https://drhedberg.com/herbal-medicines-for-fatigue/ Okay. Well, I want to welcome everyone to tonight’s webinar. This is Dr. Nik Hedberg and tonight we’re going to be talking about herbal medicines for fatigue. Fatigue is just one of those big issues that so many people suffer with. Tonight I’m hoping I’ll be able to give you some good ideas as far as what herbal medicines you can take that will really help you not only boost your energy but also may significantly help you improve your energy, help your body adapt to stress and things like that. Let’s go ahead and jump right in.

What we’re going to do is I’m just going to talk for a little bit and at the end we’ll open it up for questions. You’ll see your little chat box on the right corner of your screen and you’ll be able to type in your question there.

First let’s just talk about the causes of fatigue. Of course, the first one is going to be stress. That’s really one of the big ones in today’s society. Hypothyroidism–of course low thyroid hormone levels can lead to fatigue. Not enough protein and calories in your diet, not enough sleep. And then different types of anemia like Vitamin B12, iron deficiency anemias, folic acid, copper, etc., etc.. Adrenal fatigue–the adrenal glands in today’s society are pretty heavily taxed for a variety of reasons.

We’re under a tremendous amount of stress. Americans, we work more than anyone. There are a lot of single parents out there. People are working a lot more hours these days. The adrenals get pretty hammered. Plus, technology keeps us up later at night than we’re supposed to be. The food quality is not always good. Lack of exercise, losing muscle mass, one of the biggest issues in society today. Chronic inflammation. Insulin resistance, a big, big problem in society. The cells are no longer able to metabolize sugar the way that they should. Having an abnormal carbohydrate to protein ratio, meaning that your carbohydrate intake is much higher than your protein intake. Having an acidic pH. I’ve talked a lot about that in the past. Chronic infections like viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease, gut infections, etc., etc. Food sensitivities like gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, to name the big five. Toxic metals such as mercury, leaky gut syndrome. And there are a lot more than this, but these are kind of the top causes of fatigue in our society today.

Let’s start with our first herb that really helps with fatigue, ashwagandha, also known as Indian Ginseng and its other name is Withania somnifera. Ashwagandha is one of my favorite adrenal adaptogens.

It does many things to help you improve your energy. The first thing that ashwagandha does is it enhances the conversion of the inactive form of thyroid hormone T-4 into the active form T-3 and therefore increasing energy levels. It does help the body deal with stress and that’s basically what an adaptogen does. No matter what kind of stress it is, whether it’s physical or emotional, chemical stress, adrenal adaptogens will help you deal with that. It increases strength and stamina, improves memory. It is an aphrodisiac so if you’re libido is low, if your sex drive is low ashwagandha can really help with that.

It does provide deep and restful sleep. Some people are taking high doses just before bed, like a 2,000 mg dose, and that does help some people sleep. Although ashwagandha, in some people, it can disrupt their sleep. It just depends on how their body responds to it.

It is an antioxidant. It does enhance the immune system. It is in the nightshade family, so if you have issues with nightshades like tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, paprika, etc., you might have an issue with ashwagandha.

I recommend about 500 to 2,000 mg a day in divided doses. It can be taken with breakfast, with lunch, with dinner or something like that. It’s okay if it’s with or without food. That’s our first herb that can really help with fatigue. Usually you’ll notice improvements right away when you start taking it.

Let’s talk about our second herb, rhodiola rosea. Rhodiola, not as popular as ashwagandha and some of the other ginsengs, but Rhodiola has become more and more popular over the last five or so years. Rhodiola is also known as the golden root. It has been used for centuries in Europe and Asia.

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