Ashwagandha and Magnesium: A Beneficial Supplement Combo?

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I’m on the hunt for natural supplements that improve my quality of life.

In other terms, I want better days, where I can crush my goals, and better nights, in which I sleep like a baby koala.

Two such supplements that have crossed my path are Ashwagandha and Magnesium.

They have one thing in common, which is improving the quality of sleep. However, they each have very distinct benefits of their own.

I decided to try both supplements together.

This article is written based on my own experience and the currently known research around both supplements.

In this article, I’m going to give you everything you need to know about Ashwagandha And Magnesium.

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about Ashwagandha

What is Ashwagandha?

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

It’s made from a green shrub tree and can be found in parts of Asia and Africa.

The active ingredients in Ashwagandha are the withanolides.

There are three high-quality categories of Ashwagandha supplements available.

The Ashwagandha supplements I like best are from Nootropics Depot. I’ll put a link after the information to an in-depth review for each.

• ‍KSM-66 Ashwagandha, has been deemed the king of full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplements (around 5% withanolides). Review.
• Sensoril Ashwagandha is especially great for balancing stress levels and supporting a healthy sleep pattern because it’s higher in Glycowithanolides (around 10% withanolides). Review.
• ‍Shoden Ashwagandha is a fairly new and highly purified full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplement (around 35% withanolides). Review.

How does Ashwagandha work?

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

When taken at night it can help calm the body and reduce anxiety, improving sleep quality.

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

This hormone triggers testosterone production and supports our reproductive system.

Is Ashwagandha safe and who should avoid it?

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

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 with:

• Handling stress
• Improving the quality of sleep
• Reducing anxiety
• Boosting testosterone (thus improving muscle/ strength/ sexual desires/ mood/ body composition/ etc.)

What are the side effects of Ashwagandha?

In some uncommon cases, Ashwagandha may cause drowsiness, nausea, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or allergies. More research is needed to pin down every possible side effect though.

Practical information about Magnesium

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral that plays a function in over 300 biochemical reactions and is crucial for the proper functioning of your body.

It can be widely found in food and as a dietary supplement.

How does Magnesium work?

Magnesium supports your muscles and nerve function, plays a role in regulating sleep, supports the immune system, keeps your heart rhythm at a steady pace, makes your bones strong, supports normal blood pressure, etc.

Is Magnesium safe and who should avoid it?

Magnesium is generally considered safe for healthy adults in dosages of up to 350 mg daily. Higher dosages are possibly unsafe but this isn’t certain.

People that should avoid, or consult with a doctor before supplementing magnesium, are people with:

• Internal disease
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Certain antibiotics/ medication

What are the benefits of Magnesium?

Magnesium can help with:

• All kinds of biochemical reactions like creating energy from food, creating proteins, helping muscles to contract and relax, creating and repairing DNA and RNA, etc.
• Improving performance while exercising
• Improving sleep quality
• Keeping blood sugar levels healthy
• Anxiety and feelings of depression
• A healthy heart
• Bone health
• Inflammation

Results will be most noticeable for people that have very low levels of magnesium, to begin with.

What are the side effects of Magnesium?

The possible side effects of Magnesium in (very) high dosages are:

• Nausea
• Stomach upset/ abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea

Is it safe to take Ashwagandha and Magnesium together?

Yes, if you follow the recommended dosages then taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together is safe.

Ashwagandha extract has been safely used in research for dosages of 1,000 mg for 3 months, but higher dosages (and longer durations) are POSSIBLY safe as well.

Magnesium is considered safe for healthy adults in dosages up to 350 mg daily, but higher dosages are POSSIBLY safe as well.

What dosage of Ashwagandha and Magnesium should you take?

Dosage of Ashwagandha

I recommend taking a standardized, and well-tested Ashwagandha supplement.

Either KSM-66 Ashwagandha (best-known/ full-spectrum), Sensoril Ashwagandha (sleep/ stress focused), or Shoden Ashwagandha (highest potency/ full-spectrum) fall under these categories.

For KSM-66 the recommended dose would be between 300-600 mg daily.

