Ashwagandha, Anti-aging and Cognitive Performance

Article by Arnie Gitomer

Ashwagandha is a traditional Ayurvedic medicine that helps the body maintain metabolic balance. It has been shown to be of value in many areas: Anxiety, Insomnia, Infertility, Sexual Function, Cognitive Performance, Physical Performance and Stamina, Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Properties, Immune Function, etc.

New studies appear on a regular basis. It seems that “Anti-Aging” can be added to the above listing. One of the primary factors in cell aging is the length of telomeres; the protective end-caps on each strand of DNA. Each time the cell reproduces, telomeres shorten, eventually leading to improper reproduction and cell death.

Telomerase is the naturally occurring protein that slows or stops telomere shortening, an anti-aging effect. In the lab, doctors exposed human cells to ashwagandha root extract and saw a 45 percent increase in telomerase activity.
(Reference 2: Scientific Research; 2016, Vol. 7, No. 4)

In addition, another recent study seems to confirm the beneficial action of Ashwagandha on mental function. It significantly improved cognitive performance and reaction times compared to placebo.
(Pingali, Pharmacognosy Res 2014).

In this study, among men and women with mild cognitive impairment (average age of 50) they found that taking 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily (providing a total daily dose of 600 mg containing 30 mg of withanolides) for 8 weeks significantly improved many aspects of immediate and general memory, executive function, sustained attention, and information processing speed compared to placebo (which showed lesser improvements). Most improvements were not significant relative to placebo after 4 weeks and required 8 weeks. There was no significant effect on visuospatial processing, i.e., drawing images from memory and comparing rotated images.
(Choudhary, J Diet Supp, 2017).

Ashwagandha Root is available from Willner Chemists in the Phtyo-Tech™ line, as a standardized powder and a liquid extract:

Phyto-Tech™ Ashwagandha Root Liquid Extract
Contains the following: Fresh Organic Ashwaganda Root (Withania somnifera), Grain Alcohol, Deionized Water.
Ashwagandha Root 1:1.5 - 1 fl oz - Product Code: 57008

Phyto-Tech™ Ashwagandha Root Veggie Caps
Contain, in each capsule, Organic Ashwagandha Root, 380 mg and selectively imported Ashwagandha Root Extract (1.5% Vithanaloids), 95 mg. The capsule contains modified vegetable cellulose. Certified organic.
90 Veggie Caps - Product Code: 67463