herb
Has anyone taken the herb Ashwagandha?
Hi
,
Ashwagandha is an interesting plant. I believe it's also commonly known as Indian Ginseng and several other names. The claims regarding its use are numerous. As with any supplement or herb ingesting it may cause potentially undesirable results or interact with medication. Every person with Parkinson's disease undergoes a unique journey and their experience and reactions to medications and supplements may be different, You may want to discuss any supplement or medication beforehand with your doctor or healthcare team if you haven't done so already. Here is a link to an article regarding the general use of medications and supplements you may find useful. https://parkinsonsdisease.net/treatment/complementary-alternative-supplements
I hope you find the information you are seeking.
Take care,
Rob Hunt, Parkinsonsdisease .net, Team MemberThanks for reply.
I have an appointment on May 11 2021 with my Neurologist and will discuss with her.
I have taken Ashwagandha and was impressed with how I felt (I was less weak and I had less pain), but I developed an itch and had to quit. FYI - !.6% of the reviews of a similar product on Amazon mentioned itch (75 out of 4,559), so itching is not that uncommon. Most information that I have read indicates it is safe. Itching is not mention as a side effect of any Clinical Trials I have read.
The reason I tried: A study states, “There are dozens of studies that show that Ashwagandha slows, stops, reverses or removes neuritic atrophy and synaptic loss. Therefore Ashwagandha can be used to treat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other neurodegenerative diseases at any stage of the disease”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252722/?fbclid=IwAR00FYlaSDiAVNsWFXqJMyRXfZ4l2Aey4F9lXD2yyX9_uJhinDootjBacPc
NIH is a reliable source. I try to take info as a grain of salt on any site that is trying to sell me something.
Hi
, I'm glad you are discussing the use of the supplement with your neurologist soon. Your neurologist is familiar with your particular case and chemical and medical interactions. Your neurologist may determine if the supplement has any effect on your current medications or other unintended consequences. I appreciate that you have done extensive research and you're right about NIH's website reliability. I read the article and noted it is posted as a research resource by the National Institute of Health (NIH). NIH neither endorses nor comments on the article's conclusions. In an article published by the Michael J. Fox Foundation on June 3, 2019, "researchers have investigated certain supplements, such as creatine, coenzyme Q, inosine and vitamin E" and unfortunately none demonstrated any benefit. (https://www.michaeljfox.org/news/ask-md-supplements-and-parkinsons-disease?fbclid=IwAR3zBxcf-8Ryk7ecCo1q2vYh7iiXTobQnRqOEImOSC1gNI-vCUlsyV3OcZs) Your cautious attitude towards the claims of others, particularly sellers, is a good attitude to have! Thank you for sharing and I hope you'll post how you're doing. Warm regards, Rob Hunt, ParkinsonsDisease.net, Team Member
Rhodiola Rosea
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6288277/
When you say, "NIH neither endorses nor comments on the article's conclusions." I take that the art. is still not proof and should still be taken as a grain of salt (maybe as a pinch)...
I should add, my reaction to Ashwagandha was more than just an itch - I also had a rash.
Do you know if The Michael J. Fox Foundation has reviewed Ashwagandha? I have tried to search and came up empty.Hi
, Thank you for the update. I'm sorry to hear you had a reaction to the supplement. I hope you didn't have to seek medical care for the itching and rash. NIH sponsors (and co-sponsors) scientific research studies and publishes articles from academic journals as a research resource. NIH generally does not take a position one way or another on the efficacy or results of the studies or articles. I don't know if the Michael J. Fox Foundation has any pertinent cites to any studies or takes a stance on specific supplements and herbs other than the one article. I really appreciate you sharing your experience with this particular supplement and your research with the ParkinsonsDisease.net community. Warm regards, Rob Hunt, ParkinsonsDisease.net Team
FYI: What I used was not KSM-66, which is more expensive, but appears to be a more pure root extract and therefore has less of the toxic Withanolide A, which is found in higher concentrations in leaves & fruit of the Ashwagandha plant.
Reviews of products with KSM-66 have 1/100th of complaints about allergic reactions, rash and itching.... than what I used... I plan to try some KSM-66 once my rash is gone.Hi
, You're certainly doing your homework. I hope you're planning to discuss the research with your neurologist before you take the supplement. Hope your appointment goes well on Tuesday! Take Care, Rob Hunt, ParkinsonsDisease.net Team Member At my appointment on 05/11/21, my Neurologist neither endorsed, confirmed nor rejected anything. She only said, I should continue with what I was doing. It’s a little disappointing that I research so many things from reliable sources. And, ask questions, only to get a reply of yes, no or I haven’t heard of it… This may show twice - I do not see my first post..
