Ashwaghanda?

I picked up a bottle today thinking it might help with anxiety/stress but I've also been reading that it works as an anti-inflammatory and I'm wondering if anyone here has taken it and if it has helped with UC symptoms?

AFAIK, Ashwagandha is indicated for calming, sleep and thyroid support. Ashwagandha is also shown to have effects in dendrite extension (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10884056) but have no clue if has any anti-inflmmatory properties useful in UC.

To be very honest, I am sort of becoming more and more doubtful of these herbs. Few folks on this forum swore by Boswelia. I have been taking it for a while now with no significant/noticeable effects, so I am discontinuing once I run out of stock. The main problem with these herbs is the quality. FDA doesn't regulate any supplements so quality solely depends on what manufacturer considers important. Sometimes, I wish that FDA regulates this part of the system as well.

Post Edited (deltaforce) : 11/11/2011 7:30:43 PM (GMT-7)

Herbs is where its at. I am on no medication.

Herbs/spice/supplements

Daily Curcumin & Turmeric Force
Daily Pure Green Protein
Daily Boswellia ( no idea if this does any good wont be buying more, studies looked great )
Occasional Pysillium Seed Powder

Daily Arginine Ethyl Ester
Daily EFA
Daily Folic Acid

Nightly HTP-5 enteric coated
Nightly Relaxall

Meat,chicken,salmon,eggs,oat/wheat breads,natural pop tarts, coffee
Yogurt

No milk, no soda

Post Edited (aguywithuc) : 11/13/2011 8:39:21 AM (GMT-7)

WingZero said...
Where is your inflammation aguywithuc? I feel like if mine wasn't spread all throughout the herbs and supplements would do more for me - though I'm always hopeful that maybe I'll get on a regime that will really work for me to help decrease meds or you know... cure the disease would be nice :D

Pan colitis. I was hospitalized in 2008 and last summer I had a deadly flare that resulted in week in the ICU with a UC-related stroke.

I can tell which choices get me into trouble, going to have to kick the pre-workout supplements because the stuff in them triggers flares. If I stick to the right foods I don't have any trouble. With experience since 2006 diagnosis I know quickly if something is problematic for me. The trick this time is to not get cocky and make a course correction immediatlely when things are less than 98%. I have not been back to 100% but Its within my reach. In the new year I will be working normal hours and can take better care of myself. 14 months remission at present. I was in the ER in January for what I thought was appendicitis and they said they could see the UC thickened mucosal layer.

Thanks!

The saggital sinus thrombosis resolved in 3 months, I took a 2 hour MRI/MRV and they said it was 100% gone and normal. My friends of course questioned the 'normal'. :)

Neurologist said to take aspirin since I was getting off coumadin early, I refused given the UC condition. I instead take turmeric/curcumin as its both an anti-inflammatory ( UC ) and a blood thinner ( Thrombosis ).

I just did a huge bundle of bloodwork from directlabs.com 600 bucks for only 100. This will tell me many things about how well I am doing but most importantly it will reveal my platelet count. Each huge UC flare is preceeded by a rising platelet count way above the range. It was sky high when the clot developed so I stay hydrated and take the herbs every morning.

GI wanted me to come in and bloodwork but both the GI and GP will only prescribe simple checks, I want ALL the info. I will fax him the results to keep him in the loop.

My experience is that flares come on faster than they used to. It used to take an entire month to get rolling. Now I am very cautious to avoid the slippery slope.

Good luck.

texasmax said...
Aguy- were there specific pre-workout supplements that set you off? Caffeine? NO boosters? I'm getting to the point where I'm going to start heading back to the gym (hopefully), I'm tapering off Pred and if all goes well might try and start back on a bulk. Have a stockpile of all sorts of things I used to use and any feedback you've got would be a help and would save me some experimentation :)

oh where to begin. I was certain it was the creatine then the sucralose then the l-citrulline.

I can say this :

jak3d is fine
nothing from BSN
white flood is ok ( all of these are best at 1/2 scoop or 1 full scoop no 2-3 scoop nonsense )
NOshotgun is ok in small amounts - 1/2 scoop
Aussault give the best workouts but is touchy, never more than 1 scoop, I only go 1/2 scoop with a couple psyllium pills.

Lots of water

Anything else is flirting with complete disaster. Even BCAA's make my system go wild. Cannot take any of the brands.

Waxy maize starch seems fine.

this herb may not necessarily be for colitus, but it has been extensively studied. A PubMed search gives hundreds of results. Theres (probably) no harm in trying. Remember many many drugs (including asacol) are plant-derived. Herbs are generally not just just one isolated chemical, but a cocktail, which are hard to patent etc. Anyway, just because its an herb doesnt mean its ineffective (or safe).