Linda is our resident health and wellness editor. As a long time health and nutrition enthusiast, she spends her time researching scientific studies and keeping up with the latest health and wellness trends to provide top nutrition tips.
For centuries, the Ashwagandha plant (also known as Indian Ginseng) has been used in Ayurvedic medicine. However, recently studies have discovered that the plant contains strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and they shed light on its ability to prevent and treat many health conditions, particularly when it comes to stress and anxiety. This has led to it becoming one of the most popular natural treatments for mood disorders.
What are the benefits of taking Ashwagandha?
While Ashwagandha has numerous health benefits, it is most commonly used to help treat stress and mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Ashwagandha can be used to alleviate both mental and physical stress, which helps to boost mood and energy levels, while also improving focus and memory.
Many studies have revealed that high-concentration supplements containing Ashwagandha root extract can help to balance mood, prevent and manage stress and anxiety and boost energy levels, thereby drastically improving quality of life.
Other benefits of consuming a high quality Ashwagandha supplement include: improving cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, increasing in muscle mass and improved strength, better weight management, balancing blood sugar levels, promoting better memory and cognition, improving quality of sleep, and more.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to benefit from the medicinal properties of Ashwagandha is by taking a potent and high quality supplement. Below, we will outline what you should look for in a supplement and what to avoid, as well as our top 5 picks for the best Ashwagandha supplements available on the UK market.
What should I look for in my Ashwagandha supplement?
1. Find a supplement that is made with KSM-66 Ashwagandha
When choosing your Ashwagandha supplement, you should look for a product that contains KSM-66 Ashwagandha. KSM-66 is the most potent and bioavailable full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract available. Unlike many others, it retains all the natural constituents of the herb and it is easily absorbed into the bloodstream. This means that you will see greater benefits taking supplements that contain this KSM-66 than those containing other types of Ashwagandha.
It is also organic, both kosher and halal friendly and free of GMOs and gluten. Additionally, KSM-66 is the most thoroughly researched type of Ashwagandha on the market, making it a safe and effective natural treatment.
2. Look for a product with 5% withanolides
The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in the Ashwagandha plant are largely due to the presence of compounds called withanolides, which are a collection of steroidal lactones. Out of all the root extract Ashwagandha available today, KSM-66 contains one of the highest percentage of withanolides at 5%.
3. Choose a supplement that combines Ashwagandha with B vitamins.
The most effective Ashwagandha supplements also include B vitamins, which help to stabilise mood. B vitamins, including Riboflavin, Thiamine, B6, and B12 are essential vitamins that help to promote normal psychological functioning. B vitamins help to reduce tiredness, boost energy levels, alleviate stress and anxiety, and fight depression.
4. Money-back guarantee.
Look for a product that offers a money-back guarantee on all purchases. Offering a money-back guarantee is a sign that a company is confident in the quality of the products they are providing.
What should I avoid?
Low potency products
In order to truly benefit from your Ashwagandha supplement, you should avoid any supplements with less than 750mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract per serving, which is the dose that was used in the clinical trials to show that Ashwagandha has many benefits.
Note: Many cheaper supplements include higher doses of Ashwagandha powder in their capsules, but they are not made with a high strength KSM-66 extract. This means that, while the dose may look higher, the product may have lower bioavailability and will therefore be less effective.
Using leaves instead of the root
This is the number one way to spot a terrible ashwagandha supplement. High quality, organic ashwagandha packed full of benefits that will really bring you benefits isn't going to be found for only £7 at your local supermarket. They will likely be using the leaf offcuts which provide little benefit, where-as the plant root with all of the great properties will be used in the high quality premium supplements.
Only including Ashwagandha
Although you're primarily after an Ashwagandha supplement; that doesn't mean it should be the only ingredient. There are other similar and complementing ingredients that when combined with Ashwagandha can really make the biggest difference. L-Theanine, Passion Flower and Rhodiola Rose are all ingredients you should keep an eye out for in our opinion.
Beware of online reviews (especially on Amazon)
Before purchasing any product, one of the first things we do when researching it is check its online reviews. Unfortunately, these are not always a trustworthy way to measure the quality and effectiveness of a product. Companies often pay for reviews on popular online retailers, like Amazon, to try and trick their way to a five star rating. While you should definitely consult these reviews before purchasing, do your own research as well.
How we evaluated the top 5
As scientists and researchers continue to uncover its many healing properties, Ashwagandha is becoming more and more popular among those looking for a natural remedy to mood disorders. While this means you have many options to consider when choosing your supplement, it can also be difficult to narrow down which ones will deliver the best results.
We researched the top rated Ashwagandha products on the internet to find the best ones available on the market and evaluated them based on product quality, customer service, and pricing.
Here are our top 5 Ashwagandha supplement picks for 2022.
