Description
Unived’s KSM-66® Organic Ashwagandha Root Extract contains 600mg Organic Vegan Ashwagandha standardised to >5% Withanolides by HPLC. KSM-66 is manufactured using a water-based extraction process, without the use of any alcohol or chemical solvents, based on the principles of Green Chemistry.
KSM-66® has the most extensive set of research studies and clinical trials; 22 studies – 11 published studies, 6 additional studies completed and in peer review and 5 ongoing studies. KSM-66 has 30 Quality Certifications including USP, NSF, UL-NPA, and WHO GMP, and is 100% Organic Certified by USDA and EU.
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that helps the body successfully adapt to stressful conditions as it increases resistance to physical, chemical, and biological stressors, builds energy and general vitality[1]. Ashwagandha is one of the few herbs with significant effects on both psychological and physiological aspects of human functioning[2].
Ashwagandha is valued for its ability to increase vitality, energy, endurance and stamina, promote longevity and strengthen the immune system without stimulating the body’s reserves[1].
Why KSM-66® Ashwagandha
- Organic Ashwagandha root-only extract standardised to >5% withanolides
- Full-spectrum root extract with the highest concentration of withanolides available on the market.
- Extracted with a “Green-Chemistry” process, using no alcohol or any chemical solvent, without the inclusion of milk so it is vegan friendly.
- Contains the most clinically researched Ashwagandha having the most extensive set of research studies and clinical trials.
- Helps cope with stress, improves vitality, brain functions, sports recovery, cognitive functions and supports healthy aging.
KSM-66® Ashwagandha Clinically Validated
KSM-66 Ashwagandha has been clinically proven to:
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- Help reduce stress, anxiety, cortisol levels and stress-related food cravings.
- Help promote enhanced memory and cognitive function.
- Help promote endurance, strength, muscle size and muscle recovery rate.
- Help enhance sexual performance health in both men and women, and testosterone in men.
Unived’s KSM-66® Ashwagandha VS other Ashwagandha Products
Traditional Ashwagandha products use a combination of root & leaf extracts. Ashwagandha leaf extracts should never be consumed, they are meant for topical applications only. Traditional Ayruveda prescribes root-only for consumption, and all the major clinical trails conducted with Ashagandha are with the root-only extract.
Other brands that may offer KSM-66® do not compare for one or all of the following reasons:
- They offer a sub-optimal dose of less than the standard 600mg.
- They offer a mix of KSM-66® extract along with basic Ashwagandha powder.
- Many of them add Piperine extract with the claim that it enhances bio-availability of KSM-66®, which is not true.
- Further, traditional KSM-66 is produced along with milk as an ingredient, however, the KSM-66® that Unived uses is specially manufactured without the inclusion of milk, making it Vegan.
- Many brands add silicon dioxide as a free flowing agent, or corn starch.
- Many brands use gelatin capsules.
Unived’s KSM-66 Ashwagandha provides the clinically proven standardised 600mg per capsule, and does not contain any other ingredients, fillers, or free flowing agents. What you get is a pure Vegan KSM-66 at 600mg, and nothing else.
KSM-66® Ashwagandha Mode of Action
ATHLETES
Clinically, it has been found that KSM-66 produces 98.9% reduction in post exercise build-up of serum creatine kinase levels indicating less degree of muscle damage. Thus, helping athletes recover after working out and during continuous activity repetition. Athletes have also observed increased cardiorespiratory endurance, improved max resistance load and muscle recovery, while also offering stress relief benefits.
- Treatment with the root extract of Ashwagandha resulted in a significantly greater increase (P <0.0001) in mean VO2max at week 8 and week 12 compared to placebo subjects1.
- Ashwagandha was shown to improve all subdomains of the QOL (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental factors) of the healthy athletic adult subjects as compared to placebo1.
- In terms of energy production, ashwagandha can have beneficial effects on mitochondrial energy levels and functioning and reduce the activity of the Mg2+ -dependent ATPase enzyme responsible for the breakdown of ATP and can increase creatine levels that can in turn lead to ATP generation[3].
- It has been shown that Ashwagandha increased both the red blood corpuscles (RBC) and hemoglobin count. The increase in RBC results in an increased capacity of the blood to transport oxygen directly to the exercising muscles; thus, enhancing the aerobic capacity of the athletes. These findings suggest a possible mechanism of the ergogenic effect of Ashwagandha root extract3.
SPORTS RECOVERY
- The increases in muscle strength were statistically significantly greater in the ashwagandha group than in the placebo group, for the upper body and the lower body3.
- For muscle size the increases are significantly greater in the ashwagandha group than the placebo group in the arm and chest3.
STRESS
- Serum cortisol levels: a statistically significant (p<0.05) decrease of 22.2% was observed in serum cortisol (a stress hormone) levels as a result of KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation, significant when compared to the placebo[4],[5].
- Ashwagandha is seen as a GABA-mimetic that reduces over-excitation of neurons, thereby producing calmness, reducing stress and increasing focus, mental well-being and self-control4,5.
- Treatment with Ashwagandha can be helpful in limiting stress-associated weight gain in humans4,5.
MEMORY AND COGNITION
- Ashwagandha is seen to facilitate choline production in the body, which in turn influences key memory processes4,[6].
- Increased cortical muscarinic acetylcholine receptor capacity has been observed in animals and humans with extracts of ashwagandha4,6.
HEALTHY AGIENG
- Organisms which live to a very old age tend to experience low stress either due to environmental factors or due to internal resilience. The adaptogenic action of ashwagandha can promote resilience to stress and in this way indirectly promote longer life4,[7].
- Ashwagandha enhances telomerase activity which may be responsible for anti-aging activity and enhanced lifespan of C. Elegans4,[8].
SEXUAL PERFORMANCE
- There was a 167% increase in sperm count, 53% increase in semen volume, and 57% increase in sperm motility on day 90 from baseline after ashwagandha administration[9].
- Treatment with the Ashwagandha root extract resulted in a highly significant (? < 0.0001) increase in sperm concentration after 90 days of therapy, as compared to the baseline value on Day 0 of the study period9.
- Serum testosterone increased significantly by 17% and LH by 34%, following treatment with Ashwagandha root extract, as compared to the baseline9.
REFERENCES
[1] Bakhtiar Choudhary, et. al., ‘Efficacy of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera [L.] Dunal) in improving cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy athletic adults’, AYU (An International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda), 2015.
[2] ‘Ingredient Overview: highly bioavailable, clinically effective, sustainably produced.’ www.ashwagandhaadvantage.com
[3] Sachin 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).
[4] ‘Ksm-66® ashwagandha / scientific studies: highly bioavailable, clinically effective, sustainably produced.’ www.ashwagandhaadvantage.com
[5] Dnyanraj Choudhary, et. al., ‘Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial’ Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine 2017, Vol. 22(1).
[6] Dnyanraj Choudhary, et. al.,‘Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions’, Journal of Dietary Supplements, Volume- 14 issue- 6, 2017.
[7] Ranjeet Kumar, Et. Al., ‘Withania Somnifera Root Extract Extends Lifespan Of Caenorhabditis Elegans’, Annals Of Neurosciences Volume 20 Number 1 January 2013
[8] Raguraman V. and Subramaniam J.R. ‘Withania somnifera Root Extract Enhances Telomerase’, Activity in the Human HeLa Cell Line’, Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 7, (2016) 199-204.
[9] Vijay R. Ambiye, et., al., “Clinical Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of the Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Oligospermic Males: A Pilot Study”, Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2013, Article ID 571420
