Ashwagandha & KSM-66®: Benefits, Uses, Doses & More!

Upgrade your performance & recovery with these two supplements!

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), revered as a Rasayana (rejuvenator) of the ancient Ayurvedic health system, is quickly becoming one of today’s top prized herbs.

From nootropic nerds to bodybuilding beefcakes, it seems like everyone’s getting in on this legendary performance-enhancing plant.

And can you blame them?

However, Not All Ashwagandha Supplements Are Equal.

Sure, for mild health and performance elevation, plain powder ashwagandha can help.

But to really get the job done, especially if the “job” is “naturally boosting testosterone to competitive, youthful levels,”...

...you’ll want a more potent, study-backed ashwagandha extract, such as KSM-66®.

Manufactured by Ixoreal Biomed, KSM-66® has been clinically shown to boost athletic performance and male sex hormone status, with a potent extract standardized to 5% bioactive withanolides - the key Testosterone boosting constituents of ashwagandha.

As one of the best testosterone boosters found in Elevated, KSM-66® ashwagandha extract should be on every mature man’s radar.

But to better understand why, let’s take a closer look at this herb’s biomechanisms.

KSM-66®: What’s it used for?

Stress and anxiety relief, strength performance, metabolic enhancement.

The uses and benefits of KSM-66® are both diverse and plentiful, which is why this T-boosting adaptogen isn’t solely discussed within the context of testosterone boosting.

Testosterone boosting is only one of KSM-66®’s uses. But, with that in mind, you can rest assured that testosterone boosting is one of those uses.

Generally speaking, KSM-66® is prized as a “performance enhancer” for both cognitive and physical performance.

As a nootropic brain booster, KSM-66® works best as a sedative, even outcompeting the anxiolytic effects of, say, L-theanine, which helps combat anxiety but without the total relaxation power of ashwagandha.[2]

Too much caffeine this morning? No worries—ashwagandha can help relax the mind to put you back in a calm, composed mental state.

As a testosterone booster, KSM-66®’s benefits overlap with one another, resulting in a fairly comprehensive optimization of the male body’s hormonal ecosystem, antioxidant defenses, fertility factors, and more.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of this all-natural T-booster’s bio-benefits on male health and performance:

Benefits of KSM-66®

As one of the more multipurpose herbal male boosters, ashwagandha comes with a wide range of health benefits from enhanced muscular strength to cognitive relaxation.

However, where male health is concerned, KSM-66® health benefits include:

Hormonal Homeostasis – stress hormone cortisol, though a key fight-or-flight chemical, works against healthy T levels and anabolic muscle growth. As an adaptogen, ashwagandha may help mitigate the negative effects of stress-related hormones, such as cortisol.[3]
Antioxidant Protection – providing a rich supply of antioxidants, ashwagandha helps combat oxidative stress (free radicals), namely in the testes, which partly explains this herb’s T-boosting effects.[4]
HPG Support – in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, ashwagandha seems to influence luteinizing hormone (LH) expression, which in turn may contribute to greater testosterone production in the testes.[5]
Sperm Quality – in cases of low male fertility, ashwagandha is often favored for its clinically demonstrated improvements on sperm quality, including sperm count, sperm motility, and semen volume.[6]
Cognitive Relaxation – nootropic lovers love ashwagandha for its noticeable, fast-acting, sedative-like effects on mood and cognition, making KSM-66® a smart choice for post-exercise recovery.[7]

Another popular use of KSM-66®, and ashwagandha at large, is as a fat burner, due to ashwagandha’s beneficial effects on thyroid function.

Perhaps linked to this herb’s cortisol-regulating benefits, ashwagandha also seems to interact with the thyroid’s production of thyroid hormones, which are key to a healthy metabolism and weight control.

Altogether, the health benefits of KSM-66® include the regulation of the endocrine system (cortisol, testosterone, thyroid hormones, etc.) and promotion of male fertility markers.

All the above make KSM-66® an all-around must-have for any natural testosterone-boosting regimen.

KSM-66® vs Ashwagandha

KSM-66® is ashwagandha, but ashwagandha isn’t KSM-66®.

Really, KSM-66® is more like “Ashwagandha 2.0” thanks to this patented herbal ingredient’s unique standardized potency (5% withanolides).

The highest concentration, highly bioavailable, full spectrum root extract—KSM-66® isn’t only an upgrade over standard ashwagandha root powder but it’s a step above even other patented ashwagandha extract ingredients.

Produced using a unique proprietary extraction process based on the “Green Chemistry” principles,[8] KSM-66® is also one of the cleanest and safest ashwagandha extracts, with plenty of clinical research (see “Clinical Studies” below) to back up its usefulness as a safe, natural testosterone booster.

KSM-66® & Ashwagandha: Key Differences

The key differences between KSM-66® and standard ashwagandha include:

Potency – while ashwagandha is naturally rich in various health compounds, including bioactive withanolides, catechins, saponins, etc., KSM-66® provides these health compounds in a highly concentrated standardized extract for greater purity of effect.
Efficacy – thanks to the higher concentration of ashwagandha’s bioactive constituents, KSM-66® is a more effective T-booster than standard ashwagandha, resulting in faster-acting boosts on health, performance, and cognitive relaxation.
Safety – abiding by the “Green Chemistry” principles, KSM-66® is produced without using alcohol or any other chemical solvents, resulting in a natural T-booster that’s safe both on the body and on the environment.
Research – as the most clinically studied ashwagandha extract, KSM-66® has been clinically demonstrated to promote cognitive, physical, and sexual measures of male health and fitness.

