How Ashwagandha and Maca Support Your Wellbeing

If you’re anything like us here at Free Soul, you may be familiar with the struggles that fluctuating energy and stress levels can bring. Especially if you sprinkle hormones into the mix. It’s one of the many reasons we are seeing women switch to natural products, in a bid to support their overall wellbeing. 

When it comes to reducing stress and boosting your energy, there are two key ingredients you should look out for — maca and ashwagandha. Research suggests they may significantly impact your overall wellbeing. In particular, stress resilience and energy levels. 

But how exactly do ashwagandha and maca support your wellbeing? We’ll break down exactly what these ingredients are, what they do, and how to implement them into your wellness routine — so you can get on with the important stuff!   

Understanding Ashwagandha 

Ashwagandha is an ancient functional herb whose native roots stretch back thousands of years to India and North Africa. But its history doesn’t end there. 

Turning back the clock, this up-and-coming ingredient was part of something known as Ayurvedic medicine — a term coined from the ancient texts of Ayurveda. Throughout these historical texts, it’s described as a powerful herb for promoting vitality and longevity and was (and still is used) to treat a wide range of ailments. Supposedly, these ailments include stress, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, inflammation, and reproductive issues, some of which you may struggle with yourself.      

What Does Ashwagandha Do? 

So, what does ashwagandha do? This functional herb is often touted for its stress-resilience properties, so it makes sense some people may want to include it in their wellness journey. 

The Stress-Resilience Properties of Ashwagandha

How exactly does ashwagandha reduce stress levels? It all boils down to its adaptogenic properties, including its ability to regulate your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and lower cortisol levels. As these changes occur in your body, the calmer you should feel. Thus, you may see an improvement in your overall wellbeing and stress levels.

Some reports also suggest it may help reduce anxiety by modulating neurotransmitter activity in the brain, an idea supported by a 2019 research study from a peer-reviewed Medicine journal. 

Ashwagandha and Energy Levels

Ashwagandha is like your all-around bestie when it comes to natural ingredients. Let's dive into how it can support your energy levels and keep you feeling like your vibrant self:

• Improved Sleep: Research suggests ashwagandha could improve your sleep to help you feel more energised. And who doesn’t want to have better quality beauty sleep? 

• Unleashing the Powerhouses: It's like giving your body's energy a turbo boost! Ashwagandha may enhance and optimise your mitochondrial function, a process that occurs at a cellular level to aid in energy production.

• Adaptogenic Properties: These properties can potentially support your body's ability to maintain energy levels during times of stress, which may help prevent fatigue. 

• Rebalancing Act: Ashwagandha could potentially help promote hormonal balance , supporting your energy metabolism and helping you feel revitalised.  

Now, here's the thing: everyone's different, so what works for one might not work for another. 

What is Maca? 

Time to shift the spotlight to the next show-stopping ingredient: maca. First, let's take a look at its history. This root vegetable is native to the Andes mountains of Peru and has historically been used by indigenous tribes to enhance strength, stamina, and endurance. 

Fast forward to modern times. Where are we now with maca? Below, we’ll discuss how it’s used today and how the potential benefits of maca could impact you. 

Maca as a Natural Energiser

Here’s how maca can support your natural energy levels:

• Nutrient Density: Maca packs a punch thanks to its high amount of essential vitamins and minerals. This includes B vitamins (such as B1, B2, B6, and B12), vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc. These nutrients play crucial roles in energy metabolism, helping the body to convert food into energy at a cellular level.

• Adaptogenic Properties: Adaptogenic properties help to regulate your body’s energy levels, potentially helping to combat fatigue.  

Supporting Studies

Okay, so we’ve broken down how maca can help you. Thankfully, plenty of supporting studies suggest it may help your energy levels, support your endurance, and improve your mental clarity. Let’s take a look at them. 

First, a 2009 study published in the journal "Forschende Komplementärmedizin" investigated the effects of maca on physical performance and endurance in eight male cyclists. The researchers found that supplementation with maca extract for 14 days improved cycling time performance and increased endurance capacity compared to a placebo.

Another study published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" in 2018 evaluated the effects of maca on physical performance, cognitive function, and mental health in athletes. The results suggested that maca supplementation improved endurance performance and reduced markers of physical and mental stress in athletes.

While most studies on maca focus on its effects on physical performance, some evidence suggests potential benefits for mental clarity and cognitive function. For example, a study published in the journal "Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" in 2016 investigated the cognitive effects of maca in healthy adults. The results indicated that maca supplementation improved cognitive function, including memory and concentration.

