Complete Ashwagandha Guide: Uses and Health Benefits

You might have just heard about Ashwagandha or you're wondering if this supplement can make your life stress free or turn you into a sleeping beauty.

Whatever your question might be, allow me to explain everything you need to know.

Afterward, you'll be a Ashwagandha Boss.

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a herbal supplement that can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and has positive effects on testosterone production.

Where does Ashwagandha come from?

Ashwagandha Extract is made from a tree called the green shrub and can be found in parts of Asia and Africa.

What does Ashwagandha do to your body?

Ashwagandha is a classified adaptogen, which means it can help us to handle stress better.

When taken at night it can help to calm the body and reduce anxiety, which improves the quality of sleep.

Ashwagandha can also have a positive effect on testosterone, by increasing the production of the luteinizing hormone.

Are Ashwagandha supplements safe?

Ashwagandha supplements are non-toxic and safe to consume for most healthy adults.

However, pregnant or breastfeeding women may need to avoid it.

Also, people with certain medical conditions should avoid Ashwagandha.

Research is limited, so your best bet is to stick to recommended dosages.

You may want to consult with your doctor before adding supplements to your daily diet.

Who should take Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a great supplement for people that want to reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality or want to be able to deal with stress better.

It may also benefit people that want to improve their testosterone levels or body composition.

Therefore, Ashwagandha supplementation may be especially useful for bodybuilding enthusiasts.

Who should not take Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha should be avoided by people with certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, low or high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, or stomach ulcers.

Ashwagandha is also best avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

What are the benefits of Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha can help us handle stress, improve the quality of sleep, reduce anxiety and boost testosterone production.

Will Ashwagandha help you sleep?

Yes, taking an Ashwagandha supplement before sleep can calm the body and reduce anxiety.

This has a positive effect on the quality of sleep.

Can Ashwagandha increase testosterone?

Ashwagandha can increase the body’s production of the luteinizing hormone, made in the pituitary gland.

This hormone triggers testosterone production and supports our reproductive system.

Is Ashwagandha good for weight loss?

Yes, Ashwagandha is a natural antioxidant that positively influences your metabolism.

It also improves sleep quality, which is the time that most fat loss occurs.

Furthermore, Ashwagandha can positively affect testosterone levels in your body.

This results in overall better body composition, meaning a better muscle-to-fat ratio.

Can Ashwagandha lower cortisol?

Yes, Ashwagandha is a classified adaptogen, which means it helps us to deal with stress, reduce anxiety and improve our quality of sleep.

Cortisol is produced by your adrenal glands as a response to stress.

Because of the positive effects of Ashwagandha on stress, it also reduces cortisol levels in the body.

Will Ashwagandha lower blood pressure?

Yes, Ashwagandha is a classified adaptogen, that reduces stress, lowers inflammation, and helps to lower blood pressure.

What are the side effects of Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is considered a nontoxic and safe herbal supplement.

However, in some uncommon cases, it may cause drowsiness, nausea, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or allergies.

More research is needed to pin down every possible side effect though.

How should Ashwagandha be taken?

Ashwagandha supplements can be taken as a powder or a capsule preferably at night, before going to sleep.

I take two capsules of 300mg KSM-66 Ashwagandha from Nootropics Depot before going to bed every night.

What Ashwagandha supplement is best for testosterone/ weight loss/ sleep/ muscle growth?

The best Ashwagandha supplements to boost testosterone, increase muscle growth, aid in weight loss, and improve sleep quality, are the ones that contain a high percentage of withanolides, which is the active ingredients.

KSM-66 Ashwagandha is known to be of the highest quality, with a high percentage of standardized withanolides (around 5%).

I recommend the one from Nootropics Depot, which you can find here. Or read the full review by clicking here.

Nootropics Depot also has a newly clinically tested form of Ashwagandha, called Shoden Ashwagandha.

Its currently the world’s most bioactive Ashwagandha supplement, and contains the highest percentage of withanolides (over 35%).

You can check it out by clicking here or read the full review by clicking here.

If you're mainly looking for improving sleep quality and lowering stress, then Sensoril Ashwagandha might be what you're looking for.

It's higher in Glycowithanolides, which have a calming effect.

You can check it out by clicking here or read the full review by clicking here.

Which Ashwagandha brand is best?

I recommend the Ashwagandha supplements from Nootropics Depot.

They have high-quality Ashwagandha KSM-66 (review), Sensoril Ashwagandha (review), and newly clinically tested Shoden Ashwagandha (review), which contains the highest amount of active ingredients available.

Does Ashwagandha show on a drug test?

Ashwagandha is not considered a drug for athletes and the military, so you don’t have to worry that it shows up on a drug test.

Will Ashwagandha break a fast?

Ashwagandha supplements will not break a fast or spike insulin, because it contains less than one gram of carbohydrates.

Can you take Ashwagandha and anti-depressants together?

A high-quality Ashwagandha supplement does not have any negative interactions with anti-depressants.

So yes, you can take them together.

Can you stack Ashwagandha with other supplements?

Ashwagandha can be taken with other supplements to furtherly improve testosterone, boost athletic performance, increase muscle mass, sexual abilities, etc.

It should not have bad interactions, but when in doubt it's best to ask your doctor.

I take Ashwagandha with the following supplements (I added my Ashwagandha as well), and it works great for me:

Tongkat Ali

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, better sex life, more energy, and better stress control.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Cistanche Tubulosa

Great for: improving testosterone, increasing strength, a better body composition, more energy, better mood, and improved cognitive abilities (like memory).

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Ashwagandha KSM-66

Great for: improving sleep quality, decreasing anxiety, better stress control, improving testosterone levels/ muscle & strength gains, more energy, and better mood.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Epicatechin

Great for: boosting athletic performance, decreasing/ eliminating muscle soreness, a faster rate of muscle/ strength gain, a better body composition, retaining muscle during off times, improved cognitive abilities, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Longvida Curcumin

Great for: reducing inflammation, reducing pain, improving cognitive abilities (memory/focus), and potentially a better mood/ faster muscle gains.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Green Tea Extract 45% EGCG

Great for: Improving metabolic function, faster fat loss, better skin, reducing inflammation, and overall health.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.

Also possible to stack with Horny Goat Weed

Great for: sexual health (mainly improved blood flow to the penile tissue), reducing anxiety, better mood, and possibly improving testosterone/reducing inflammation and pain/ more energy.

For an in-depth review click here. To check it on the site click here.