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causal
Analysis v1
Mixed Evidence

Taking ashwagandha supplements (an herb used in traditional medicine) every day for about 2 months might help people exercise longer without getting as tired by improving how efficiently their body uses oxygen during physical activity.

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Pro
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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (2)

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Community contributions welcome

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Effects of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera) standardized root extract on physical endurance and VO 2max in healthy adults performing resistance training: An eight-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2023

This study gave people 600mg of Ashwagandha daily for 8 weeks and found they could run farther (higher VO2max) compared to people who took a placebo pill. The results were very clear with strong statistical significance.

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A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial on the effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera Dunal.) root extract in improving cardiorespiratory endurance and recovery in healthy athletic adults.

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2021 May 23

This study gave people 600mg of Ashwagandha root extract daily for 8 weeks and found they significantly improved their VO2 max (how well their body uses oxygen during exercise) compared to people who took a placebo pill. This matches exactly what the claim says should happen.

Contradicting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Effects of an 8-week high intensity interval training (HIIT) and ashwagandha supplementation on aerobic capacity, muscle oxygenation and haematological parameters in healthy men

Randomized Controlled Trial
Human
2025 Jul

This study gave people either ashwagandha or a placebo while they did high-intensity exercise training. Both groups got stronger, but the ashwagandha group didn't get any extra boost compared to the placebo group. This means ashwagandha didn't actually improve cardiovascular endurance beyond what exercise alone does.

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

Taking ashwagandha supplements while doing high-intensity interval training doesn't help your fitness any more than just doing the training by itself. That's what this study found when it tested healthy young men doing 8 weeks of workouts.

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Taking 600mg of ashwagandha root extract every day while doing weight training for 8 weeks makes your heart and lungs work better - men improved their endurance by about 9.5% and women by about 7%, compared to people who took a dummy pill instead.

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Taking ashwagandha root extract (300mg twice daily for 8 weeks) can help healthy athletes improve their VO2 max, which measures how well their body uses oxygen during exercise.

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Taking a specific ashwagandha supplement called KSM-66 at 300-600mg every day for about 2 months can change how strong you are, how long you can exercise, and your stress hormone levels.

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Taking ashwagandha supplements (300-600mg every day) for about 2 months makes people stronger at bench pressing, according to this claim.

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