Ashwagandha with Black Pepper, 60 capsules

5 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have shown its significant efficiency against stress and anxiety [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

• ...ashwagandha increased college students' perceived well-being through supporting sustained energy, heightened mental clarity, and enhanced sleep quality, through a moderate dose of ashwagandha for the course of 30 days. [1]
• Treatment with one Ashwagandha SR capsule once daily for 90 days improved memory and focus, psychological well-being, and sleep quality, reduced stress levels, and was safe and well-tolerated. [2]
• ...A significant reduction in PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) scores and cortisol levels was observed with Ashwagandha 250 mg/day and 600 mg/day [3]
• ...significant reduction in the HAM-A (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) and a near-significant reduction in the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale) [4]
• a significant amelioration of HAM-A score...The extract was safe and no adverse effect was observed during the trial. [5]

Even more, 5 more recent clinical randomized placebo-controlled studies have also confirmed the efficiency of Ashwagandha in reducing stress and anxiety, in young students and adults. [33, 34, 35, 36, 37]

The most recent (December 2024) systematic review and meta-analysis has highlighted, that "Ashwagandha significantly reduced stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels compared to placebo" [38]

4 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on healthy adults [2, 6, 7, 8], and 1 same design study on adults with mild cognitive impairment [9], have shown that Ashwagandha can provide a significant improvements in cognitive functions:

• Treatment with one Ashwagandha SR capsule once daily for 90 days improved memory and focus, psychological well-being, and sleep quality, reduced stress levels, and was safe and well-tolerated. [2]
• ...significant differences were observed in cognitive flexibility, reaction time, psychomotor speed, and executive functioning, in which the Ashwagandha groups out-performed the placebo group. [6]
• Acute supplementation with 400 mg of ashwagandha improved selected measures of executive function, helped sustain attention, and increased short-term/working memory. [7]
• ...ashwagandha supplementation (225 mg) may improve some measures of memory, attention, vigilance, and executive function while decreasing perceptions of tension and fatigue in younger healthy individuals. [8]
• Ashwagandha may be effective in enhancing both immediate and general memory in people with MCI (mild cognitive impairment), as well as improving executive function, attention, and information processing speed. [9]

A comprehensive 2021 meta-analysis of 12 randomized placebo-controlled studies on the efficiency of Ashwagandha in improving Athletic Performance has concluded, that "...Ashwagandha supplementation was more efficacious than placebo for improving variables related to strength/power, cardiorespiratory fitness and fatigue/recovery in healthy men and female..." [10]

A more recent 2024 review analyzed 15 human studies on Ashwagandha and athletic performance—all of which reported significant benefits, including improvements in muscle growth, strength, endurance, recovery, and overall physical performance. [11]

💪 Muscle Growth, Strength & Recovery

• A 2015 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of 57 young male subjects (18–50 years old) has shown: "Compared to the placebo subjects, the group treated with ashwagandha had significantly greater increases in muscle strength on the bench-press exercise and the leg-extension exercise, and significantly greater muscle size increase at the arms and chest. Compared to the placebo subjects, the subjects receiving ashwagandha also had significantly greater reduction of exercise-induced muscle damage as indicated by the stabilization of serum creatine kinase, significantly greater increase in testosterone level, and a significantly greater decrease in body fat percentage." [12]
• A 2018 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 38 healthy men has shown that: "...only the [ashwagandha root and leaves extract] group experienced statistically significant improvements in average squat power, peak bench press power, 7.5 km time trial performance, and perceived recovery scores...A 500 mg dose of an aqueous extract of Ashwagandha improves upper and lower-body strength, supports a favorable distribution of body mass, and was well tolerated clinically in recreationally active men over a 12-week resistance training and supplementation period." [13]
• A 2023 randomized placebo-controlled study of 80 healthy male and female participants aged 18-45 years has shown: "AG [Ashwagandha] caused greater improvement in bench press, leg press and endurance as compared to PB [placebo]. Also, greater improvements in muscle girth for arm, chest and thigh were seen in both male and female participants with AG. No adverse events were reported in the study. Conclusion: Eight weeks of AG root extract supplementation along with resistance training is effective in improving muscle strength, growth and endurance in both male and female participants. AG root extract could be a safer, effective and low-cost alternative for athletes to improve muscle endurance." [14]
• A 2025 randomized placebo-controlled study of 30 female athletes has concluded, that: "...A dosage of 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract for 28 days may improve TQR [total quality recovery] and enhance perceived sleep quality in female footballers. [15]

