The global wellness industry is currently worth $3.7 trillion.

It’s not hard to see why. These days it seems everyone is looking for creams, supplements and medicines to make themselves look and feel younger, cure various everyday aliments and just make themselves feel good in general.

Every wellness product you’ll see comes with some kind of guarantee of what it does and a list of ingredients. If you’re looking for natural remedies for health issues, one of the best things you can use for your health is ashwagandha.

You’re probably wondering just what the ashwagandha is. Simply put, it’s an ancient medicinal herb that is one of the cornerstones of Ayurveda, a form of natural healing based on Indian principles. It’s been in use for more than 3,000 years and the ashwagandha plant is native to India and North Africa. For more than 3,000 years, it’s been used for stress relief, increasing energy and improving brain function. It’s also been linked to fighting symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Here are six ways ashwagandha can benefit your health:

• It can help fight cancer: One benefit of ashwagandha is that it can impede the growth of new cancer cells in the body. How is that possible? It can generate reactive oxygen species, which are toxic to cancer cells in the body. It can help in the treatment of lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer and colon cancer among other types.
• It helps reduce blood sugar: Ashwagandha can also help lower a person’s blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that it’s effective for people with diabetes and those without diabetes.
• It reduces stress: Another way that Ashwagandha works well is by reducing the cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is also called the stress hormone because it’s released by your adrenal glands as a response to stress or when you have load blood sugar. Ashwagandha supplements can significantly lower cortisol levels and in turn make you much less stressed.
• It helps the nervous system: Ashwagandha provides support to your nervous system by promoting healthy function of said system. It stimulates the pathways in your brain, which are linked to the neurotransmitter GABA, which promotes muscle tone and calmness in the body. As previously mentioned, it helps reduce stress, which can also stabilize your mood and get healthy sleep.
• Reproductive benefits: By taking ashwagandha to maintain healthy cortisol levels, ashwagandha is linked to reproductive health. Healthy cortisol levels mean that your body can instead focus on reproductive hormones.
• Benefits for men: Ashwagandha is also a good supplement to take to promote men’s health. It can increase muscle strength and tone, but it can also aid in recovery after an injury of a workout. If that wasn’t enough, ashwagandha has also been linked to helping maintain healthy sperm levels and normal testosterone levels.

There are many benefits to incorporating ashwagandha into your everyday wellness routine. It can improve brain function, helping prevent or slow the effects of things such as Alzheimer’s disease. It can help prevent the growth of new cancer cells in the body. It can help regulate many of your body’s hormones and help significantly reduce your stress. If you work out, it can help with muscle tone and also aid in your recovery. If you’re considering taking ashwagandha herbal supplements, it’s best to consult a doctor to learn about how it might affect your body specifically.