Innumerable Benefits Of Ashwagandha in Hot Chocolate

After a long day of the hustle and bustle, who wouldn’t like a cup of steaming hot chocolate? Besides being a kids’ favourite, many adults have also embraced the rich and feel-good factor that comes when drinking chocolate. Many recent studies by scientists have also explained the benefits of cocoa or hot chocolate powder in improving heart health. When you are drinking hot chocolate, you are basically dissolving the hot chocolate powder in hot milk, which ends up becoming a highly nutritious drink. 

Benefits of Ashwagandha Hot Chocolate

When you drink Ashwagandha hot chocolate alone, there are quite a good number of benefits your body enjoys, such as:

Ashwagandha Hot chocolate powder or cocoa is nutritious. It not only contains fibre and iron, but dark chocolate, which is composed of over 70 percent cacao solids, contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium and vitamins such as Vitamin A and Vitamin K. 

Cocoa is rich in antioxidants which are known as flavonoids. In fact, drinking chocolate powder contains three times the number of antioxidants found in green tea. These antioxidants provide primary health benefits such as reducing inflammation in our bodies, preventing cancer, boosting immune systems and improving weight management, besides others. Therefore, the darker or less processed the chocolate, the healthier it is. 

Cocoa aids memory retention, as per a study published by the journal Neurology. The study has indicated a strong correlation between drinking hot chocolate and memory boost and has suggested that 2 servings of hot chocolate a day could keep Alzheimer’s at bay. The use of Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder improves the increase of blood flow throughout our body, including our brains, which is said to be the main factor behind its memory-enhancement ability.

 As cocoa improves blood circulation, it subsequently improves our cardiovascular health, reducing the overall risk of heart attacks and strokes. According to the European Food Information Council, flavonoids present in cocoa have been associated with increasing blood circulation, reducing blood clotting and fighting off LDL or bad cholesterol. 

Last but not least, drinking Ashwagandha hot chocolate naturally makes one happy. It is because it contains caffeine, serotonin or the happy hormone and tryptophan, which promotes mental relaxation. Together, these neurotransmitters, which are released when using drinking chocolate powder or even eating a piece of chocolate, mark a positive effect on our brain.  

These days stores are also stocking newer Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder varieties, including plant-based extracts such as Ashwagandha. These drinking chocolate powder varieties of hot chocolate with Ashwagandha amp up the level of nutrition provided by regular hot chocolate. This is why the Ashwagandha hot chocolate is more beneficial for our bodies. 

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha or Withania somnifera is an adaptogenic herb, quite popular in Ayurvedic science and regarded as rejuvenating. Adaptogens such as Ashwagandha are natural supplements found in herbs, roots and mushrooms and are basically non-toxic plants consumed to fight off stress by the body.

Ashwagandha literally means ‘the smell of a horse’, referring to its ability to impart horse-like strength and power to our bodies. At the same time, the ‘somnifera’ in its scientific name Withania somnifera, indicates its sleep-inducing qualities.

Ashwagandha resembles a tiny cherry tomato because of its small, red berry fruit. It is typically a native India, the Middle East and regions with temperate climates such as North Africa. However, it is now being cultivated across the world. It is a perennial shrub, which means it is available throughout the year. It has oval-shaped leaves and yellow-green, star-shaped flowers surrounding the Ashwagandha berry. 

Ashwagandha leaves, berries, and roots are of therapeutic value, each with its own set of advantages and benefits. When ashwagandha roots extracts are used to create Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder, the combined benefits of both can boost our mental and physical stamina greatly.

What are the benefits of Ashwagandha hot chocolate?

To conclusively understand the benefits of Ashwagandha hot chocolate, it is important to first familiarise ourselves with the various benefits of Ashwagandha listed below:

Being an adaptogen, Ashwagandha affects the performance of our nervous system. It is linked to the regulation and secretion of neurotransmitters like dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are usually released by our body as a response. Ashwagandha regulates these and enables us to handle stress in a balanced and stable manner. It has counter-stimulating properties that help reduce the harmful effects of stress on the immune system, endocrine system and neurological system of our body.

 Ashwagandha has anti-fatigue properties. It relieves stress and fatigue by replenishing and rejuvenating our body with energy, supplemented by a soothing and relaxing effect. Therefore, drinking a glass of Ashwagandha hot chocolate has a dual energising and calming effect. 

