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Ashwagandha is a herb used in traditional medicine in India, also known as Indian Ginseng. A number of studies suggest that it has anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects; studies are mostly supportive of a notable effect of ashwagandha for this purpose, and it seems to reduce cortisol levels. It may increase power output in untrained subjects during resistance exercise and anaerobic running, but this observation is based on a small amount of research and more is needed. Additionally, it may modestly increase testosterone and sperm quality in infertile men. The benefits of Ashwagandha place it into a category of supplements known as Adaptogens.

Should I take Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha has a number of benefits as is evident in the summary. This is relevant for so many individuals and can be used by men and women alike.

Anxiety & Stress

The primary and most supported evidence based benefit of Ashwagandha supplementation is a notable reduction in anxiety. This is known as an anxiolytic effect – evidence suggest this is best in the situation of a chronic stress and/or anxiety disorder. More research needs to be conducted on how this effects those who suffer with mild stress or anxiety but there are studies currently being conducted that are showing strong evidence to this theory.

Cortisol

Related to this is the reduction in cortisol. This varies with individuals but between 14.5-27.9% reduction in overall cortisol levels in otherwise stressed humans has been shown in a variety of studies. There is a high level of evidence for this claim and the studies used a dosage of 600mg ‘full spectrum’ ashwagandha over a 60 day period.

The combined effect of this means that individuals using ashwagandha supplements tend to have a greater sense of calm and higher mood levels than those without – leading to the use of ashwagandha outside of fitness rising and it’s popularity and commonality increasing within the health industry as an alternative to anti-anxiety medications.

Testosterone

Male subjects have seen a minor increase in natural testosterone production – particularly in infertile men. But also in men undergoing strength & resistance training. However there is little evidence to show that there is an increase in men who are otherwise ‘normal’.

Testosterone is sometimes seen as a holy grail for men in strength training and bodybuilding as it its functionality within muscle hypertrophy (cell growth) is vital for optimising the effects of resistance training. It has a direct impact on the amount of satellite cells that can be developed into muscle cells when stimulated – so naturally, an increase in testosterone will increase muscle size. This has been shown in a number of clinical trials.

Of course, ashwagandha does not scale in comparison to the supplementation of testosterone in terms of a TRT (Testosterone replacement therapy) or other anabolic steroid compounds etc. however for those who are looking for a natural alternative this along with other herbal ingredients will see an improvement in your testosterone levels.

Power Output

There has been numerous (4) peer reviewed studies than have shown that there is a notable increase in power output across a wide selection of participants across multiple disciplines. This includes sprint training, non trained and trained subjects. This was with supplementation of 500mg ashwagandha. It also improved VO2 max in those subjects so had a benefit to their aerobic capacity.

How much should I use then?

Overall most studies have shown between 500-600mg of ashwagandha daily for an extended period of time (30-60 days) has the desired effects for a lot of the benefits with only some increase on higher dosages.

Anecdotally I have found 600mg to be an upper limit for myself with higher intakes leading to tiredness. However 300mg per day seems to have a lot of benefits in regards to reduction of stress & anxiety.

What products give Ashwagandha?

We have a variety of products that provide Ashwagandha, and there are two main sources. Ashwagandha root, and KSM66 which is a trademarked extract which provides a high level of purity. There will be all of the products that we sell below for you to look into.

_{Note: There is not a sufficient amount of evidence to provide information in regards to its interaction with medications and prescribed drugs. Therefor we cannot advice the use of ashwagandha to any individual who is currently taking any medication and would refer you to speak to your GP or medical professional before taking any substances containing this ingredient.}

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