The human body is an amazing machine that requires balance to function optimally. When the right balance of hormones are not present, it can have a huge impact on your mental and physical state. Low testosterone levels can lead to mood swings, weight gain, loss of sexual desire, lack of energy and more. Luckily there are many different ways to naturally increase low testosterone levels in both men and women- one being Ashwagandha! Read this blog post for a full explanation of what Ashwagandha is used for as well as its benefits for people with low testosterone.
What Will I Learn
Does Ashwagandha Really Boost Testosterone?
If I was asked to choose one emerging ingredient that is becoming ever so popular in Testosterone boosting supplements my answer would undoubtedly be Ashwagandha.
But…
- What Is It?
- Does It Really Work?
In this article I take an in depth look into Ashwagandha, its source, uses and clinical studies (if any) that hopefully confirm its Testosterone boosting effects.
Ashwagandha is used as in ingredient in a majority of the leading testosterone-booting supplements
What Is Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha (botanical name Withania Somnifera) is a plant that belongs to the nightshade family, a short perennial shrub with small dark green leaves and a red fruit rather similar to a berry or a vine tomato.
It is popular in other forms of traditional medicine and can also be referred to on ingredient labels under different names such as:
- Poison gooseberry
- Indian Ginseng
- Winter Cherry
The extract has been a mainstay of ayurvedic (Indian) medicine for over 3000 years, its name actually means “smell of horse” and its not wrong, the stuff really smells in its natural state.
Ashwagandha is actually classed as an androgen, a chemical that amongst other things helps you cope with physical stress. Its made up of Alkaloids, fatty acids and steroid lactones – thought to be a therapeutic agent for certain cancers.
The most abundant Lactone in Ashwagandha is withania, it is widely regarded to have potent aphrodisiac properties, it is also reputed to have life prolonging and rejuvenation properties.
Its traditional uses include stress relief, and improving vigour, strength, endurance and overall health.
Your Health And Ashwagandha
As I said above Ashwagandha is commonly used to treat stress related illnesses, something that is backed up by some clinical studies
One large study assigned a large group of men and women ( who were all suffering from the effects of stress). half the group received Ashwagandha, the other half a simple placebo.
Over 60 days they were monitored and it was discovered that not only did the group taking Ashwagandha see a drop in stress and anxiety, they also experienced a reduction in cholesterol too.
Withania has been proven to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, in some test subjects by as much as 28%.
Now this can have far reaching benefits, aside from the reduced stress levels and feelings of anxiety, reducing cortisol levels is good for testosterone production as cortisol is a known testosterone killer.
Does Ashwagandha Directly Influence Testosterone Production?
As with many of these herbal extracts, most studies tend to concentrate on the overall health benefits of a particular herb, instead of focussing on specific effects – in this case wether Ashwagandha can directly boost testosterone production.
Most studies that have looked into this directly have discovered that in men with low testosterone and/or infertility issues do seem some benefits from taking Withania.
One key study followed 180 men while they took 5g of Ashwagandha for 12 weeks. The results showed a marked increase in fertility, sperm motility and testosterone production increased by around 14%
there has been one study carried out on young, fit and normal males – 57 test subjects were given 600mg of Withania daily alongside a regular weight training programme over 8 weeks.
The test subjects experienced less muscle damage, they enjoyed increased strength and saw an increase in testosterone of 15-16%.
Summary – Should I Take Ashwangandha To Boost Testosterone?
These studies have shown that Testosterone can be increased particularly in men who are infertile and suffering from reduced testosterone levels, otherwise healthy men may see a slight improvement at best.
To sum up, Ashwagandha does offer some direct testosterone boosting benefits in some men, but what it is more effective at is reducing the effects of the stress hormone cortisol, which directly means that more of your own testosterone remains available in your body.
It’s certainly worth taking for that benefit alone – Cortisol has earned its name as the “testosterone killer” for good reason
Ashwagandha now features in some of the better T-boosting supplements, from my research, I have compiled my own list of the 5 products that I believe are the best available today.