⚡ Endurance & Performance

• A 2012 randomized, placebo-controlled study of 40 elite cyclists has shown that: "There was significant improvement in the experimental group [500 mg of root extract twice a day] in all parameters..., namely, VO2 max, METS [metabolic equivalents], and time for exhaustion on treadmill in comparison to the placebo group which did not show any change with respect to their baseline parameters." [16]
• ...In the Ashwagandha group, there was a statistically significant improvement in total distance travelled (Ashwagandha 2.85 km vs placebo 2.16 km), average speed achieved (Ashwagandha 25.6 km/hour vs placebo 22.2 km/hour) on a bicycle ergometer, as compared to the placebo group, during 60 days of the study. The observations on hand-grip strength, back-leg press, skeletal muscle mass, and VO2max showed an increasing trend, whereas the results of the three inflammatory markers revealed a decreasing trend, in the Ashwagandha group. [17]
• Findings of this study suggest that Ashwagandha root extract improves the cardiovascular dynamics by increasing the VO2max levels thereby enhancing the cardiorespiratory endurance, and also brings an improvement in quality of life in healthy adults. [18] Moreover, a 2020 meta-analysis of 4 similar studies, including this one, has also shown, that "Results showed a significant enhancement in VO2max in healthy adults and athletes" [19]

• ...Compared to the placebo subjects, the subjects receiving ashwagandha had significantly greater decrease in body fat percentage. [more than 2 times more fat loss, compared to placebo group, along with resistance training, in young male subjects] [12]
• Another study of 52 subjects under chronic stress, has concluded, that: "Ashwagandha root extract reduces psychological and physiological markers of stress, improves mental well-being, and reduces serum cortisol level and food cravings and improves eating behaviors. A statistically significant reduction in body weight and body mass index were observed in patients treated with Ashwagandha root extract compared to placebo." [20]

In men

• 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, of 57 young male subjects, underwent resistance training for 8 weeks, and consumed twice daily 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract or placebo, has shown, that over the 8 weeks, there was a significant increase in testosterone level in the ashwagandha group relative to the placebo group (Placebo: +18.00 ng/dL, Ashwagandha: +96.19 ng/dL) [12]

Another 3 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies have also shown the increase in testosterone (+ 14-17%) in males. [21, 22, 23]

• 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 50 adult males has shown, that compared to placebo, ashwagandha group demonstrated a significant subjective perception of sexual well-being and assisted in increasing serum testosterone levels (+17%) in the participants. [23]

In women

• A 2022 randomized, placebo-controlled study, 80 women 18-50 years of age without any hormonal disturbances and having hypoactive sexual desire disorder has concluded: "Oral administration of Ashwagandha 300mg twice daily administered for eight weeks improves the female sexual health in otherwise healthy women who do not have any hormonal disturbances. Ashwagandha is a known adaptogen, maintains general well-being and improves vitality." [34]
• A 2024 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 62 healthy women aged 18–50 years has shown, that: "...Greater improvements in scores for FSFI (Female Sexual Distress Scale), PSS (Perceived Stress Scale), and SF-12 (SF-12 Quality of Life scale) was seen with Ashwagandha Root Extract. More improvement in ‘sexual desire’ on the SSE (Satisfying Sexual Encounters) scale and ‘desire, satisfaction’ domain in FSFI scores occured with Ashwagandha Root Extract. The hormonal levels were within normal ranges, and no changes were observed in safety parameters. [35]

There were 5 randomized controlled trials on the effect of ashwagandha on sleep quantity and quality [24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29] containing 400 participants in total:

