Ashwagandha (KSM-66)

Synapsin

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Ashwagandha



History

Ashwagandha, also known as Withania somnifera, is perhaps the most famous herb in Ayurvedic medicine (1). Ashwagandha is a member of the nightshade family of plants known as Solanaceae (2). Ashwagandha is an erect shrub that grows to be 30-75 cm high, with long tuberous routes. This plant bears a globose berry when fully mature; its leaves and roots are also commonly use in ancient Ayurvedic medicine [3]. This plant is used for a variety of ailments, including to promote youthful vigor, endurance, muscle gain, strength, counteract effects of fatigue, dehydration, etc. (3, 4).

Effects

Ashwagandha has an interesting and wide range of effects in humans. A randomized, double-blind controlled trial on humans (n=64) found that 600 mg of Ashwagandha a day resulted in a reduction of stress and an improvement in quality of life in individuals after 60 days (5). Interestingly enough, another trial compared the effects of Ashwagandha on anxiety vs. psychotherapy and found that while both treatments were effective for anxiety, Ashwagandha was significantly more effective at reducing anxiety levels compared to psychotherapy (6). They also found it significantly improved quality of life compared to the psychotherapy.

Other trials on Ashwagandha show a similar trend (that Ashwagandha is effective at reducing anxiety levels in humans), making this adaptogen excellent for those looking for an increase in quality of life (7, 8).

A study on healthy individuals using Ashwagandha for 30 days showed that Ashwagandha supplementation resulted in significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and that subjects experienced a significant in strength (9). A human trial on Ashwagandha also showed that it can increase the VO2 max (increase in endurance) and lower the resting systolic blood pressure in healthy young adults (10). A study in elite cyclists showed similar results, finding that cyclist who supplemented with Ashwagandha significantly increased their VO2 max and their time to exhaustion (11). The fact that this trend is (increase in VO2 max and endurance) is observed in both healthy young adults and elite athletes strengthens the argument for any individual looking to supplement with Ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha also has a host of hormonal effects, resulting in an increase in testosterone levels, LH, FSH, and an improvement in sperm quality in infertile men (12). Similar results have been found in other studies, noting that Ashwagandha improved sperm quality and motility (13). They found that Ashwagandha significantly increased serum testosterone levels by 17% and LH by 34% compared to the placebo group (13).

(13)

A host of these studies, including the last study I referenced, are done using KSM-66 (a patented extract of Ashwagandha). KSM-66 is our newest addition to our latest version of Erase, Erase pro+, and we feel it is a very strong addition to the product. Based on the research presented in this article, the addition of KSM-66 was the perfect way to compliment an already extremely effective product. We hope you enjoy the new Erase Pro +.

Toxicity

Ashwagandha has a large abundance of trials in humans, which showed no adverse effects when subjects received doses between 250 mg- 1000 mg a day (5-9).

References

1. "Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal". Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory.

2. Gupta, A.; Mittal, A.; Jha, K. K.; Kumar, A. (2011). "Nature’s treasurer: plants acting on colon cancer" (PDF). Journal of Stress Physiology & Biochemistry 7 (4): 217–231.

3. Mirjalili, M. H., Moyano, E., Bonfill, M., Cusido, R. M., & Palazón, J. (2009). Steroidal lactones from withania somnifera, an ancient plant for novel medicine. Molecules.

4. Mishra, L., Singh, B., Dagenais, S. (2000). Scientific basis for the therapeutic use of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha): a review. Altern Med Rev. 5(4): 334-46.

5. Chandrasekhar 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 J Psychol Med.

6. Cooley, K., Szczurko, O., Perri, D., Mills, E. J., Bernhardt, B., Zhou, Q., & Seely, D. (2009). Naturopathic care for anxiety: A randomized controlled trial ISRCTN78958974. PLoS ONE, 4(8).

7. Andrade, C., Aswath, A., Chaturvedi, S. K., Srinivasa, M., & Raguram, R. (2000). A double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the anxiolytic efficacy ff an ethanolic extract of withania somnifera. Indian journal of psychiatry, 42(3), 295-301.

8. Biswjit et al. (2008). A standardized Withania somnifera extract significantly reduces stress-related parameters in chronically stressed humans: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. JANA. Vol 11:1.

9. Raut, A., Tadvi, F., Kene, K., Pandey, S., Vaidya, A., Rege, N., Solanki, P., et al. (2012). Exploratory study to evaluate tolerability, safety, and activity of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in healthy volunteers. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine.

10. Sandhu, J. S., Shah, B., Shenoy, S., Chauhan, S., Lavekar, G. S., & Padhi, M. M. (2010). Effects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Terminalia arjuna (Arjuna) on physical performance and cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy young adults. International journal of Ayurveda research, 1(3), 144-9.

11. Shenoy, S., Chaskar, U., Sandhu, J. S., & Paadhi, M. M. (2012). Effects of eight-week supplementation of Ashwagandha on cardiorespiratory endurance in elite Indian cyclists. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 3(4), 209-14.

