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]
References
- ^Sandhu JS, Shah B, Shenoy S, Chauhan S, Lavekar GS, Padhi MMEffects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Terminalia arjuna (Arjuna) on physical performance and cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy young adultsInt J Ayurveda Res.(2010 Jul)
- ^Raut AA, Rege NN, Tadvi FM, Solanki PV, Kene KR, Shirolkar SG, Pandey SN, Vaidya RA, Vaidya ABExploratory study to evaluate tolerability, safety, and activity of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in healthy volunteersJ Ayurveda Integr Med.(2012 Jul)
- ^Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya SExamining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trialJ Int Soc Sports Nutr.(2015 Nov 25)
- ^Diego A Bonilla, Yurany Moreno, Camila Gho, Jorge L Petro, Adrián Odriozola-Martínez, Richard B KreiderEffects of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera) on Physical Performance: Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-AnalysisJ Funct Morphol Kinesiol.(2021 Feb 11)
- ^Shenoy S, Chaskar U, Sandhu JS, Paadhi MMEffects of eight-week supplementation of Ashwagandha on cardiorespiratory endurance in elite Indian cyclistsJ Ayurveda Integr Med.(2012 Oct)
- ^Pérez-Gómez J, Villafaina S, Adsuar JC, Merellano-Navarro E, Collado-Mateo DEffects of Ashwagandha () on VO: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients.(2020-Apr-17)
- ^Ziegenfuss TN, Kedia AW, Sandrock JE, Raub BJ, Kerksick CM, Lopez HLEffects of an Aqueous Extract of Withania somnifera on Strength Training Adaptations and Recovery: The STAR TrialNutrients.(2018 Nov 20)
- ^Shashank Tiwari, Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Anklesh Kumar PathakA double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera dunal.) root extract in improving cardiorespiratory endurance and recovery in healthy athletic adultsJ Ethnopharmacol.(2021 May 23)
- ^Kae Ling Cheah, Mohd Noor Norhayati, Lili Husniati Yaacob, Razlina Abdul RahmanEffect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysisPLoS One.(2021 Sep 24)