Ashwagandha, strength and recovery in young men
What it found
In 50 young men doing 8 weeks of weight training, those taking ashwagandha root extract gained more muscle strength and size and recovered faster than those taking a placebo.
The authors say it may be a useful addition to a resistance training program.
What they found
Studies in people
Muscle strength
The ashwagandha group had significantly greater increases in muscle strength on the bench press and leg extension exercises compared to the placebo group.
Muscle size
Muscle size increased significantly more in the ashwagandha group at the arms and chest, but not at the thighs.
Body fat
Body fat percentage decreased significantly more in the ashwagandha group than in the placebo group.
Testosterone
Testosterone levels increased significantly more in the ashwagandha group compared to the placebo group.
Muscle recovery
Muscle recovery, measured by creatine kinase levels, was significantly better in the ashwagandha group than in the placebo group.
Tolerability
No serious side effects were reported in either group, and all subjects rated tolerability as good or excellent.
What the authors conclude
“This study reports that ashwagandha supplementation is associated with significant increases in muscle mass and strength and suggests that ashwagandha supplementation may be useful in conjunction with a resistance training program.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that ashwagandha supplementation is associated with significant increases in muscle mass and strength.
- They suggest that ashwagandha supplementation may be useful in conjunction with a resistance training program.
- They note that the study has limitations, including untrained and moderately young subjects, a small sample size, and a short duration, and call for longer research in different populations.
How it was done
The authors wanted to test whether ashwagandha supplementation can increase the adaptations and gains from resistance training, serving as a useful adjuvant to such a program.
They recruited 57 healthy young men aged 18 to 50 with little resistance training experience, and 50 completed the study. For 8 weeks, one group took 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily while the other took starch placebos, and both groups did resistance training three days a week.
What it can’t tell you
- The study lasted only 8 weeks and included 50 young men, so the results may not apply to other groups or longer periods.
- The findings are specific to this ashwagandha extract and dose, and cannot be generalised to other products or amounts.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- SrimatiKashibaiNavale Medical College, India; BVDU Dental College & Hospital, India; BharatiVidyapeeth Medical College & Hospital, India
The paper
- Title
- Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9Free full textPubMed 26609282DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error