Just when I thought I understood ashwagandha, it taught me one more lesson.

Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra taught us that whole-herb ashwagandha is a heating herb. That it was generally better suited to the male physiology. Women, he taught, often did better receiving it in other forms rather than taking the whole herb internally.

I trusted his teaching, but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I experienced it myself.

Earlier this year, while recovering from a virus, I began taking a formula that contained whole-herb ashwagandha. At first, I felt calmer. Then something changed. I could literally feel my physiology being pushed.

My nervous system became more intense. My sleep shortened. I became more anxious and more irritable. When I stopped taking it, those experiences disappeared just as quickly.

That experience reminded me that every herb has its own nature.

Ashwagandha is an extraordinary herb, one of Ayurveda’s great rasayanas. It builds strength, nourishes the nervous system, supports deep tissues, and helps the body adapt to stress. But it is also heating. That doesn’t mean it’s “bad”. It means it isn’t experienced the same way by every person.

After sharing my experience on Facebook, I heard from many of you. Some wrote to say it made them anxious, that it felt like too much, that it shortened their sleep. Others said exactly the opposite, that it’s the most calming thing they’ve ever taken.

Both experiences were real. And modern research actually helps explain why. Ashwagandha can lower cortisol in people who have been living under chronic stress. At the same time, it can increase thyroid hormone production, influence neurotransmitters, and increase metabolic activity.

For some people, the calming effects are more noticeable. For others, especially those who are already running “hot” or have very sensitive systems, those stimulating effects may become much more apparent.

The same herb, different body, different experience.

That alone would have been an interesting lesson. But then something unexpected happened.

After those posts, Dr. Melina Takvorian-Mishra sent me a sample of one of Vaidya’s formulas that had not yet been made available. It contained ashwagandha. Given my previous experiences, I wasn’t expecting it to go well.

Instead, it taught me one more lesson.

The first capsule stopped me in my tracks. I had planned to continue working that afternoon. Instead, my body wanted profound rest, and it wasn’t negotiating.

Rather than feeling pushed, I felt deeply restored. My nervous system became incredibly smooth. My physiology settled. Even my emotions became quieter. One day my entire body felt bliss, not emotionally but physically.

I also experienced some of the deepest, most fulfilling sleep I’d had in a long time, and I often still felt the effects the following day.

This didn’t feel like symptom management. It felt restorative.

That experience made me ask a completely different question. How could a formula containing the very same herb create such a different experience?

The answer brought me back to one of the greatest lessons Vaidya ever taught me: herbs don’t just have actions. They have relationships.

Today, many formulas are created by asking, “What helps this condition?” Then herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients are gathered together into a single product. Vaidya worked very differently. He understood how one herb could soften another, how one could direct another, how one could balance another’s nature, how the whole could become something entirely different from its individual parts. Watching him formulate remedies was like watching an artist at work. That was Vaidya’s genius. And I think it’s one of the reasons his remedies continue to surprise me, even now.

This experience didn’t contradict what I’d learned about ashwagandha. It completed the picture.

The nature of the herb matters, the state of the body matters, and the intelligence behind the formulation matters too.

It’s a beautiful reminder that healing isn’t just about choosing the “right” ingredient. It’s about understanding relationships: between herbs, between the remedy and the person receiving it, and ultimately, between knowledge and wisdom.

I’m curious to hear your experience.

and I’m glad you’re here.

With care,

—Dr. Lisa 💙

If this resonates, I offer a 20-minute Clarity Call to explore whether this path fits what your body is asking for. $50, applied to your care if you move forward. No pressure, just listening.

Book a Clarity Call here: somaradiantwellness.com/book

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