Ashwagandha is often marketed as a strength and muscle booster, but a new meta-analysis points somewhere else. Pooling 13 randomized trials and 599 participants, researchers found the most consistent benefit for aerobic endurance, with a pooled effect of g = 0.54. Strength gains were positive but uncertain, and the data on power were thin. The apparent dose sweet spot of 500-600 mg/day of extract comes with big caveats, including a prediction interval that crosses zero. Here is what the evidence supports, who might benefit, and who should hold off.
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