Introduction

-Alternative Medicine (Specifically Herbal Medicine)

-Why? Because I wanted to do something completely different
and something
I did not know much about myself.
- I must say I am a huge skeptic when it comes to alternative
medicine.
-Effects of Alternative Medicine on the type of stress college
students experience.
-Why college stress? Because I am in college and experience
stress and handle it very badly.
-Examples of handling it badly: eating fatty foods, lack of sleep,
over intake of
caffeine are just a few of the bad habits one can pick
up to cope with stress.
-Signs of stress can include anxiety, lack of focus, memory
problems, digestive troubles, and occasional trouble sleeping.

Literature Review

At first while doing my literature review I was looking at

Meditation but then I quickly realized that meditation would be a
difficult variable to control.
So I started to look herbal medicine.
While searching Ashwagandha was being used a lot on different
types of patients (patients with different types of cancers, AIDS,
PTSD, ect.)
Gap in the literature not studies on the specific population of
college students and not the specific type of college stressors.
In an article titled Prospective, Randomized Double-Blind,
Placebo-Controlled Study of Safety and Efficacy of a high
concentration Full-Spectrum Extract of Ashwagandha Root in
Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Adults showed that in 60 days
the group exposed to the Ashwagandha extracted showed a
reduction in scores on the stress test and a reduced amount of
cortisol (primary stress hormones) levels.

Chandrasekhar, K. K., Kapoor, J., & Anishetty, S. (2012). A prospective,

randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy
of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in
reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian Journal Of Psychological
Medicine, 34(3), 255-262. doi:10.4103/0253-7176.106022

Alive: Canadas Natural Heath & Wellness Magazine stated that

A 2011 study from India showed the herb's potential preventive
effect on oxidative stress levels in the brains of mice and its
potential use as a therapeutic agent to treat neurodegenerative
disorders.
Ormstein, G. (2013). Ashwagandha: Increase energy and reduce stress.
Alive: Canada's Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, (365), 76.

Research Direction

Before I tell you my plan of research let me give you some

background of Ashwagandha.
-Known as winter cherry
- Literal meaning smell of horse
- Category rejuvenating herb
- Known to increase resistance to stress
- Loaded with antioxidants
As I was researching quality of herb is important to the outcome.
My hypotheses Students whom consume Ashwagandha extracts
daily will experience less mental and physiological stress
How will I test this?
-Get a well-rounded group of participants from difference
majors,
races, genders, and age
- Age range will be from 18-23 through (college age)
- Students going back to school may have more (home life)
stressors
than first time around students
- They will get a questionnaire and stress scale and also do
a cortisol
blood test before starting
-Double Blind randomized placebo-controlled trial (at
random half of
the participants will receive an extract
and other group will not.
-Neither the participants nor I will know who is getting the
extract
-Ensure individual belief of alternative medicine is not
affect the trail
-It will last to about 40 days where they will take the
Ashwagandha
daily
- Once 40 days are up they will take the same
questionnaire and have
second cortisol blood test.
(Results will be compared)
- I think that the cortisol blood test will show significant
data but I
knowing that someone is telling the truth on a
questionnaire but
youre blood can not lie.
- Findings Daily consumption of Ashwagandha showed
significant
decrease of cortisol in blood but no significant
decrease of stress from
questionnaire.