• Compared to the placebo group participants, the participants receiving Ashwagandha had significant improvement in sleep quality [24]
• ...Significant improvement was observed in all other sleep parameters, i.e., sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, with Ashwagandha root extract treatment for 10 weeks, in patients with insomnia at a dose of 300 mg extract twice daily. [25]
• ...upon intervention, a significant increase in the quality of sleep and mental alertness was observed in the Ashwagandha treatment group (600 mg/day) when compared to the placebo group. Overall improvement was observed for the general wellbeing, sleep quality, and mental alertness in the study population. [26]
• ...group treated with ashwagandha showed significant improvement in sleep efficiency, total sleep time and sleep latency, versus placebo after 6 weeks. Also, quality of life scores showed significant improvement in physical, psychological, and environment domains. [27]
• The present study confirms that Ashwagandha root extract can improve sleep quality and can help in managing insomnia. Ashwagandha root extract was well tolerated by all the participants irrespective of their health condition and age. [28]
• A 2025 randomized placebo-controlled study of 30 female athletes has concluded, that: "...A dosage of 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract for 28 days may improve TQR [total quality recovery] and enhance perceived sleep quality in female footballers. [29]

Also, a 2021 meta-analysis of the available at that moment 5/6 randomized controlled trials has also shown, that: "...Ashwagandha extract exhibited a small but significant effect on overall sleep...The effects on sleep were more prominent in the subgroup of adults diagnosed with insomnia, treatment dosage ≥600 mg/day, and treatment duration ≥8 weeks. Ashwagandha extract was also found to improve mental alertness on rising and anxiety level..." [30]

🛡️ Immunity

• A 2021 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study on healthy participants has shown, that Ashwagandha extract significantly improved the immune profile of healthy subjects by modulating the innate and adaptive immune systems. [31]

💚 Well-being

Many studies, dedicated for evaluating Ashwagandha's efficiency on different goals, like reducing stress or improving sleep, have also concluded the improvement of well-being and quality of life of the participants. For example:

• ...ashwagandha increased college students' perceived well-being through supporting sustained energy, heightened mental clarity, and enhanced sleep quality, through a moderate dose of ashwagandha for the course of 30 days. [1]
• Treatment with one Ashwagandha SR capsule once daily for 90 days improved memory and focus, psychological well-being, and sleep quality, reduced stress levels, and was safe and well-tolerated. [2]
• ...upon intervention, a significant increase in the quality of sleep and mental alertness was observed in the Ashwagandha treatment group (600 mg/day) when compared to the placebo group. Overall improvement was observed for the general wellbeing, sleep quality, and mental alertness in the study population. [27]
• ...group treated with ashwagandha showed significant improvement in sleep efficiency, total sleep time and sleep latency, versus placebo after 6 weeks. Also, quality of life scores showed significant improvement in physical, psychological, and environment domains. [28]

🧬 Longevity

Although, there were no clinical studies on the efficiency of Ashwagandha on improving healthspan, rejuvenation and longevity, Ashwagandha root extract has demonstrated 20-30% lifespan extension in the animal model (nematode C. elegans) [32, 33], enhanced telomerase activity by ~45% in human HeLa cells (which can lead to the extension of telomeres) [34], and also has shown anti-genotoxic effects against DNA damage in human peripheral blood lymphocytes [35].

Moreover, there are evidences of improving blood sugar levels, glycosylated haemoglobin, insulin, and other markers in patients with diabetes mellitus, which can also play important role in healthspan and longevity. [36]

A 2024 review, published in Pharmaceuticals, has concluded: "There are numerous preclinical and clinical studies attempting to shed light on Withania somnifera’s (Ashwagandha) potential significance in the treatment of inflammation, neurological disorders, aging... The aging-associated phenomenon known as inflammaging, prevalent among the elderly, results from multifaceted factors. Withania somnifera has the potential to treat inflammaging, as there is considerable evidence that demonstrates its efficacy... Additionally, antiaging effects, involvement in DNA damage repair mechanisms, and potential effects on the microbiome are factors that suggest a key role for Withania somnifera in inflammaging..." [37]