Ashwagandha
comes from the root of the plant Withania somnifera. Ashwagandha has been used traditionally
in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Ashwagandha is often referred to
as Indian ginseng. My first contact with this herb was approximately 8 years
ago when I read about its possible effects in increasing testosterone. Since then
I have studied this herb more and have included it in my stack of must have
herbs.
We at
biohacking collective have decided to make our own version and this is something
really unique. As with our other tinctures this is a spagyrical extraction done
in sub atmospheric conditions. The low pressure reduces the demand of heat and
keeps all the valuable plant compounds from being destroyed in the process. The
next step in this process includes the reintroduction of the purified minerals
from the ash of the plant. This makes this tincture extra bio available and potent.
The tincture is also nano emulsified with ultrasonic technology to make it even
more easily accessible to the body.
So which
are the main benefits of ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha
has adaptogenic properties this means that it can modulate and help regulate
certain processes in the body. The main thing for me when I look at the literature
seems to be the reduction in stress by lowering cortisol levels in the blood
(1). Cortisol acts as an antagonist to testosterone so decreased cortisol will
help keeping the testosterone levels high.
Ashwagandha
also seems to help with other stress markers and I found this interesting study
showing that it could help against stress related male infertility (2).
There is
also studies that shows that Ashwagandha could help with increasing muscle strength
(2). In this study 57 males were included in the age between 18-50. Subjects in
the treatment group consumed 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily,
while the control group consumed starch placebos. The groups were using resistance
exercise for 8 weeks and then the results were measured. And strength had
increased more in the group taking 300mg of Ashwagandha daily, however muscle
size hadn’t increased compared to the control group.
The final
study I looked at is about Ashwagandha effects on the immune system. In this
study the saw an increase in both T-cells and natural killer cells after
ingestion of Ashwagandha (4).
We almost spend a third of our lives in bed or at least we should. Getting a good night sleep is one of the most important things in life. Good sleep doesn’t only make you perform better during the day but its also makes you healthier, leaner and if you have continuous good sleep it could actually increase your life span. So sleep is usually done in the same room every night this gives you big room to optimize this environment I will down below show my favorite bedroom hacks.
2. Pitch black room is the way to go. Even a small amount of light from electrical equipment or from street lights have been shown to disturb your sleep.
3. Sound is also an important factor try to use ear plugs if you can if not you could use a white noise generator which effectively will cancel out most of other noises
4. Remove as much of electrical equipment as possible from your sleeping area. Emf:s from your phone or dirty electricity from electronic devices are actually shown to be able to affect your sleep in a bad way.
5. I shut of my Wi-Fi at night and keep my cell phone in another room. If you use your cell phone as an alarm clock, buy a real old school alarm clock.I also use this Faraday cage for my router WiFi Router Guard – Blocks EMF Exposure
6. Find a real good bed made in natural materials and try to see that your bed is not treated with flame retardants. Also buy high quality sheets I use sheets of bamboo fiber or organic cotton.
8. If you have a TV in the bed room remove it. Watching TV and sleeping is not a good combo. The light from the screen and the program on it will keep your brain active when you should be focusing on winding down.
10. Use of essential oils, I regularly use lavender oil which has been shown to have a calming effect on the mind. Go for an organic brand put drops on pillow or use some type of diffuser for essential oils.i use this diffuser Dr. Mercola Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser 120V
Hur man gör sitt sovrum till en perfekt sömnfristad!
Vi spenderar nästan en tredjedel av våra liv i sängen eller åtminstone så borde vi det. Att få en god natts sömn är en av de viktigaste sakerna i livet. Bra sömn gör inte bara dig bättre under dagen men det gör dig också friskare, smalare och om du har kontinuerlig god sömn kan det öka din livslängd. Så sömn görs vanligtvis i samma rum varje kväll, vilket ger dig stort utrymme för att optimera denna miljö. Jag kommer nedanför att visa mina bästa sovrums hacks.
Ett kolsvart rum är målet, även en liten mängd ljus från elektrisk utrustning eller från gatubelysning har visat sig störa din sömn
Ljud är också en viktig faktor att försöka använda öronproppar om du kan om du inte kan använda en vit brusgenerator som effektivt kommer att hjälpa till att dämpa de flesta oönskade ljuden.
Ta bort så mycket elektriska prylar som möjligt från ditt sovrum. Elektromagnetisk högfrekvent strålning (EMF)från din telefon eller smutsig el från elektroniska enheter visas faktiskt för att kunna påverka din sömn på ett dåligt sätt.
Jag stänger av min Wi-Fi på natten och förvarar min mobiltelefon i ett annat rum under natten. Om du använder din mobiltelefon som väckarklocka, köp en riktig gammal väckarklocka av den gamla skolan.Jag använder även en en farraday bur runt min router för att sänka den farliga strålningen.WiFi Router Guard – Blocks EMF Exposure
Hitta en riktigt bra säng gjord i naturmaterial och försök att se till att din säng inte behandlas med flamskyddsmedel. Köp även högkvalitativa lakan, jag använder lakan av bambufiber eller ekologisk bomull.
Om du har en tv i sovrummet ta bort den. Titta på TV och sova är inte en bra kombination. Ljuset från skärmen och programmet på det kommer att hålla din hjärna aktiv när du ska fokusera på nedvarvning.
Användning av eteriska oljor, jag använder regelbundet lavendelolja som har visat sig ha en lugnande effekt på sinnet. Hitta ett ekologiskt märke och använd genom att droppa på kudden eller använd någon typ av diffuser för eteriska oljor.Jag använder denna Dr. Mercola Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser 120V
Author: Daniel Rash (Biohackingdan/Geneticwarrior)
With new books and research being released each day stating which diet is the, “optimal” diet for human species, it can be quite confusing what to fill your plate up with nowadays. Is going ketogenetic the right move? What about paleo? Maybe I should go vegetarian or vegan after watching that latest documentary? I could probably write a whole paper on the different diet options that have been touted as, the best. The hard truth is that many of these so called, “health gurus” are simply trying to end up on the best seller’s section of the book store. With the thousands of nutrition and recipe books written within the last 20 years, you would think we would have the health crisis under control regarding obesity, weight loss, hormone health, mood disorders, however, this is not the case.