Ashwagandha

significantly lowers stress and anxiety (after 1-2 months of consistent use).

improves sleep onset (faster to fall asleep), better deep sleep, and less grogginess in the morning. takes 2-4 weeks of consistent use to fully kick in. 600mg with dinner or 1 hour before bed.

raises testosterone in men by 14-22%, particularly in stressed, overweight, or aging men. also improves sperm count, motility, and morphology.

aphrodisiac. women often see improvements in sexual function, mood, energy, and menstrual regularity. significant improvements in arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction after 8 weeks of 300mg twice daily.

manages uterine fibroids, improves cognitive function, forms dendrites in your brain, great remedy for arthritis, improves stamina, increased muscle strength.

for muscle gains, ashwagandha boosts strength, power output, muscle mass, and VO2 max in athletes. 8-week ashwagandha protocol adds 5kg to bench press 1-rep max and reduces body fat percentage.

medicinal compounds are mainly in the roots but the leaves have a bit of the compounds in them too. and berries are edible.
the red berries can be used as a vegetable rennet substitute to curdle milk for cheese-making, similar to how figs and thistle work.

raises T3 and T4 thyroid hormones in people with subclinical hypothyroidism (slow/sluggish thyroid that hasn't gotten bad enough to need medication). great for sluggish thyroid but BAD for hyperthyroidism or Graves' disease.
if your thyroid is already overactive, ashwagandha could push it higher. also caution with thyroid medication (levothyroxine), as it may amplify the effect.

can’t grow outside in the north because it can’t tolerate frost; grow indoors.

leaves can be made into a paste with water and applied on swelling joints.
improves joint function after 12 weeks. also helps with rheumatoid arthritis flares.

boosts natural killer cell activity, modulates T-cell and B-cell responses, and balances cytokines.

withaferin A kills breast, colon, prostate, lung, leukemia, and brain cancer cells in lab studies. blocks tumor blood vessel formation, triggers cancer cell apoptosis, and stops cancer cells from migrating to new tissue.