Additionally, maca's adaptogenic properties may indirectly support mental clarity by reducing stress and promoting wellbeing. Chronic stress can impair cognitive function, so by modulating stress hormones like cortisol, it may help maintain mental clarity and focus.

Maca’s Role in Stress Management

Think of your adrenal glands as the body's stress managers. When you're stressed, they release cortisol, a hormone that helps you deal with the stressor. Now here’s where maca comes in. This ingredient can potentially help keep these stress managers in check by regulating cortisol levels, ensuring they don't go into overdrive.  

With balanced cortisol levels, you're better equipped to handle stress without feeling overwhelmed. So, maca acts like a supportive friend for your adrenal glands, helping you stay calm and balanced even when life gets overwhelming. 

However, that’s not all. Maca powder isn't just great for managing stress — it's also packed with helpful nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12. These can help keep your hormones in check and make you more resilient to stress. These guys are like the energy supporters for your body, helping your adrenal glands do their job and keeping your energy levels up. 

Then there's zinc, which is like the manager of your hormones. It helps keep everything in balance and supports your immune system, so you can maintain your wellbeing even during the most stressful of times. 

Maca is also packed with special plant nutrients called glucosinolates and flavonoids. They assist in keeping your hormones balanced and reducing stress. So, with maca by your side, you've got a whole team working to keep you feeling your best, no matter what life throws your way!

Integrating Ashwagandha and Maca into Your Daily Routine

If you're looking to add a little extra “oomph” to your day, ashwagandha and maca are two superstars you could consider incorporating into your wellness journey. Here's how you can easily sneak them into your daily routine: 

• Morning Smoothie Magic: Picture this: you're whipping up your favourite morning smoothie, tossing in some fruits, maybe a handful of greens, and then, ta-da! Add a teaspoon of Free Soul Mango Greens for a natural energy uplift that'll support you in feeling your best all day long. As the product contains both ashwagandha and maca, this is an incredibly easy way to incorporate them into your daily routine. For those that prefer an unflavored, earthy taste, there’s also our original Free Soul Greens. 

• Greens On The Go: Always in a rush? Simply pop a heaped teaspoon of Free Soul Greens into a glass of water with some lemon and honey and continue with your day. 

• Incorporate Ingredients With Your Meals: One easy way to get your much-needed fix of maca and ashwagandha is to incorporate our Free Soul Greens with your meals. Whether that’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, all you need to do is add a teaspoon of it to your drink of choice and enjoy! 

• For PCOS: If you have PCOS, you can easily incorporate maca into your daily routine with our PCOS Supplement, designed to to support your body’s natural functions. Of course, you’ll also be able to potentially reap the benefits that maca can bring too, such as supporting your hormonal balance.        

Here at Free Soul, we know just how chaotic day-to-day life can be and how it can impact your wellbeing, which is why we created Wake. Made by women, for women, our mushroom coffee contains both maca and ashwagandha to help support your body amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. 

Thanks to our unique formulation of ingredients and a reduced amount of caffeine, you can easily avoid annoying coffee jitters and energy crashes. All you need to do is brew up, as you would with a regular coffee, and enjoy! The best part? It actually tastes like coffee. Extra functional ingredients such as himalayan pink salt, cocoa, and turmeric also offer additional support thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties. 

**At Free Soul, your well-being is our priority, and although we pride ourselves on our expertise in women's health and wellbeing, it is important to acknowledge the individuality of each person. Features published by Free Soul are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, or replace the advice of your GP. We always recommend consulting with a healthcare provider if you encounter any health concerns, and we’ll always be here to support you so you’re never alone on your journey.

Sources: 

Reduces cortisol: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-accurate-are-the-claims-about-ashwagandhas-benefits#Why-is-ashwagandha-so-popular-on-social-media?  

Supporting study for anxiety: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6750292/ 

Sleep study: Raut, A. A., Rege, N. N., Tadvi, F. M., Solanki, P. V., Kene, K. R., Shirolkar, S. G., ... & Vaidya, R. A. (2012). Exploratory study to evaluate the effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on sleep quality in healthy adults. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 3(3), 111–114. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23125505/ 

Energy Production study: Dongre, S., Langade, D., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). Efficacy and safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in improving sexual function in women: a pilot study. BioMed Research International, 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26504795/ 

Adaptogenic properties: Chandrasekhar, K., Kapoor, J., & Anishetty, S. (2012). A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 34(3), 255-262. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439798/ 

Hormones: Sharma, A. K., & Basu, I. (2019). Comprehensive overview of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): Chemical profile, antioxidant properties, and anti-inflammatory activity. Current Traditional Medicine, 5(3), 156-167. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10147008/