12. Ahmad, M. K., Mahdi, A. A., Shukla, K. K., Islam, N., Rajender, S., Madhukar, D., Shankhwar, S. N., et al. (2010). Withania somnifera improves semen quality by regulating reproductive hormone levels and oxidative stress in seminal plasma of infertile males. Fertility and sterility, 94(3), 989-96.

13. Ambiye, V. R., Langade, D., Dongre, S., Aptikar, P., Kulkarni, M., & Dongre, A. (2013). Clinical Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of the Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Oligospermic Males: A Pilot Study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 571420
 
Driven2lift

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:)
I'm already a big fan, Epro+ here we come
 
ryanp81

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Great compound and great write up, one of the many reasons why I love Core Hard is because of this ingredient.
 
jgntyce

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Ashwaganda is legit!
 
Aleksandar37

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Awesome write up as always! Erase Pro+ is going to be a frequent addition to my routine.
 

pharrison1

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What is the best time to take the new and old erase pro , mornings before you workout or right before bed?
 
Driven2lift

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What is the best time to take the new and old erase pro , mornings before you workout or right before bed?
Either, with Epro+ I might suggest trying it before bed, as KSM-66 positively effects sleep for some
 
Synapsin

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Before bed is my personal preference, but it doesn't really matter too much.
 

chedapalooza

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Before bed is my personal preference, but it doesn't really matter too much.
With or without food? Based on my schedule it's looking like I can consistently dose with a meal Around 9-10 pm (poSt workout) and am asleep by 1-2 am
 

Mariomari

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I'm thinking of using some Ashwagandha along with LCTL and Laxogenin for my next bulk. However I'm not sure if I'm just wasting money as Ashwagandha seams to work both on strength and recovery. Any thoughts?
 
Synapsin

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With or without food? Based on my schedule it's looking like I can consistently dose with a meal Around 9-10 pm (poSt workout) and am asleep by 1-2 am
Shouldn't really be matter that much

Great addition to the thread

I'm thinking of using some Ashwagandha along with LCTL and Laxogenin for my next bulk. However I'm not sure if I'm just wasting money as Ashwagandha seams to work both on strength and recovery. Any thoughts?
I would skip the laxogenin and go with KSM 66 and LCLT. LCLT and KSM 66 work differently and would be a great and affordable stack to try out.
 

Mariomari

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I would skip the laxogenin and go with KSM 66 and LCLT. LCLT and KSM 66 work differently and would be a great and affordable stack to try out.
are all KSM 66 supps the same in terms of quality?

Cheers
 
muscleupcrohn

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are all KSM 66 supps the same in terms of quality?

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They should be, assuming you're getting it from a reputable company. Not all ashwagandha is the same (root vs leaf, different extraction methods, standardization, etc), but KSM-66 should be the same across the board. With that said, I'd look for something that tells you the actual dose of KSM (300mg 2x daily, or 600mg/day is a studied amount), and not just something that happens to list KSM as part of a prop blend. I know Jarrow makes good and affordable KSM caps (300mg) if you're going the standalone route.
 
Synapsin

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They should be, assuming you're getting it from a reputable company. Not all ashwagandha is the same (root vs leaf, different extraction methods, standardization, etc), but KSM-66 should be the same across the board. With that said, I'd look for something that tells you the actual dose of KSM (300mg 2x daily, or 600mg/day is a studied amount), and not just something that happens to list KSM as part of a prop blend. I know Jarrow makes good and affordable KSM caps (300mg) if you're going the standalone route.
Good advice here too. PEScience has KSM 66 listed in Erase pro + at the full researched dose.
 

chedapalooza

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Good advice here too. PEScience has KSM 66 listed in Erase pro + at the full researched dose.
I am going to try and give epro+ another run. For some reason tho the dhaa always seems to soften me up at high doses... I know it's weird, I'm a weirdo. But that's happened every time
I've used any product w it at full dose... I can get away with like under 100mg but I know that's probably not even an effective amount
 

chedapalooza

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Also fwiw the new testopro xt has fully dosed ksm-66
 
Synapsin

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I am going to try and give epro+ another run. For some reason tho the dhaa always seems to soften me up at high doses... I know it's weird, I'm a weirdo. But that's happened every time
I've used any product w it at full dose... I can get away with like under 100mg but I know that's probably not even an effective amount
That's strange since it lowers estrogen. If you give EP+ another go, let us know how it goes
 
jt75

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The jarrow brand is my favourite after trying a couple of others. It's 300mg caps standardised to contain 8% withanolide glycocides. It helps me deal with everyday stresses and keeps cortisol in check.
I've noticed an increase in libido with it also. In indian it literally translates to ''horse smell'' as the root powder stinks but gives you the power and vigour of a horse. I ve already said in another thread that I will take this forever.
 
justhere4comm

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X2 on Jarrow. Got it cheap too from the ☔ in the amazon.
 

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