Today, I want to talk to you about Ashwagandha. This amazing botanical medication is easy to use and immediately effective. In this article, I’ll tell you a bit more about it and why it can be so impactful, especially if you are struggling with thyroid disease.
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How Is Ashwagandha Relevant for Thyroid Disease?
The main versions of thyroid disease are Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism. One involves having access to too little thyroid hormone, while the other involves an autoimmune attack against the thyroid.
This affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and many of them are struggling to feel better and are looking for ways to help.
The case for ashwagandha mainly stems from research involving its relationship to hypothyroidism. I’ll tell you more about it, its historical application, its relevance to your thyroid, and how you can work it into your routine today.
What is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is a plant referred to as “Indian ginseng.” It has been used for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, which involved a very evolved understanding of herbal medicines that people can use to heal themselves.
This typically involved categorizing medicines into three unique groups:
- Those that were stimulating
- Those that were sedating
- Those that were balancing
In the cases of stimulants, there is almost always a drop afterward. Caffeine is one of the most common examples – which is why Ayurvedic medicine puts more emphasis on these balancing herbs. They called these “Sattvic.”
Sattvic remedies give the body more capacity to adjust itself as needed. Ashwagandha is unusual in that it is a “Sattvic tonic.” This means that it can give more energy and strength, but it is not a stimulant and can also improve sleep.
Ashwagandha and Thyroid Function
As it happens, there have been a lot of really good studies that have looked into the relationship between ashwagandha and your thyroid.
One of the more recent ones took 90 adults who had subclinical hypothyroidism. This is a situation where TSH levels are markedly elevated, and many have symptoms of hypothyroidism (fatigue, weight gain, mood changes, etc.).
The TSH is the pituitary’s message to the thyroid, telling it to work. The higher it climbs, the more likely your thyroid is underactive and not performing at its best. In this study, they saw that the TSH improved radically with the help of Ashwagandha.
This also positively correlated with the amount of hormone from the thyroid in the amounts of T3 and T4. That was compared to a placebo group, which tells us it was a good study with meaningful results.
Key Insight: Most folks who took part in the study had symptomatic improvements to their subclinical hypothyroidism thanks to the introduction of ashwagandha.
There are many elements that extend beyond the amount of thyroid hormone we have. There’s also how the body uses those hormones and how the body responds to stressors.
It is really nice to have approaches that extend beyond medication or medication adjustment. Ultimately, this recent study found that ashwagandha had a positive, more stabilizing effect than previously hypothesized.
How Is Ashwagandha Best Used?
If you are considering starting to take Ashwagandha for your thyroid or overall health, here are some things to keep in mind.
Like all herbal medicines, Ashwagandha works best in the context of a formulation for a specific purpose.
I included Ashwagandha in Hypothyroid Support. That was based on all the nutraceuticals clinically proven in humans that were found to significantly improve hypothyroid levels or symptoms.
In that, I partnered it with a whole host of factors, including:
- MSM
- Valine
- Vitamin A
- Copper
- Riboflavin
- Folate
I did this to help because nutraceuticals work best in the context of one another. They work best with others that are synergistic for them.
This blend is best for those suffering from hypothyroidism of any degree, which even includes mild cases of hypothyroidism (terms like “suboptimal” or “subclinical” often arise). Overt hypothyroidism can also benefit from ashwagandha as part of other treatments.
Key Insight: Ashwagandha is also safe for those on thyroid medication. To be really precise, you wouldn’t take it at the same time as your medicine, but at least an hour after taking it would be completely appropriate.
Is Ashwagandha safe?
Many online resources suggest that those with thyroid disease should avoid Ashwagandha. Some warn of hyperthyroidism as a possible side effect.
There are two main reasons for these concerns.
First were some worrisome animal studies.
In the 1980s, several studies showed that rats given extremely high doses of Ashwagandha developed a higher rate of conversion of T4 into T3. Later studies showed that the same effect did not occur in humans when used at usual dosages.
Second was a case report.
In 2022, there was a case of a person who developed hyperthyroid symptoms in a possible connection to Ashwagandha ingestion, including paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia (dangerous heart rate elevation).
The final analysis found that some Ashwagandha products were contaminated with synthetic T3 and T4. Thyroid hormones do not naturally occur in Ashwagandha. These were deliberately added to plain Ashwagandha and Ashwagandha in the context of thyroid supplements.
The consensus is that using non-contaminated Ashwagandha is safe within normal dosages.
How Helpful is Ashwagandha?
In the right context, with the right additional supplements helping boost its efficacy, ashwagandha can be a great addition to your routine. It is a food-like plant, an adaptogen, with no safety concerns in the right doses.
This is simply one more way for your body to feel better while prioritizing your thyroid and overall health in a sustainable, meaningful way. I definitely think it is worth considering to give yourself the best chance to thrive.
Click here to learn more about Hypothyroid Support or any other products made by Thyroid Specific Formulations.
P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:
- Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
- Need help to choose supplements? Click ‘Help Me Decide Here’
- Get my top books Here
Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Hormone Healing Cookbook, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.
Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what works has helped hundreds of thousands reverse thyroid disease, heal their adrenals, and lose weight naturally. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.
