Ashwagandha (pronounced ash-wa-gan-dha) is a small and evergreen plant found in India that has become one of the most famous supplements for health influencers in today’s time. It is labeled as the number one remedy for 21st century living and is also known as an adaptogen which means that this natural substance helps in adapting to stress. This might be new to some but Ashwagandha has always been a powerful herb in Ayurvedic medicine which is one of the world’s most ancient medicine systems dating back to 6000AD.

This herb has bioactive compounds that release antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities according to Ayurvedic specialists. These can help reduce stress, and anxiety and increase testosterone levels. Now when it comes to increasing testosterone levels, the bodybuilding world is always keen because it helps in enhancing muscles. Bodybuilders try a variety of things in hopes of having the best overall gains. The mind and body have to be in the best state so that the physique can be at the optimum level and apparently, Ashwagandha can help with that. Let’s take a look at this ancient herb, its importance in bodybuilding, and whether it is helpful or not.

What is Ashwagandha?

It is a shrub grown in Asia and Africa. This herb has been popular for thousands of years and has been used since ancient times in natural medicine. The benefits include a reduction of anxiety, and stress, immunity boost, and increasing energy. While there is a lot of debate around its genuine effects, it has still been touted as an effective supplement in bodybuilding.

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Since the benefits of this herb include strength, the bodybuilding world is interested in this plant. When combined with resistance training, this can offer the best outcome for building muscles. A study by Sachin Wankhede and his team saw that ashwagandha supplementation was associated with important increases in muscle mass and strength when combined with resistance in a training program. If this is true then bodybuilders will benefit from this natural supplement.

Importance of Ashwagandha in bodybuilding

Testosterone is known to increase muscle mass in the body. Every bodybuilder from Dr Mike Israetel to Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken about the ways to increase testosterone levels to boost muscle mass. The body already produces a certain amount of the hormone but to participate in bodybuilding the hormone needs a catalyst so that muscles can be striated and enhanced.

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Ashwagandha can allegedly help in increasing testosterone according to certain studies like the one given above and thus it caught the eye of bodybuilders. A clinical trial by Wankhede and his team commenced and went on for 8 weeks including two groups of men. One was the treatment group while the other was a placebo group. The treatment group consumed 300 milligrams of ashwagandha extract two times every day, while also being engaged in resistance workouts. The researchers found out that this herb was able to prominently improve muscle strength and muscle growth while reducing the time of the recovery. It also helped in increasing testosterone levels and lowering body fat.

Another study was also done by Ashwinikumar A. Raut and his team. They wanted to assess the therapeutic effect and the safety of Ashwagandha when consumed by humans. This research also confirmed that regular supplementation of the herb for one month had shown a proper increase in muscle strength and function. Surprisingly it was also helping in reducing the percentage of total body fat.

While scientific research is talking about the benefits that it has in bodybuilding, there are some athletes and bodybuilders who refuse to believe that this natural supplement can help in muscle growth and reduce fat.

Is Ashwagandha helpful in bodybuilding?

Bodybuilder Mark Hunter Junior had once spoken about supplements and dismissed some of the supplements for not contributing to any muscle growth. The IFBB pro bodybuilder with more than 170K followers on Instagram delivered his knowledge through a video on the same social media platform.

He spoke about how bodybuilders take supplements like Tongkat Ali, Ashwagandha, and ecdysterone to boost their muscle growth or even as a tester to see whether it works. However, the professional bodybuilder dismissed the fact that these help in muscle growth. He explained, “You’re not getting any types of additional muscle gain, or muscle growth, literally nothing.”

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Rather than Ashwagandha, he preferred Creatine which he has been using for 5 years. Even Dr Israetel as well as Jay Cutler had stated that Creatine is helpful. Research suggests ashwagandha can help in muscle building which is believed by some, but others like Mark Hunter Jr refute this. The bottom line is that Ashwagandha has been proven to have properties of muscle growth and that is why dietary companies include this ingredient in certain supplements and it gives them an edge. Now only prolonged usage will tell how effective it is. What do you think? Does ashwagandha actually help and does it have anabolic properties?