I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice.
I am pretty sure I graduated in the top two thirds of my class in high school.
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Ashwagandha for Parkinson's
Updated 12/27/2021

  1. Cautions
  2. The Case For Ashwagandha
  3. The Case Against Ashwagandha
  4. How People Are Taking Ashwagandha
  5. Sources for Ashwagandha
  6. Videos
  7. References
1 Cautions

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid it, in addition to people with hyperthyroidism.

May interact with sedatives, as well as medications for the following conditions:
 - diabetes
 - high blood pressure
 - psychoactive disorders
 - hypothyroidism
 - immunosuppression

Ashwagandha may stimulate your immune system, potentially exacerbating autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.

Surgery: Ashwagandha may slow down the central nervous system. Healthcare providers worry that anesthesia and other medications during and after surgery might increase this effect. Stop taking ashwagandha at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Thyroid disorders: Ashwagandha might increase thyroid hormone levels. Ashwagandha should be used cautiously or avoided if you have a thyroid condition or take thyroid hormone medications.

2 The Case For Ashwagandha

The best case I could find for Ashwagandha to treat PD were in these documents:

Withania somnifera shows ability to counter Parkinson's Disease: An Update 10/8/2015
"Discussion and Conclusion
The present study supports the fact that Ashwagandha is a potent neuroprotective agent and hence, plays a significant role in ameliorating Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder. This review paper delineates the potential of Ws to oppose oxidative damage and decline in catecholamines level and also how it exhibits synergistic effect with Mp and its role in regulation of apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bax. The above discussion clearly outlines the efficiency of Ws to eradicate oxidative stress which is one of the major contributing factor in PD. Thus, the traditional use of Indian Ginseng has a logical and scientific basis which can be exploited in the research area related to PD. Moreover, clinical studies on large scale are needed to prove the efficacy of this herb, especially in PD and other neuronal disorders."

Neuroprotective effects of Withania somnifera in the SH-SY5Y Parkinson cell model October 2021
"In conclusion KSM-66, W. somnifera root extract, demonstrated neuroprotective effects showing a capacity to increase the viability of SH-SY5Y cells, a Parkinson's Disease model, to increase glutathione peroxidase and thiol transferase enzyme activities, to modulate the expression of oxidative stress response proteins; peroxiredoxin I, VGF and vimentin, to increase intracellular ATP levels and to modulate redox regulation by decreasing glutathionylated protein levels. These results suggest that KSM-66 is a promising lead drug target for modulating cell damage and cell death due to oxidative stress. Further studies to elucidate the KSM-66 active components and the mechanisms of action are required."

Ashwagandha is also fairly cheap if you buy the powder.

3 The Case Against Ashwagandha

 - See the cautions section. Plenty of cautions.
 - Parkinson's itself may be an autoimmune disease. If Ashwagandha is bad for autoimmune diseases, it may be bad for PD.
 - Almost all of the studies on Ashwagandha and nerve cell damage in the brain have been done on animals or animal cells.

4 How People Are Taking Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has most often been used by adults in doses up to 1000 mg daily, for up to 12 weeks. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.

5 Sources for Ashwagandha

Amazon - Organic Ashwagandha Root Powder | 16oz Resealable Kraft Bag 453g

6 Videos

I did not find any convincing videos on Ashwagandha and Parkinson's. If you know of some, please share them and I will update this page.

7 References