Re: Long-term use of ashwagandha - OK?

I have seen some clinical studies on ashwagandha but I don't know if there would be anything specifically about how it affects hormones, would love to see something like that if there is. There are tons of studies on Ayurvedic herbs but I haven't had time to look into these much yet, still just learning the fundamentals. Your experience will certainly cause me to research this herb further in the future.

As far as comparing foods and herbs, I would just say that where do you draw the line to separate the two. Generally, I would say the difference between the two is that herbs have very concentrated amounts of micro-nutrients and in some cases potent chemicals that have specific impacts on the body, while they are low in macro-nutrients, foods would be the opposite. But I don't think this is set in stone, what would you call garlic or ginger? Certainly they would be considered foods, yet you couldn't really survive on them, as if you ate enough of them to support your body you would be receiving far too much of the other effects provided by these foods. Is cilantro a food or an herb? Most people would consider it a food but it can be used as a potent medicine. Even your example of a carrot is not so cut and dry, it is certainly a food but it still can have quite a bit of effect on the body aside from just providing energy from the carbohydrates, there are many other effects from a carrot aside from the common vitamins and micro-nutrients identified in contemporary nutrition. Tweet