NOW Supplements, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) 450 mg (Standardized Extract), 90 Veg Capsules

No More CRANKINESS
RESULTS:This stuff has noticeably helped with my evening crankiness. I’m a morning person, but get irritable at night, which isn’t a good thing when you have small kids. Cortisol tests (saliva) showed that my cortisol levels were nearly unreadable at night, so the doctor recommended I supplement with this stuff. Well, it works wonderfully. I take one in the morning, and one early afternoon. Sometimes I miss the afternoon dosage, and that seems to still be okay. I’ve been taking it for nearly 2 months now, and have noticed a small decrease in effectiveness (the body getting used to the stuff, I guess). I hope that trend doesn’t continue. I used to take tryptophan, which helped the mood and sleep, but only caused cortisol levels to decrease more, making my workouts less effective. Just completed another cortisol test, and will see if levels have increased. I’m sure they have, considering my improved mood at night. If I find a way to update this review, I’ll include the latest levels when I get the results back – should be sometime in February 2012.BIO:I am 40 yrs old, weight train, do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and eat like a bodybuilder. Started doing all this at 36 yrs of age, and couldn’t be happier to have changed my lifestyle. But the weight training and BJJ are very taxing at my age. Due to these things, I get cranky on my days off (rest days). I’m well aware of the risk of over-training – learned the hard way. Presently, I weight train 2x/wk, and do BJJ 2x/wk, making for only 4 days of workouts, with 3 days of rest. I eat like a champ all week, but do allow myself to cheat 2 meals/wk. Since adding in bodybuilding nutrition, I’ve been seeing amazing results. Nutrition is the key, people. It’s a pain in the arse, at first, but well worth the effort.CORTISOL:Cortisol gets a bad rap with personal trainers. It’s actually the “hormone of life” and is vital to cellular metabolism. Without it, you die, so there is actually an ideal level to keep. Cortisol levels are usually highest in the morning and trail off as the day progresses. This is why morning workouts are the best. Long-term stress causes cortisol levels to be elevated for too long of a period, which causes adrenal fatigue/burnout. If you get cranky at any time during the day or night, you should probably get your hormone levels checked. If you’re not a morning person, like my wife, a morning dose is more beneficial. I’m not a night person, but taking it too late in the day affects my sleep, which is why I take it early afternoon, and since then the early afternoon sleepies have gone.UPDATE, CORTISOL TEST RESULTS (March 2012):I got the cortisol results back a couple of weeks ago, and they were in the absolute normal range! This stuff did the job perfectly. Great product!UPDATE March 2013:This is still my preferred mood pill. Cortisol levels have been stable for over a year now, and I don’t plan on getting off of this stuff. Still highly recommend it.UPDATE March 2014:I only use this product occasionally now. I’ve made other improvements in my nutrition and habits that have offset the crankiness at night.My main point of this update is to note that, oddly, Ashwagandha started making me sleepy. I would maintain a pleasant mood, but would become sleepy a couple of hours after taking this product. I can only assume that the product is being metabolized quicker by my body, so the cortisol levels are dropping after the product has left my system. However, I know of many users that specifically use this product to fall asleep. Sorry, I wish I had a good answer to explain this, but I can only present this as anecdotal evidence.Also, this review is on the product and details my experience. I do not have the expertise to cover every possible scenario ashwagandha may have on every body type and metabolism. Some disapproving readers of my review believe that Cortisol is to blame for weight loss issues. This is true and not so true. Long-lasting high levels of cortisol, like those evident with prolonged stress, will likely cause weight gain in some individuals. However, normal cortisol levels should not be causing an issue of weight gain, which was my focus in taking this product. If normal levels are causing weight gain, there are other hormonal issues at work, which is why I suggest everyone see a doctor, preferably one that specializes in youth and regenerative therapies.Hormones are a tricky thing, and I do not recommend taking this product on my testimony, alone. I went through multiple screenings with my HRT doctor before starting ashwagnandha, and still see her 3 times a year. If you decide to try this on your own, pay close attention to what it is doing to your body, and adjust, or remove this product from your regimen, as necessary. I believe that the chances of this product doing irreparable damage to your weight loss goals is unlikely, however I still recommend getting a qualified doctor involved.

Itching!!
Giving an updated review. Decided the next day to give another try to make sure I would continue itching. After second day of taking and now on day three taking the supplement, no itching and it definitely works for anxiety, calmness, pain and mild depression and fatigue. It’s amazing how quickly it works. Giving it 5 stars now!Order came earlier today. Took one pill and I’m itching all over. Can’t return. Waste of money. In the trash it will GO! Spend your money on a different Brand!!

Best Ashwaganda on the market. Great price and great for stress during the day.

Been using for some time now. I take one at 3pm for a 9pm sleep time. Very effective and no bad side-effects.

Very good quality, it makes you feel energised and refreshed.