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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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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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

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No contradicting evidence found

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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.

Source Study

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.

Score: 47

DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.113929

Similar Assertions

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.

85%

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.

81%

Taking ashwagandha root extract may help athletes have more antioxidants in their bodies, which could protect them from the harmful effects of exercise-related stress.

80%

Taking ashwagandha root extract twice a day (300mg each time) for 8 weeks was completely safe for healthy athletes - they didn't experience any bad side effects during the study.

77%

Taking 600mg of Ashwagandha root extract every day while doing strength training helps people build more lower body muscle strength than just doing strength training with a fake pill (placebo). Men got about twice the benefit as women in the study.

77%