Herbal products are a mainstay of many health programmes but as with any supplement, it’s the quality of the active ingredient that will ensure you are not simply wasting your money on placebo pills. Ashwagandha is a good example: this flagship herb of Ayurvedic medicine has been used for centuries as an adaptogen, supporting balance and harmony in different hormone systems and the immune system to reduce stress, increase resilience and resistance to “burn out” and promote a calmer and happier sense of being. But, do you know what’s in your Ashwagandha product and does the extract you take or recommend have enough bioactivity to be clinically effective?
Ashwagandha root extract is packed full of different beneficial phytonutrients including withanolides, iron, choline, short and long-chain amino acids, fructo-oligosaccharides, Vitamin A, calcium, flavonoids, glucosides, coumarins and phytosterols. These synergistic compounds are not found at bioactive levels within the leaves of the plant, so already some products containing Ashwagandha leaves will not have the same levels of clinical efficacy (if any) compared to root extracts.
KSM-66 Ashwagandha is an organically grown, branded, full-spectrum extract, with the highest concentration of all major root-only extracts (including 5% withanolides) available on the market today. It is produced using a unique proprietary extraction process, based on “Green Chemistry” principles, without using alcohol or any other chemical solvent.
KSM-66 is an industry leader having been evaluated in 22 “Gold Standard” human clinical trials.
KSM-66 Ashwagandha has been clinically proven to help:
- Reduce stress, anxiety, cortisol levels and stress-related food cravings.
- Promote enhanced memory and cognitive function.
- Promote endurance, strength, muscle size and muscle recovery rate.
- Enhance sexual performance health in both men and women, and testosterone in men.
Let’s take a closer look at the trial details: Click on the links below to access an infographic simply outlining the results of each trial:
References
[1] 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. Chandrasekhar, K., Kapoor, J., & Anishetty, S. (2012). Indian journal of psychological medicine, 34(3), 255.
[2] Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha Root Extract in Subclinical Hypothyroid Patients: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Sharma, A. K., Basu, I., & Singh, S. (2017). The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
[3] Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial Choudhary, D., Bhattacharyya, S., & Joshi, K. (2017). Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(1), 96-106.
[4] Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions Choudhary, D., Bhattacharyya, S., & Bose, S. (2017). Journal of Dietary Supplements, 1-14. Chicago
[5] Clinical Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of the Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in oligospermic males: A Pilot Study Ambiye, V. R., Langade, D., Dongre, S., Aptikar, P., Kulkarni, M., & Dongre, A. (2013). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013.
[6] Efficacy of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera [L.] Dunal) in improving cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy athletic adults Choudhary, B., Shetty, A., & Langade, D. G. (2015). Ayu, 36(1), 63.
[7] Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial Wankhede, S., Langade, D., Joshi, K., Sinha, S. R., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12(1), 43.
[8] Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study Dongre, S., Langade, D., & Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). BioMed research international, 2015.
[9] Withania somnifera root extract extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans Kumar, R., Gupta, K., Saharia, K., Pradhan, D., & Subramaniam, J. R. (2013). Annals of neurosciences, 20(1), 13.
