What is ashwagandha?
Where does ashwagandha come from? Ashwagandha is the common name for Withania somnifera, a plant native to India and Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen shrub which grows low to the ground and goes by other names including Indian ginseng and winter cherry. Ashwagandha is a powerful antioxidant and a herb traditionally used in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medical system developed more than 3,000 years ago, with a main purpose of promoting good health by maintaining stability between the body, mind and the environment people live in.
What is an adaptogen?
Ashwagandha is also considered a notable adaptogen. Adaptogens are herbs or mushrooms that may help the body adjust to physical, chemical, or biological stress allowing it to maintain a state of homeostasis. Other examples of adaptogens are tulsy (holy basil), rhodiola, and ginseng.
OmniActive’s ashwagandha
At OmniActive, we exclusively use the roots of the ashwagandha plant to make our extracts, using ethanol as our extraction solvent for its safety and efficacy.
With our ashwagandha, you can formulate various nutraceutical products to help support various health benefits such as cognitive health and mental performance, mood, sports nutrition, sexual peformance and fertility and sleep health.
Ashwagandha benefits for men and women
Meet a wide range of your customers’ needs with potent and high-quality ashwagandha from OmniActive.
What are the benefits of ashwagandha? Ashwagandha is a well studied botanical and can address a wide range of health benefits including:
- Blood sugar management
According to the American Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 100 million Americans have prediabetes, which is high blood sugar levels that could develop into type 2 diabetes. Research suggests that ashwagandha may help support healthy blood sugar levels. It also may support healthy levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, oxidative stress markers, and blood lipids. Researchers believe that compounds in ashwagandha, such as withaferin A, may positively affect factors relating to blood sugar.
- Fertility for men
About 40% of men over the age of 45 experience low testosterone. Low sperm count may also impact male fertility. According to the World Health Organization, 60-80 million heterosexual couples worldwide experience infertility. About 40% of the time, this infertility is due to the male partner’s health. Studies suggest that ashwagandha may support male fertility by helping to improve sperm concentration and overall motility.
- Cognitive health and mental performance
Improving cognitive function is of interest to men and women of all populations, especially those in the aging demographic. Ashwagandha’s impact on cognitive health and mental performance has been well studied. Ashwagandha has been shown to help support:
- Executive function including mental skills like working memory, thinking flexibly, and self-regulation
- Ability to pay attention
- The time it takes to respond
- Cognitive test performance
Researchers believe these effects may be due to ashwagandha’s antioxidant properties, including the compound withaferin-A, an active principle in ashwagandha.
- Healthy mood and response to stress
Greater numbers of Americans report increased stress to the point of feeling overwhelmed and switching into survival mode. There have been many studies on ashwagandha and its potential effects on mood and stress. For example, one study with stressed adults found that 600 mg of ashwagandha daily reduced stress symptoms by 70%. Ashwagandha is widely used to promote well-being. A study on stressed but otherwise healthy adults suggests that ashwagandha may have stress-supporting effects based on study participants’ lower morning cortisol levels.
- Sports performance
The sports nutrition market was valued at 34.8 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach 67.9 billion by 2030. Studies suggest that ashwagandha may have a positive impact on some aspects of physical performance, like muscle endurance for healthy men and women. It may also help reduce fatigue and optimize recovery in healthy individuals.
- Sleep health
The global sleep aids market was valued at 74.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to 124.97 billion by 2030. This market is ripe for effective nutraceuticals like ashwagandha and valerian. Ashwagandha may be helpful for those with sleep issues, especially those with more severe sleep disruptions. Research shows that ashwagandha may help with improved sleep and feeling more alert upon waking.
Ashwagandha from OmniActive
As you just read, ashwagandha has been widely studied for various health benefits. If you’re ready to use high-quality ashwagandha in your supplements, please contact our team today! We have a team of experts to help you with all of your formulation needs.