Does ashwagandha affect physical fitness and body composition?

Oral supplementation of ashwagandha in people with no health conditions appears to improve cardiorespiratory parameters during exercise, notably VO₂ max.^[1] Increases in power output in sedentary people with no health conditions who start resistance training (750–1,250mg daily for one month) and also those who undergo no training (600 mg daily for two months) have been published.^[2][3] Ashwagandha (120–1,250 mg daily for 2–12 weeks) reportedly also improves VO₂max, upper and lower body strength, lower body power, and recovery in both trained and untrained athletes.^{[4][5][6][7][1][8][9][3][4]} Ashwagandha has also been shown to improve endurance performance by increasing levels of hemoglobin^[4] (the protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen to the rest of the body) but more studies are needed to confirm this effect. Ashwagandha (600–1,250 mg daily for 1–2 months) in sedentary people with no health conditions may increase lean mass and decrease fat mass, but the results thus far have been mixed.^[2][3]