Ashwagandha is a traditional Ayurvedic medicinal herb extracted from the Withania Somnifera plant. Originally from India, northern Africa, and the Middle East, it is also grown in the United States. Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen, a natural substance known to help the body adapt to stress. It is used as an astringent, immunostimulant and cardioprotection.
The Ashwagandha used in Optimus is KSM-66. It has been evaluated in over 20 “gold standard” clinical trials, independent clinical trials, and thousands of years of traditional use. KSM-66 is derived only from the root of the ashwagandha plant, not the leaves. Traditional Ayurvedic texts as well as the standard pharmacopoeias of India, Britain, and the U.S. describe solely the root for use. Many manufactures use leaves to spike up the Withanolide content. Hower, the leaves contain Withaferin A, which is considered an undesired cytotoxic. KSM-66 has negligible levels of Withaferin A. The majority of clinical evidence for efficacy of Ashwaghanda has been conducted on the Ashwaghanda root.
Benefits:
- alleviates stress
- supports focus
- brain function and cognition
- supports neuroprotection
- blood sugar balance
- supports thyroid function
- antiinflammatory
- protects mitochondrial damage
- supports exercise performance
- supports metabolism
- antioxidant defenses
- sleep support
- supports healthy aging
- supports immune system
We use KSM 66 Ashwagandha at 500 mg.
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References
- Raut, A.A., Rege, N.N., Tadvi, F.M., Solanki, P.V., Kene, K.R., Shirolkar, S.G., Pandey, S.N., Vaidya, R.A., Vaidya, A.B. (2012). Exploratory study to evaluate tolerability, safety, and activity of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in healthy volunteers. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 3(3):111-4.
- Agnihotri, A.P., Sontakke,S.D., Thawani, V.R., Saoji, A., Shishir, V., Goswami, S. (2013). Effects of Withania somnifera in patients of schizophrenia: A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled pilot trial study. Indian J Pharmacol. 45(4): 417–418.
- Andallu, B., Radhika, B. (2000) Hypoglycemic, diuretic and hypocholesterolemic effect of winter cherry (Withania somnifera, Dunal) root. Indian J Exp Biol. 38(6):607-9.
- Bhat, J., Damle, A., Vaishnav, P.P., Albers, R., Joshi, M., Banerjee, G. (2010) In vivo enhancement of natural killer cell activity through tea fortified with Ayurvedic herbs. Phytother Res. 24(1):129-35.
- Kurapati, K.R., Atluri, V.S., Samikkannu, T., Nair, M.P. (2013) Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) reverses β-amyloid1-42 induced toxicity in human neuronal cells: implications in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). PLoS One. 8(10):e77624.