 The sleep-inducing property of Ashwagandha can be correlated to its calming effect. When we drink Ashwagandha hot chocolate daily, our body reacts to stress in a less agitated or less hyper way than usual. It helps the body to maintain energy levels throughout the day. When the body resists stress, naturally, it can maintain an adequate sleep cycle. 

Since Ashwagandha supports a healthy immune system because of its stress-reducing properties, a combination of flavonoids in Ashwagandha hot chocolate with Ashwagandha greatly improve our body’s natural ability to fight infections, making us resistant to harmful external living organisms. 

A study has also proved the use of Ashwagandha to improve the strength and vitality of the reproductive system in males. On the other hand, Ashwagandha hot chocolate contains Vitamin A, which is used as an antioxidant in female reproductive health, according to many studies. 

Therefore, frequent use of Ashwagandha hot chocolate can improve fertility levels in both men and women. 

Some studies also point towards the use of Ashwagandha during radiation and chemotherapy for cancer patients. This is mainly due to its highly supportive effect on our immune systems. Including Ashwagandha hot chocolate can combine the anti-inflammatory properties of hot chocolate and immunity-boosting properties of Ashwagandha with helping prevent or treat cancers. 

When you use hot chocolate with Ashwagandha, you supplement your body with combined benefits of both, which specifically improve muscle mass, strength and recovery of bones and joints. 

Since Ashwagandha alone can smell like a horse, using hot chocolate with Ashwagandha imparts a luxurious and rich flavour to the drink and make it nutritious and tasty at the same time. 

Recipe and frequency of usage

There are various recipes to help you enjoy the wholesomeness of Ashwagandha hot chocolate. The most commonly used and easy-to-follow recipe is given below:

1. Warm a cup of milk or boil hot water.
2. Add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa or hot chocolate powder to the milk.
3. Add half a teaspoon of Ashwagandha root powder to the milk.
4. Add a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
5. Add a sweetener like coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup instead of refined sugar to maximise the benefit.

Note: If you are using Ashwagandha-infused hot chocolate powder, you can simply add a tablespoon of the powder to the milk and skips steps 2 and 3. 

To attain maximum benefits of Ashwagandha hot chocolate, have this revitalising drink twice a day. If having only once a day, it is preferable to drink it in the evening to combat your raised stress levels and ensure sound sleep. During evenings, the body has enough time to process the caffeine intake; however, if you are caffeine-sensitive, you can enjoy the drink during the afternoon as well.

Contraindications

• Avoid drinking Ashwagandha hot chocolate if you’re pregnant. Although traditionally used in India during pregnancy, according to studies in modern medicine, Ashwagandha can trigger contractions of the uterus, especially if used in large doses, resulting in miscarriages.

• Be cautious while using hot chocolate with Ashwagandha. Make sure that you adjust your dosage of Ashwagandha and limit it to no more than a tablespoon in a day since large doses of Ashwagandha can cause abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea.

How is Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder manufactured?

Ashwagandha plant roots are extracted from the Ashwagandha plant when it starts flowering and developing its berries. 

The roots are then dried out to make a fine powder that can be mixed with the drinking chocolate powder.

For the hot chocolate powder, the cocoa solids are pressed to create a 75% concentrated cocoa powder.

Then the Ashwagandha powder and hot chocolate powder are blended in optimal conditions and measured to generate a healthy and safe drinking chocolate powder.

The best part of the Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder, which is available in the market in the form of different brands, is that most brands focus on making it an all-natural, vegan, and sugar-free product. They do this by adding natural sweeteners to increase the flavours without compromising your health. Since the Ashwagandha hot chocolate powder does not have added preservatives, we can reap its benefits without any side effects.

So, if you regularly drink chocolate powder at home or simply like drinking chocolate beverages, you can consider using hot chocolate with Ashwagandha to revitalise and boost your energy levels, besides feeling happy and enjoying the hot chocolate flavour. The Ashwagandha hot chocolate is indeed a guilt-free way of combining pleasure and health.

Authored By: Divya Shankar

About Author: Divya Shankar is a multifaceted content writer with 7+ years of experience. She has exclusive writing expertise in ayurveda.