothyronine (T4). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042-7158.1998.tb06923.x/abstract 

• Ashwagandha has been shown to bestow profound mood enhancing, anxiety reducing, & resolve strengthening effects. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711300800306

• Ashwagandha is mentioned in the Kama Sutra as an herb to be used for heightening the sexual experience and can help extend the duration of the act of love making, likely due to it's dualistic energizing and relaxing qualities.

• Ashwagandha is a great daily supplement, the effects building and maintaining over time. Ashwagandha has been used for over 3,000 years and the vast amount of evidence of it's benefits speaks for itself. It comes highly recommended in times of severe strife and stress and is a vital ally for lessening anxiety without decreasing energy levels.

Ashwagandha is strong enough to be used in capsules or chewed directly, and also makes an effective unfiltered powdered tea. Average doses range from 1 to 4 grams (1-2 teaspoons). Taste is sweet & starchy with an affinity for chocolate. Ayurvedically prepared Ashwagandha has been detoxified & can be consumed in larger dosages. The effects begin to change quite dramatically above 4 grams, becoming quite the meditative aid.

Purchase both Certified organic and Ayurvedically grown & prepared Ashwagandha roots from Meridian Botanicals here: http://meridianbotanicals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=212

Lifetime discount coupon for all readers: 'Apoth5' worth 5% for life.

http://meridianbotanicals.com

Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean)

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to India that has since spread to Africa, The Caribbean, and South America traditionally used as a coffee alternative, a treatment for Parkinson's disease, and as a South American Shamanistic plant. It's active compound is believed to be L-Dopa (5-8%) which is the direct precursor for Dopamine, a neurochemical believed to be heavily responsible for mood, energy, focus, movement, and motivation. L-Dopa works similarly to the serotonin precursor 5-htp in that it bypasses the normal barriers that limit the amount of the respective neurotransmitter available to the brain and body.  Other alkaloids of Mucuna pruriens include 5-htp, serotonin, nicotine, various tryptamines, salsolinol, and beta-carbolines that are believed to have an effect on testoterone, libido, and muscle growth.

When taken alone, Mucuna increases the activity of the bodies natural hormone production and produces more HGH (Human growth hormone) as well as limiting the production of the compound prolactin, believed to be responsible for the feelings of sexual hangover.  Thanks to these traits, Mucuna serves as an excellent tonic for improving ones sex life and libido.  When Mucuna is taken with green tea, it provides a more noticeable mental stimulation than without.  Mucuna is also believed to play a key role when it comes to the body producing it's own natural endorphins and could serve as a mild analgesic in addition to it's energy improving effects.

Mucuna is an excellent herb for stimulating the body and mind, increasing hormone production, lifting the mood, improving focus, and reducing anxiety while improving confidence.  It is commonly referred to as Nescafe and Indian coffee in it's native habitat, providing a similar lift that one might experience from coffee, with a much gentler stimulation.  Mucuna also can serve as an effective tool for those trying to quit stimulant drugs, replenishing the parts of the body that are expended by substance abuse.

Mucuna has many different varieties, colors, tastes and effects depending on where the bean is grown, whether it is wild or cultivated, and possesses a very large variable range of constituents. No two Mucuna pruriens plants are the same, and thanks to the ability of this bean to migrate across oceans and grow in foreign lands, the types, colors, tastes, and effects can vary greatly.

Optimal methods of consumption are mixing an equal weight of ground Mucuna beans with Green tea and simmering for 5-10 minutes. Other herbs to modulate or potentate the effects include: cayenne, black pepper, turmeric, coffee or guayusa, catuaba, muira puama, raw cacao etc.  For more effective pain relieving effects, Mucuna should be mixed with herbs such as corydalis, rang jeud, red sage root, sacred lotus, etc.  If Mucuna is considered for long term use, it is recommended to take 5-htp alongside of it to prevent an imbalance of serotonin to dopamine.

Mucuna can also be smoked as an effective way to quit tobacco, the leaves and shoots being much easier to inhale than the bean itself.  Upon heating, L-Dopa is converted into Dopamine, and combined with the trace amounts of nicotine present in the plant, makes quitting tobacco a whole lot easier.  Lobelia inflata also makes an excellent addition to Mucuna foliage when quitting Tobacco, thanks to the compound lobeline, which satisfies nicotine receptors without causing the addictive rush nicotine is known for.

Buy Mucuna pruriens beans: http://www.meridianbotanicals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=75&products_id=240

Buy Mucuna pruriens smoker's cut: http://www.meridianbotanicals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79&products_id=242

Buy Mucuna Genmaicha tea blend: http://meridianbotanicals.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=93&products_id=400

 

http://meridianbotanicals.com