Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Compared to placebo, significant improvements in bench press, arm and chest size, % body fat, and levels of testosterone and creatine kinase were seen in the 29 study participants who took 300 mg of ashwagandha along with an 8-week combination of weight training.
Ashwagandha, also known as Indian Winter Cherry, is an herb used extensively in Ayurvedic medicine. This is because of its role as “adaptogen” by helping the body adapt to stress, a property thought to be due to its antioxidants that also help maintain a healthy immune system (1, 2). Ashwagandha’s ability to help increase feelings of vitality in its users have earned it the name “Indian Ginseng” (3, 4).
Now a new study (5) suggests that Ashwagandha may also improve strength and recovery. The study involved 57 males aged 18 to 50. They received either 300 milligrams of Ashwagandha (29 males) or a placebo (28 subjects) per day for 8 weeks. They also performed a weight training with exercises for both upper and lower body muscles as recommended in publications of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (6,7). The sessions were performed 3 days per week with 1 day of rest between sessions. Before and after the study, strength was evaluated using the 1-repetition maximum load (8) for the bench press and leg extension exercises while blood samples were obtained.
After 8 weeks, subjects in the Ashwagandha group had significant improvements compared to the placebo group:
| Ashwagandha | Placebo | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (kilograms) | 138% increase (33.21 to 79.26) | 84.2% increase (31.35 to 57.77) | 0.001 |
| Leg Extension (kg) | 51.9% increase (27.89 to 42.38) | 38.6% increase (25.22 to 34.98) | 0.04 |
| Arm size (centimeters) | 17.1% increase (51.96 to 60.85) | 9.9% increase (53.13 to 58.43) | 0.01 |
| Chest size (cm) | 3.3% increase (101.40 to 104.77) | 1.4% increase (101.16 to 102.58) | 0.0002 |
| Bodyfat (%) | 16.1% decrease (21.60 to 18.13) | 7% decrease (22.01 to 20.48) | 0.03 |
| Testosterone levels (nanograms/deciliter) | 15.2% increase (630.45 to 726.64) | 2.6% increase (675.12 to 693.12) | 0.004 |
| Creatine kinase (Units/Liter) | 99% decrease (1478.88 to 16.20)) | 93% decrease (1406.52 to 99.04) | 0.03 |
The significance of the reduction in creatine kinase levels in the Ashwagandha group versus placebo is that creatine kinase is a marker of muscle injury from the effects of exercise (9), signaling that Ashwagandha may also improve recovery after exercise.
For the researchers, “Ashwagandha supplementation is associated with significant increases in muscle mass and strength” and “Ashwagandha supplementation may be useful in conjunction with a resistance training program.”
Source: Wankhede et al. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2015) 12:43; DOI 10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9
© 2015 Wankhede et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Click here to read the full text study.
Posted September 1, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Singh N, Nath R, Lata A, Lata A, Singh SP, Kohli RP, et al. Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), a rejuvenating herbal drug which enhances survival during stress (an adaptogen) Int J Crude Drug Res. 1982;20:29–35
- Provino R. The role of adaptogens in stress management. Aust J Med Herbalism. 2010;22:41–9
- Mishra LC, Singh BB, Dagenais S. Scientific basis for the therapeutic use of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha): a review. Altern Med Rev. 2000;5:334–46
- Weiner MA, Weiner J. Herbs that Heal. Mill Valley, CA: Quantum Books; 1994. Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng) pp. 70–2
- Wankhede S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Nov 25;12:43. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9. eCollection 2015
- Baechle TR, Earle RW. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 2008. Human kinetics.
- Fleck SJ, Kraemer W. Designing Resistance Training Programs, 4E, Human Kinetics. 2014.
- LeSuer DA, McCormick JH, Mayhew JL, Wasserstein RL, Arnold MD. The
- Clarkson PM, Hubal MJ. Are women less susceptible to exercise-induced muscle damage? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2001;4:527–31
