What to look for, and what to avoid when looking for an Ashwagandha supplement
With the increasing stress and sleep issues caused by the prolonged pandemic, Singaporeans are experiencing higher stress levels and poorer sleep quality, with the country ranking as the third most sleep-deprived among 43 cities surveyed. Sleep deprivation can have significant negative impacts on health, work performance, and sex drive.
Ashwagandha, the prized gem of Ayurvedic medicine, has gained immense popularity as a health and vitality supplement in Singapore. Its widespread use has made it the most sought-after wellness supplement in the country. Despite the hype, many people wonder if it lives up to its reputation. Also known as Indian Ginseng, ashwagandha has a long history of use in traditional Indian medicine for its health-balancing properties. Recent scientific studies have further supported its purported effects.
That’s where ashwagandha supplements come in.
These products come in the form of liquids, tablets and powders, and are formulated to help you reduce stress and anxiety, improve your sleep quality and improve sexual function.
The popularity of ashwagandha supplements have increased tremendously by a whopping 542% over the past year alone. However, with so many ashwagandha supplements on the market these days, it can be challenging to determine which ones are worth the money, and which ones you should pass on.
For this reason, The Foods Channel has compiled months of extensive research on ashwagandha into this useful guide to help you understand what you are purchasing and which ashwagandha supplement is for you.
What Is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps your body adapt to existing conditions—for example, if you are stressed out and overwhelmed, adaptogens help to calm you down and boost your energy without overstimulation so that your body can respond to the stress in a healthy manner. In other words, adaptogens like ashwagandha help your body adapt to stress by exerting a normalizing effect on bodily processes.
As an adaptogen, ashwagandha doesn’t have just one isolated health benefit. Rather, it responds to what your specific physiological system needs in order to keep your body balanced. As a result, ashwagandha can improve your overall well-being by helping your body adapt better to stressful conditions by maintaining healthy cortisol levels and promoting resistance to anxiety.
Additionally, some of the more well-known benefits of ashwagandha are as follows:
Cognitive Enhancement
Studies have shown that the regular consumption of Ashwagandha enhances one’s cognitive functions, especially in terms of improving memory, concentration, and information-processing speed.
Boosted Immunity Levels
Ashwagandha bolsters your immune system by increasing immune cell activity and the level of blood serum antibodies, so that your body is more resistant to infections and diseases.
Healthy Weight Management
Ashwagandha’s high level of antioxidants decreases inflammation and speeds up metabolism so that more fat is burned. More indirectly, Ashwagandha can reduce food cravings by regulating the release of cortisol.
Ashwagandha Supplements: What You Need To Know
When it comes to ashwagandha supplements, there are a number of powders, capsules and drinks available to purchase in the Singapore market. Different formats will have different absorption rates, and studies have shown that liquids may have a significant absorption rate as compared to other forms.
These days, many brands have also paired ashwagandha with other nutrients and ingredients like vitamin C and antioxidants in order to further boost one’s health.
While there are many different types of supplements out there, there are a few things that you should know about ashwagandha.
Ashwagandha Roots vs. Leaves
Traditional use and modern scientific research on Ashwagandha both favour the use of the root over the leaf. Current research studies and clinical trials have specifically confirmed the efficacy of the root—for example, all of the clinical trials on Ashwagandha registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry are focused on the root.
The well-documented therapeutic effects of Ashwagandha root-only extracts provide far more robust scientific evidence as compared to leaf extracts.
Ashwagandha as a sleep and sex-drive enhancer
Ashwagandha has been used for centuries as a sleep aid and recent studies have indicated that it both induces sleep and enhances its quality, thereby improving sleep efficiency. Countless studies have shown a quantitative improvement in the number of hours of deep sleep by those who consume ashwagandha on a regular basis.
In addition, ashwagandha has long been used to help improve sexual and reproductive functions of both men and women. By helping to maintain healthy cortisol levels so that the body’s resources can be focused on producing reproductive hormones (testosterone and estrogen), the supplement can aid both reproductive health as well as sexual satisfaction.
For men, this maintenance of healthy testosterone production can also help to improve physical performance by promoting muscle development and muscle recovery.
Ashwagandha Supplements: What To Look For
With a large number of options in Singapore, it can be difficult to distinguish which brands are effective and which are just trying to take your money.
Fortunately, The Superfood Reviews has done extensive research and homework in this area, so that you are not at risk of wasting our hard earned money on low value, misleading or even potentially dangerous products.
