KSM-66® Ashwagandha: What It Is, Research-Backed Benefits, and How to

KSM-66® Ashwagandha is one of the most researched forms of this ancient Ayurvedic herb — and studies show it can help with stress, natural energy, muscle growth, natural testosterone, and more.*

Here's a high-level of the benefits that we'll dig into.

Research-backed benefits of KSM-66® Ashwagandha include:

Support healthy cortisol and stress levels at 300mg daily.
Supports natural energy without stimulants at 300mg daily.
Supports strength and muscle mass when combined with resistance training at 600mg daily.
Supports healthy testosterone levels within the normal range at 600mg daily
Improvement in body fat levels over a placebo when combined with resistance training at 600mg daily.*
May support sex drive and libido in men at 600mg daily.

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha, known scientifically as Withania somnifera, has been a cornerstone in Ayurvedic medicine for over 3,000 years. In Sanskrit, Ashwagandha translates to "the smell of a horse." This hints at one of its main historical uses: to support libido (sex drive.)

Although native to modern-day India, it adapts well to different soils and climates, so it is now grown in various regions.

Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen, a plant or herb that helps your body adapt to stress. But not all ashwagandha is created equal. KSM-66® is a patented, high-concentration root extract that delivers consistent potency and has been used in actual human studies. It's the trusted choice backed by modern science and centuries of traditional use.

Now let's get into the research.

The Benefits of KSM-66® Ashwagandha

Helps Manage Stress + Healthy Cortisol Levels*

Cortisol, often called the stress hormone, can be a friend or foe depending on its levels in your body and the time of day.

Ashwagandha has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels when they're excessively high. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers gave 64 subjects 600mg of KSM-66® or a placebo for eight weeks.

At the end of the study, the KSM-66®-supplemented individuals had decreased their cortisol levels significantly versus the placebo.* [1]

This regulation helps mitigate the adverse effects of stress on your body, promoting a sense of calm and well-being.

This is even more important in the modern world, where our typical “fight or flight” mechanism no longer protects us from predators, but is still slightly activated. As Robert Sapolsky wrote in his excellent book on stress, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, “We have this amazing ability to turn on the exact same stress response worrying about a mortgage that a zebra does when it's sprinting away from a lion.”

Supports Natural Energy*

Ashwagandha won’t jolt you like caffeine, but it supports energy by helping with natural energy production in your body.* This means it can help you sustain your energy levels throughout the day.*

Supports Increases in Strength, Muscle Mass, and Testosterone

Remarkably, the benefits of ashwagandha extend well beyond stress. Research has shown that supplementing with 600mg of KSM-66® Ashwagandha daily can increase strength, muscle mass, and total testosterone, while reducing body fat [2].* Supplementing with KSM-66® while also resistance training three times per week, for a period of 12 weeks, resulted in:

Increases in bench press and leg strength*
Increases in chest and arm size*
Improvement versus placebo for change in body fat*
Increase in total testosterone within the normal healthy range*

KSM-66® is derived from a solvent-free water extraction technology, which results in a full-spectrum extract. In fact, KSM-66® has the highest percentage of naturally occurring withanolides of root-only extracts available on the market today, with more than 5% concentrations as measured by HPLC.

This is why KSM-66® is high on our list of the best natural testosterone ingredients.

May Support Sex Drive (Libido)

The ancient use for ashwagandha was to support sex drive in men. Modern research is showing there was something to this. In a 2022 study, 50 men with "lower sexual desire" were given 600mg of KSM-66® ashwagandha daily, split into two doses. They reported increased sex drive as well as energy levels and general well-being [3].

Immune Function?

Despite claims that ashwagandha can support immune function, there isn't compelling research to support this yet.

However, check out our article on the best supplements for immune support to see what can.

Why KSM-66® Ashwagandha

Like all supplements, it’s not just the ingredient that matters. The quality and efficacy can vary significantly between different forms. Let's explore what makes KSM-66® Ashwagandha our preferred choice.

High Concentration

KSM-66® is the result of over 14 years of research and development. The process of creating KSM-66® involves a unique extraction method, using only the roots of the Ashwagandha plant and no synthetic solvents. In fact, KSM-66® has the highest percentage of naturally-occurring withanolides of root-only extracts available on the market today, with more than 5% concentrations as measured by HPLC.

This method, patented for its innovation, ensures that the extract retains the natural balance of the constituents found in the original herb, thereby maximizing its efficacy.

Research-Backed

As you may have noticed, the studies we’ve cited on ashwagandha specifically used KSM-66®. That’s because much of the most impressive research is on this form. Numerous human trials have validated the efficacy of KSM-66® in various health aspects, from stress relief to physical performance. You can read a great summary of the research on KSM-66® here.

Purity and Safety

When choosing a patented form, you know you’re getting a standardized product, with the same dose and potency every time. That’s another reason why we choose patented key ingredients over generic alternatives; they’re ingredients you can trust.

How to Use KSM-66® Ashwagandha

As with any supplement, you also have to take it in the right setting, at the right dose.

KSM-66® Ashwagandha Recommended Dose

Many studies use between 300-600mg per day. One study we already mentioned looked at 300mg taken twice daily, for a total of 600mg.

Here's the summary:

300mg for stress + energy support.*

600mg for strength + body composition support.*

Studies that looked at outcomes like strength and testosterone tend to go on the higher end, with 600mg.

For general stress support, 300mg is a solid general recommendation. For strength and performance, move up towards 600mg.

We’ve looked at the research and incorporated it into our supplements. In Kaged Test and Kaged Test Elite, we use 600mg of KSM-66®.

In Organic Greens Elite and Organic Greens, we include 300mg to help you manage stress on a daily basis.*

How to Get the Most Out of Supplements With KSM-66® Ashwagandha

Consistency is key.

Most of the studies look at daily supplementation for 8-16 weeks in order to get measurable benefits. You can’t just have a scoop of greens one time and expect it to do anything for your health.

As for time of day, there’s some debate about taking it in the morning or evening. Some studies split it into two doses. We discuss this more in this article on the best time to take ashwagandha.

The benefit to taking it in the morning is the natural energy which can help you power through your morning. The benefit to taking it in the evening is that it can help manage cortisol at the time of day when you want your cortisol levels to drop. Remember, cortisol keeps you awake and alert, so you want it low as you get closer to sleep.

With this in mind, we recommend taking it whenever it works best for you. You can follow suit along with thousands of others who take Kaged organic greens as part of their morning routine.