Data from a 30-day supplementation trial indicated that a daily dose of 225 mg of Specnovaโs NooGandha liposomal ashwagandha also decreased perceptions of tension and fatigue in healthy young men and women.
Importantly, given concerns around the botanical reported by some European countriesโ, the study found โashwagandha supplementation either had no effect or more favorably improved clinical blood panels with no differences in reported perceptions of side effects,โ wrote researchers from Texas A&M University and Increnovo LLC.
The studyโs findings are published in Nutrientsโ.
Demandโ
Ashwagandha (Withania somniferaโ) has a history of use in Ayurvedic medicine that dates back as much as 4,000 years to the teaching of renowned scholar Punarvasu Atreya, and in subsequent works that make up the Ayurvedic tradition, according to a monograph from the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP). The name of the herb derives from Sanskrit, and means โsmells like a horseโ, which refers to the strong smell of the root which is said to be redolent of horse sweat or urine.
Ashwagandha root is a well-known adaptogenโa substance believed to increase the bodyโs ability to adapt to different forms of stress.
According to HerbalGramโs Herb Market Reportโ, sales of herbal supplements with ashwagandha hit $111 million in the U.S. Mainstream Multi-Outlet Channel for 2022, an increase of 20% over the previous year. This surge saw ashwagandha leap to number 5 on the best-selling list in the mainstream channel. In 2019, the herb was only number 33 in this channel.
An additional $17.7 million in sales were reported from the Natural Channel (a decrease of 1.3% from 2020).
Study detailsโ
The researchers recruited 59 men and women with an average age of 22.7 to participate in their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or 225 mg per day of the liposomal ashwagandha for 30 days. The participants underwent a battery of cognitive tests after one dose (acute supplementation) and after repeated dosing for 30 days.
Results showed that, compared to baseline, ashwagandha supplementation was associated with improvements in word recall, choice reaction time, picture recognition, digit vigilance and measures of tension and fatigue. Compared to placebo, however, significant improvements were recorded for picture recognition (correct reaction time and overall reaction time) and fatigue.
โCollectively, these findings provide additional evidence that acute and longer periods of ashwagandha supplementation can improve measures of episodic memory, attention and vigilance, and executive function, as well as perceptions of tension and fatigue,โ the researchers wrote.
โWhile these results are promising, additional research is warranted to evaluate the potential nootropic effects of ashwagandha at different dosing strategies, longer supplementation periods, older individuals to help maintain cognitive function as people age, and potential clinical applications in individuals experiencing stressful conditions, memory and/or cognitive decline.โ
Source: Nutrientsโ
2024, 16โ(12), 1813; doi: 10.3390/nu16121813โ
โAcute and Repeated Ashwagandha Supplementation Improves Markers of Cognitive Function and Moodโ
Authors: M. Leonard et al.
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