| It's time to finish the series on the "Stress Less | | | | that it has anticholinesterase properties, similar to |
| for Poker Success" formula. We're down to the | | | | that of the Alzheimer's drug Aricept. Yet another |
| final two ingredients. A stress-free life is just | | | | study showed that it has anti-depressive effects |
| moments away. (How's that for marketing) | | | | similar to the prescription antidepressant |
| The 2nd to last ingredient in the formula is....... | | | | imipramine, and has anti-anxiety effects similar to |
| Ashwagandha, pretty cool name if you ask | | | | the anxiety medication Ativan. Remember though, |
| mea.k.a. Withania somnifera | | | | these studies were all done on animals. However, |
| My best friends LOVES ranch dressing. In fact, he | | | | they've led to further investigation into |
| puts it on everything he eats. It's quite disgusting | | | | Ashwagandha possibly be used to treat |
| if you ask me, but he swears it makes | | | | Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. |
| everything taste better. | | | | The majority of the latest research though is |
| That's kind of what Ashwagandha does. (I | | | | focused on its anti-tumor effects. In animal |
| guarantee no one has ever made that | | | | studies and cell cultures, it's shown a potent |
| comparison before.) It tends to make everything | | | | anti-tumor effect similar to that of some chemo |
| work just a little better. | | | | drugs. In fact, this has led some oncologists to |
| Take a look at what people have used it for: | | | | recommend Ashwagandha as adjunct therapy for |
| Arthritis | | | | cancer treatment. |
| Anxiety | | | | How Much |
| Insomnia | | | | The suggested dosage is between 300-500mg |
| Tumors | | | | standardized to 1.5% withanolides once daily. Like |
| Tuberculosis | | | | always, it's best to find the right dosage for you. |
| Chronic liver disease | | | | It has an excellent safety profile, even in large |
| Anti-aging | | | | doses. The most common side effect is GI upset. |
| Infertility | | | | Pregnancy warning: Don't use if you are pregnant. |
| Aphrodisiac | | | | Like all herbals, it contains many different active |
| Fibromyalgia | | | | ingredients. The two most important seem to be |
| Hiccups | | | | withaferin A and withanolide D. It's easiest just to |
| Inflammation | | | | look for the percentage of withanolides. |
| Cognitive dysfunction | | | | Why I Like it |
| Immune system dysfunction | | | | Even though I hate ranch dressing, I like |
| Asthma | | | | Ashwagandha. It is missing adequate human trials. |
| Bronchitis | | | | I wish it had some more hard evidence supporting |
| Backache | | | | its use. However, 3000 years of real-world |
| Hypothyrodism | | | | feedback is hard to argue with. |
| That's quite the range of medical conditions. I | | | | The animal studies are impressive, very |
| guess though, if it's been used for 3000 years, | | | | impressive. If it just lives up to half the results |
| you're going to find a whole host of uses for it. | | | | the animal studies of shown, it will definitely be |
| You must admit, that list is impressive. | | | | one of the top nutraceuticals. Seriously, the ability |
| Overview | | | | to regenerate neural networks along with having |
| Once again, it's another herbal from the Ayurvedic | | | | anticholinesterase activity. That's an Alzheimer's |
| medicinal system. Like I alluded to above, it's been | | | | dream drug! |
| used for over 3000 years for entire list of | | | | It's been used for so many different medical |
| ailments. Even though it lacks sufficient human | | | | conditions, and has been shown to have so many |
| clinical trials, it has 3000 years of real-world | | | | different beneficial effects in animals, it makes it |
| feedback! | | | | hard for me not to use this drug. |
| How it works. | | | | Why for poker players |
| Tough one. There's really no easy answer for this. | | | | Simple. Your overall health. Poker players don't live |
| Because it's been used to treat so many different | | | | the healthiest of lifestyles. Staying up until 4 A.M. |
| medical conditions, scientists have yet to agree on | | | | playing online poker can do some damage by |
| one single mechanism of action. Each time they | | | | itself. It's definitely a step in the right direction. |
| study it for a different condition, they find a new | | | | The main advantage though is the potential |
| way it works. | | | | Ashwagandha has. Just look at some of the |
| For stress, they consider it an adaptogen. It | | | | purported benefits it has, especially to a poker |
| mimics certain hormones in the body. When those | | | | player |
| hormones are present in high concentrations, | | | | Its anti-stress effects, especially lowering cortisol |
| Ashwagandha will block their receptors thereby | | | | Its ability to cause relaxation like Ativan without |
| preventing them from working. When those very | | | | the coginitive dysfunction |
| same hormones are present in low | | | | Its ability to reconstruct synaptic pathways that |
| concentrations, it will bind to their receptors and | | | | have been damaged by stress, lack of sleep, |
| mimic their actions. Impressive! Some animal | | | | alcohol, etc |
| studies have actually shown that it lowers the | | | | Its ability to block the enzyme |
| cortisol in the body during times of stress. | | | | acetylcholinesterase, leading to more acetylcholine |
| As far as cognitive function goes, it has some | | | | for the brain |
| pretty amazing animal studies supporting it. One | | | | Its ability to act as a powerful antioxidant, |
| study showed that Ashwagandha can actually | | | | protecting the brain from harmful free radicals |
| rebuild neural networks by regenerating axons and | | | | How impressive is that? If it can replicate those |
| dendrites of nerve cells. Another study showed | | | | benefits in humans, watch out! |