When it comes to finding high-quality ashwagandha supplements that deliver results, you should look for the following things:
Root-Only Extract Formulation
Ashwagandha extract can be made from the plant’s leaves, roots, or a mixture of both. It is important to look for an extract that is solely derived from the roots, without any leaf components: a root-only extract is preferable because most independent research studies and clinical trials on the therapeutic effects of Ashwagandha utilize root-only extracts.
Branded Ashwagandha
Don’t settle for low-quality, inferior non-branded ashwagandha. Instead, look for products formulated with premium quality branded ashwagandha to ensure that you are getting the best possible quality.
At the forefront of ashwagandha ingredients is KSM-66, which has been studied extensively and shown to offer a holistic formulation.
KSM-66 is shown to retain the complex balance and original proportion of all the active chemical constituents found in the raw ashwagandha root. Such a formulation will ensure that you get to enjoy the full range of adaptogenic benefits offered by this multifaceted herb.
No Unnecessary Ingredients
The best ashwagandha supplements on the market are the ones that are comprised of healthy, complementary ingredients.
By cutting out the fillers, you can be sure you’re getting a legitimate product with highly concentrated ingredients in its purest form, with no unnecessarily added artificial additives or synthetics.
What You Need To Avoid
High Concentration of Withaferin A
Manufacturers sometimes formulate ashwagandha supplements using leaf extracts in a bid to save on costs. Ashwagandha extracts derived from the leaves have been shown to contain higher levels of Withaferin A (an undesirable cytotoxic compound).
Some manufacturers also fail to clearly assess the actual concentration of this particular compound, so you should opt for well-established formulations like KSM-66 that explicitly indicate negligible levels of Withaferin A.
Unnecessary Additives or Synthetic Fillers
You want to ensure you’re getting a premium product with the optimum concentration of ingredients in their purest form, with no unnecessary synthetic fillers or artificial additives.
Fake Reviews
Thousands of Singaporeans look to Lazada, Shopee or Amazon before purchasing their products, but most don’t realize that up to 60% of their reviews are written by individuals paid to leave positive feedback.
Prioritise Quality Over Price
It’s important to prioritize quality when consuming an ashwagandha supplement, even if that means that you pay a little more for a high-quality product which is safe and effective. Your health is much too valuable to take such a gamble.
THE BEST ASHWAGANDHA SUPPLEMENTS
How We Picked Our Top Choice
Based on extensive research and the metrics provided by our Superfood Reviews System, interviewing customers and our own comprehensive testing, we have compiled a list of what we’ve found to be the top five collagen supplements available today.
After narrowing down choices from dozens of different ashwagandha products, we have determined our Top 5 and crowned a winner.
PROS
Contains KSM-66 ashwagandha, regarded as the top formulation
Contains complementary ingredients like PharmaGABA® and Camu Camu
No unnecessary ingredients or additives
30-day, 100% satisfaction guaranteed or money back
Rigorously tested for purity and ingredient quality
Made in Taiwan
Manufactured to HACCP and ISO22000 standards
CONS
Only available online
Regularly out-of-stock due to high demand
BOTTOMLINE
The Ashwagandha Lychee drink from The Purest Co takes the number one spot, due to its comprehensive formula and attention to the customer experience.
The drink contains an optimal amount of ashwagandha extract (250mg) using KSM-66, which only uses root extract and is the most researched ashwagandha extract in the market. In addition, the brand has included PharmaGABA in their offering, which complements KSM-66 and has been shown in clinical studies to play a critical role in reducing stress and anxiety.
A large number of our readers resonated with the Ashwagandha Lychee drink and did notice some positive effects with the formula from The Purest Co. Most noted the great taste imparted by the lychee concentrate juice, which helped turn the typically bitter taste of ashwagandha into something that tasted delicious.
A point to note was that the aswagandha lychee drink from The Purest Co was the only ashwagandha concentrated drink we could find in the market. While producing powders and supplements are more affordable, drinks are more costly to produce - for good reason. This cost comes with an increased absorption rate however, as research has shown that liquids trump other form factors such as powders and pills. So while purchasing cheaper alternatives may seem cost-effective, they may not necessarily provide the effects that you are looking for from an ashwagandha supplement.
We like the way that The Purest Co has bucked the trend and formulated an ashwagandha product in a drink form, which enables their customers to best reap the benefits of this adaptogen.
PROS
Contains KSM-66 ashwagandha, regarded as the top formulation
Contains complementary ingredients like vitamin D
Made using pectin (vegan friendly) instead of gelatin
Non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free
30-day money back guarantee
CONS
Low concentration of ashwagandha per gummy
Tastes sweet and artificial
Gummies as a form factor are not optimal
Gummies are sticky and inconvenient to consume
BOTTOMLINE Ashwa gummies by Goli are one of the few if not only options for ashwagandha supplements in gummy form in the market. The interesting form factor helps consumers stick to a regular schedule of ashwagandha consumption due to its convenience.
