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June 03, 2021 6 min read
Ashwagandha, also known by it's Latin name "Withania somnifera", as "Indian Ginseng", or occasionally "Winter Cherry", is a highly regarded herb within Traditional Indian Medicine (Ayurvedic) as well as one of the most popular herbal supplements in the industry. Traditionally used to promote general wellness, muscle strength and endurance, generally associated in the Indian culture with "youthful vigour". It is grown wild and farmed in abundance throughout Africa, Southern and Central Asia.
In modern human clinical trials, the most efficacy for Ashwagandha is found in altering stress and anxiety responses for chronically stressed adults, these are usually associated with its effect in decreasing cortisol levels.
"Stress is a general term defined as the nonspecific response of the body to any demand for change. It is a major exacerbating factor for both hypertension and diabetes which are major killers worldwide. High stress is also a common trigger for mood disorders such as anxiety and depression." [2]
When it comes to supplements, you will most commonly find Ashwagandha included in anti-stress and sleep formulations, as well as some preworkout and fat burner formulations. As well as unbranded extracts, KSM-66®, Sensoril®, and Shoden® are all widely available in single-ingredient capsule or powder forms.
Because Ashwagandha is a popular herb, there is also a fair amount of human clinical trials run on it. To date, evidence for functions it works on include:
But sometimes clinical trials don't always translate to real world day to day life, so to put it in perspective to successful use cases we see at Strom Sports, most outcomes are:
As with any herbal extract, there are always many different compounds at work, working on different mechanisms. However when it comes to Ashwagandha, the key bioactive ingredient accredited to the main benefits of Ashwagandha is the "Withanolides".
Over 35 different withanolides have been isolated from the roots of Ashwagandha, but the bulk of the content is made up of withanoside V, withaferin A, withanolide A and withanolide B, and only the latter two have demonstrated good bioavailability. So, how does each work in the body?
Withanolide A is expected to be the main component of Ashwagandha responsible for cognitive health, with some evidence for promoting axonal outgrowth and neurite repair. It also has notable evidence for the anti-stress and anti-anxiety functions as well as the immune support function.
Withanolide V has demonstrated strong neuro-regenerative properities for nerve growth.
Withaferin A has anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities.
While each proprietary extract of Ashwagandha is at the heart an Ashwagandha ingredient, there are notable differences between sourcing, processing and end concentrations of the extracts. Knowing the differences between each is important when considering them in a supplement.
"KSM-66 Ashwagandha is a branded, full-spectrum extract, with the highest concentration of all major root only extracts 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." - from the makers of KSM-66
"Sensoril® Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen derived from a unique blend of both leaves and roots of the Withania somnifera plant to provide optimal efficacy and bioactive diversity." - Natreon Inc, the makers of Sensoril
"Shoden® is an innovative new, clinically proven, and patented, high potency extract from the leaves and roots of the Ashwagandha plant. With an industry leading 35% Withanolide Glycosides (as measured by HPLC), Shoden® offers high bioavailability and demonstrated activity even at low doses." - Arjuna Natural, the makers of Shoden
When it comes to choosing between each of these Ashwagandha extracts there isn't really a wrong choice. Each has their own pros and cons, but really when it comes down to it, all will perform the general role you would look to Ashwagandha for.
*Note that some of this evidence difference will be just because that's where the company has directed their research, rather than demonstrating that one is neccisarily better than another at a role.
And of course regardless of which tool you pick, it's always important to ensure correct dosing with your supplement protocol which does vary significantly due to the large differences in relative Withanolides potency of each extract. For example:
a common "introductory" dose to Ashwagandha for each would be:
but for experienced users who have tested their response, dosage ranges might then go between:
For practical reasons, if you regularly feel the need to dose even higher than these, then there is probably other lifestyle or supplements to change. Or perhaps a different herb or compound would be a better choice for your desired goal.
Our Strom Sports Nutrition Ashwagandha is using the KSM-66® Ashwagandha delivered in capsule form as a standalone supplement.
The Efectiv Nutrition Ashwagandha is using the KSM-66® Ashwagandha delivered in capsule form as a standalone supplement.
The Leviathan Nootropic Zenith is using the KSM-66® Ashwagandha delivered in capsule form alongside a stack of other nootropic ingredients for focus and energy, including rhodiola, uridine monophosphate, ALCAR, Lions Mane, Theanine and more.
Last edit: 6th February 2023
Any questions at all, just shoot an email over at thomas@stromsports.co.nz and myself and the team will gladly help out in anyway we can.
- Thomas
October 19, 2024 12 min read
September 05, 2024 9 min read
The following article is following in the wake of the recent MSM release, with intent to further insight into evidence based MSM applications as well as appropriate dosing and timing usage.
While present in near every sport, our Strom Sports favourites of bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman, and Brazilian jujitsu, all feature frequent highly damaging injuries, and with that coming high inflammatory loads.
July 18, 2024 8 min read
CarbMAX is the Strom solution to maintaining glucose and glycogen stores during longer intensive trainings. This is the 4th formula iteration as it has been continuously developed over the years to yield better performance outcomes. #NEVERSETTLE
The feature ingredient of the formula is Palatinose™, which provides a slow breakdown source of both glucose and fructose for your energy replacing needs. CarbMAX also includes Citrulline Malate, Glycerol monostearate, then the electrolytes: sodium, magnesium, and potassium for complimentary intraworkout support.