For the others even less is appropriate, because they contain a higher percentage of withanolides (the active ingredient of Ashwagandha).

Dosage of Magnesium

The ideal dosage of Magnesium is for most people between 200-400 mg daily.

Most magnesium supplements have very low bioavailability, which means our body won’t be able to use them properly.

One exception is the MicroMag from Nootropics Depot, which is an optimized magnesium supplement, that’s very high-quality and lab-tested.

It has very high bioavailability and an increased absorption rate.

Who should avoid taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium?

The people that fit into the following categories should certainly avoid taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together:

• People with thyroid problems
• People with internal disease/ heart disease/ kidney disease
• People with low or high blood pressure
• People with diabetes
• People with autoimmune disease
• People with stomach ulcers
• People that take certain antibiotics/ medication (consult your doctor first)
• Women that are pregnant/ or breastfeeding

Possible benefits of taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together?

By taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together, you could get the following benefits:

• Improved quality of sleep
• Better able to handle stress and reduced anxiety
• An increase in (free) testosterone levels.
• Improvements in sexual health (libido, erections, performance, etc.).
• Building muscle, and strength, and improving exercise performance faster in the gym.
• A better body composition.
• Improvements in over 300 biochemical reactions like creating energy from food, creating proteins, helping muscles to contract and relax, creating and repairing DNA and RNA, etc.
• Keeping blood sugar levels healthy
• Better Bone and heart health
• Anti-inflammation
• More energy

Possible side effects of taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together?

Based on current knowledge about Ashwagandha and Magnesium, the following side effects might occur:

• Drowsiness
• Nausea
• An upset stomach/ abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Allergic reactions

I’ve not experienced any side effects whatsoever.

When is the best time to take Ashwagandha and Magnesium?

The best time to take Ashwagandha and Magnesium is at night within 2 hours before going to sleep, because of its stress/ anxiety lowering effects and ability to improve sleep quality.

Do I recommend taking Ashwagandha and Magnesium together?

Ashwagandha and Magnesium are like two oceans touching each other, and overlapping just enough.

Together they greatly improve my quality of sleep and help to reduce my stress before bedtime.

However, each has its own unique set of benefits that I like.

Ashwagandha has a positive effect on testosterone, and gym/ sexual health-related stuff.

Magnesium is used in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, and is important for so many health-related things, that I would even take it to feel better sure than sorry.

I like them together, and both supplements are/ will stay in my daily supplement stack.

If you’re interested in the benefits and don’t fall into a category that should avoid these supplements, then I can recommend giving these a try.

I take the KSM-66 Ashwagandha and Magnesium from Nootropics Depot because it’s high-quality and lab-tested.

I take 2 pills of 300 mg KSM-66 Ashwagandha and one capsule of 200 mg MicroMag daily at night within 2 hours before going to sleep.

You can check the Ashwagandha out by clicking here, and the MicroMag by clicking here.

How do I stack Ashwagandha and Magnesium with similar supplements?

I have some other natural compounds in my daily supplement stack, that have similar benefits, and that I take together with Ashwagandha and Magnesium.

Most of these supplements come from Nootropics Depot, but some come from Bulk Supplements.

In my opinion, these are very high-quality, and I like that all of these supplements are lab-tested.

The list below explains why I take each supplement, where you can find them, and for some, I've written an in-depth review as well (I've included the two supplements in this article).

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.

Magnesium

Great for: over 300 biochemical reactions in our bodies, better sleep quality, bone- and heart health, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression, etc.

To check it on the site click here.

Fenugreek Powder

Great for: boosting (free) testosterone, better sexual health, boosting performance and results in the gym, lowering blood pressure, and increasing milk production in breastfeeding women.

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.

Maca Root Extract

Great for: improving sexual health, more energy & stamina, better cognitive ability & memory, and alleviating menstruation pain (for women).

To check it on the site click here.

L-Theanine

Great for: better quality sleep, feeling more relaxed, reduced stress/ anxiety/ fear, and improved mental focus.

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.

Melatonin

Great for: overall better quality sleep, increased sleep duration, and falling asleep faster.

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.