However, studies have shown that absorption rates through gummies are relatively low vis-a-vis liquids, at about 35-45% versus 90-95% respectively.
Customers who have tried ashwagandha gummies by Goli are split on its taste, with many saying that they are fine with the slightly over-sweet taste, while others find it difficult to finish the bottle after just one gummy. Overall, there is a consensus that the gummies are too sticky which makes getting them out of the bottle difficult, and makes the experience of eating the gummy less than ideal.
As one of the pioneers in gummy supplements, Goli is a brand well-known for producing high quality gummies, perhaps more so in their original product of Apple Cider Vinegar gummies. However, it is safe to say that all their gummies are produced in high-quality facilities and that ingredient safety and processing standards are given much importance.
Additionally, Goli also has a 30-day money back guarantee on both opened and unopened bottles, which is always a good sign that the company stands behind their product.
Customers are however responsible for paying the shipping cost to send back the product, which may not be feasible for overseas orders.
While gummies are easy to eat and are convenient, after comparing the them with concentrated drinks and through extensive customer reviews, we find the drink format more effective in showing results.
PROS
Made using organic withania somnifera
Contains complementary ingredients like calcium and vitamin C
No unnecessary ingredients or additives
USDA certified
Highly rated in customer reviews
CONS
No information on ashwagandha source
Powder not necessarily the most optimal form factor
BOTTOMLINE
For those looking for a more cost-effective alternative, Organic Ashwagandha Powder by Just Jaivik fits the bill well. One of the more highly-rated options, the product has an impressive number of reviews which touch on the positive effects it brings.
Most customers appreciate the fact that the powder can be added to their morning coffee or drinks which makes it convenient to keep to a regular schedule. However, as expected with organic ashwagandha powder, the taste leaves much to be desired and is definitely a taste that needs to be acquired or gotten used to.
Another pro would be that the Organic Ashwagandha Powder is made using USDA certified organic herbs that are sustainably sourced and fairly traded. This definitely helps to ensure a high level of ingredient safety.
While the powder form gives consumers flexibility to add the powder to their food or drinks, the absorption rate of the powdered form is inferior to that of liquids.
Overall this product by Just Jaivik is a good option for those looking for affordable organic options.
PROS
Contains KSM-66 ashwagandha, regarded as the top formulation
Relatively high concentration of ashwagandha extract per capsule (300mg)
Vegan and made using a vegetarian capsule
No unnecessary ingredients
CONS
No complementary ingredients
Pills as a form factor are not optimal
BOTTOMLINE
The only ashwagandha pill to make the list, Ashwagandha veggie caps by Jarrow Formulas is formulated to be a no-nonsense straight to the point option.
With no unnecessary ingredients or even complementary ingredients whatsoever, Jarrow Formulas has made a cost-effective ashwagandha consumable for the broader market. A relatively high concentration of ashwagandha extract at 300mg per pill lends even more weight to its inclusion in the top 5 list.
One of the major downsides is the lack of information on their website as to where the products are made and nutritional information about the product.
Yet again, the pill as a form factor counts against Jarrow Formulas due to its lower absorption rate.
PROS
Made in the USA
USDA organic
Non-GMO and plant based
CONS
No information about ashwagandha concentration
No complementary ingredients
Powder as a form factor are not optimal
Taste and smell were divisive
BOTTOMLINE
KOS is an up and coming brand from the USA with a range of functional powders and supplements. Their ashwagandha powder has been reviewed relatively highly in online marketplaces and some customers have had some benefits after consumption of their product.
Their powdered supplement is produced in the USA, and it is safe to assume that processing standards are strict for the product. However, their website did not mention any complementary ingredients added into the formulation and did not state how much ashwagandha extract goes into each tub. Additionally, they do not use KSM-66 which we believe is the number one ashwagandha extract in the market today.
While their product is made in a GMP and NSF (third-party) certified facility which ensures quality, we believe that the concentration of ashwagandha would not be as high as the rest of the options on this list.
Lastly, with a form factor such as powder, it may tend to clump up and would result in an inferior absorption rate compared to liquids. It also requires more work to mix it into drinks and typically results in a less than ideal taste experience.
BEST PRODUCT OVERALL
After extensive research and testing...
I've decided that the Ashwagandha drink from The Purest Co is the number one choice in the market today.
While there are a number of cheaper options, I feel that due to the more effective drink format coupled with their use of KSM-66 as well as other complimentary ingredients, the Ashwa Lychee Drink from the brand is my top pick.
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