A study on young men doing intense exercise for 8 weeks found that those taking a dummy pill got better at using oxygen in their muscles, but those taking ashwagandha didn't improve at all - suggesting the herb might actually block the normal benefits exercise has on muscle oxygen use.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (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

The study tested ashwagandha pills vs placebo pills in men doing 8 weeks of intense interval training. The researchers found that men taking placebo pills got better at using oxygen in their muscles, while men taking ashwagandha pills did not show this improvement - suggesting ashwagandha might block the normal training benefits.

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No contradicting evidence found

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Source Study

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

Score: 61

DOI: 10.5114/biolsport.2025.147453

Similar Assertions

After doing 8 weeks of intense interval exercise, young men can breathe in about 5% more oxygen per minute, but taking an ashwagandha supplement doesn't help any more than a fake pill, and because they might gain a little weight, their oxygen use relative to body weight doesn't really improve.

61

0

84%

Taking ashwagandha supplements (600mg daily for 8 weeks) won't change your blood test results - at least not in a meaningful way - if you're a healthy young man doing HIIT workouts.

61

0

77%

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.

47

0

74%

Taking Ashwagandha pills (600mg each day) while doing weight training helps healthy adults under 45 build more muscle strength and endurance, but men and women see different amounts of improvement.

61

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71%