Certainly, there’s a temptation among supplement manufacturers to “dilute” their ashwagandha extracts with leaves, which would substantially lower manufacturing costs.

However, KSM-66®’s commitment to root-only extracts provides greater nutritional content, safety confidence, and all-around better value to the customer.

* It’s important to note, too, that KSM-66® strictly avoids the use of ashwagandha leaves, which are less clinically researched and less nutrient-dense than ashwagandha root.

How Much Ashwagandha Should You Take Per Day?

According to the Ayurvedic principles, Ashwagandha may be used in powdered form in a dosage ranging from 450mg to 6 grams daily. There isn’t a standard dosage that has been studied, but as per the modern clinical trials, the minimum effective dose of ashwagandha tends to be approximately 600 mg daily in most cases. It’s different for each individual, however, and there are different rates of tolerance.

Let’s take a look at some of the dosages found in studies in some of the more common usage cases of ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha dosage for stress and anxiety:

Ashwagandha is categorized as an adaptogen, which means that it helps the body adapt to stress-inducing conditions, decreases inflammation and infection, and modulates adrenal hormones and neurotransmitters. Ashwagandha helps to lower the levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress.

A study, conducted to evaluate the effect of Ashwagandha on stress and anxiety, demonstrated a significant reduction in stress and anxiety for people taking one 300mg capsule of ashwagandha twice per day for 60 days [Study].

Ashwagandha dosage for male fertility:

Ashwagandha, the mystical herb is revered as an aphrodisiac and is used to treat male sexual dysfunction and infertility. According to Ayurvedic tradition, one of the most important benefits of Ashwagandha is the ability to stimulate and control the production of testosterone in the body. Maintaining healthy testosterone levels is important for men’s health.

In a 3-month study of 75 men suffering infertility, five grams of ashwagandha improved sperm count and motility daily [Study].

In another study conducted involved 46 males with a condition that causes low sperm count, known as oligospermia. Administration of 225mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha thrice daily and resulted in an increase in testosterone, semen volume, sperm concentration, luteinizing hormone, and sperm motility [Study].

Ashwagandha dosage for muscle strength and muscle recovery:

Ashwagandha is defined as a Balya that promotes strength and vitality, according to Charaka Samhita. Ashwagandha is known to increase muscle mass, muscle strength and also decrease body fat in combination with resistance training. Ashwagandha also helps to reduce and repair the body’s damage and encourage muscle recovery during exercise.

In one 8-week trial, men administered 500 mg of this medicinal herb per day increased their muscle strength by 1%, while the placebo group did not experience any improvement [Study]. In another study conducted in men, 300mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily for eight weeks led to a significant increase in muscle strength and muscle size, compared to a placebo [Study].

In another research, 18 healthy volunteers were provided enhanced doses of ashwagandha over 30 days from 750mg/day – 1250mg / day. This study demonstrated that Ashwagandha supplementation resulted in increased muscle strength and lean body mass [Study].

Clinical Studies

Many supplements, especially T-booster supplements, can be a bit of a gamble.

Not so much with KSM-66®, which is backed by plenty of clinical human research demonstrating the safety and efficacy of using KSM-66® for testosterone-boosting and performance-enhancing purposes.

For testosterone boosting, clinical research sees a remarkable improvement in various male health measures, including testosterone count and sperm quality.

One clinical study on the effects of KSM-66® supplementation on male sexual dysfunction and infertility observed a 167% increase in sperm count, 53% increase in semen volume, and a 57% increase in sperm motility, as well as a 17% increase in serum testosterone levels.[9]

But these aren’t solely “below the radar” improvements in male health.

KSM-66® ashwagandha extract’s enhancement of male sex hormones seems to manifest as significant improvements in more athletic measures of male health and performance, namely in muscular mass and strength.

Another clinical study on the effects of KSM-66® supplementation on muscle mass and strength in healthy, young, strength-training men observed significant improvements in bench press strength, leg-extension exercise, arm muscle size, post-exercise muscle recovery, and, yes, testosterone levels, providing enough evidence 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.”[10]

And this only covers the specifically testosteronic aspects of ashwagandha’s bio-benefits.

Other clinical studies on KSM-66® supplementation have observed significant improvements on an individual’s resistance towards stress and anxiety,[11] on body weight management,[12] and on sleep quality.[13,14]

Needless to say, the health, fitness, and metabolic advantages of supplementing KSM-66® daily are plentiful and well-documented.

In Summary...

Ashwagandha is great for boosting testosterone. KSM-66® is even better.

However, the best all-in-one testosterone booster is Elevated, a powerful, all-natural, testosterone-boosting formula powered by KSM-66®, as well as several more key natural T-boosting ingredients.

While KSM-66® is an incredibly diverse and powerful natural testosterone booster, its T-boosting bio-activities aren’t totally comprehensive.

For complete optimization of your T-producing faculties, you need a stack of several diversely acting testosterone boosters, such as: