Ashwagandha saves athletes from overwork and hormonal failure

The period before the start of the competition is critically important for any team. Rugby, water polo or soccer players need to get in top shape, but endless sprints, strength exercises and game collisions lead to a sharp release of cortisol. This stress hormone destroys muscles in large quantities, suppresses the immune system and prevents normal sleep.

As a result, instead of getting stronger, the body starts to malfunction. Without high-quality recovery, the risk of injury or falling into a state of overtraining becomes too high. Coaches are constantly looking for ways to balance work and rest, and now they have a new assistant.

The authors of the project invited 56 semi-professional athletes from a sports academy in Spain to test the effect of ashwagandha in practice. The participants were divided into two groups: some received 600 mg of standardized root extract per day, while others took a chickpea flour pacifier.

It is important to note that the experiment lasted six weeks and was blind — neither the athletes nor the doctors fully knew who was drinking the real remedy and who was drinking the placebo. All this eliminated the autosuggestion factor. All this time, the subjects lived in the usual mode, trained and took saliva tests to check their hormonal levels.

The results were very interesting. The women from the placebo group had an expected spike in cortisol levels by the end of the training camp, as the body screamed about stress. But those who took ashwagandha had stable hormonal levels. Moreover, the athletes noted that their muscles hurt much less, chronic fatigue disappeared and their general well-being became noticeably better.

The male half reacted differently. Subjectively, the guys did not feel a sudden surge of cheerfulness, but the tests showed real physical progress. Taking the extract helped them maintain and even increase the explosive strength of their legs: they began to jump higher, while the results of the control group remained the same.

The secret lies in the unique composition of the plant’s root. Unlike leaves, which can be toxic in large doses, root extract contains substances that help the body adapt to external stimuli. It does not block the beneficial stress from training, which is necessary for muscle growth, but it does not allow it to turn into a destructive process.

Practically no side effects were recorded — only one case of mild headache. Such factors allow us to consider ashwagandha as an effective and safe tool for everyone who is engaged in active sports and wants to protect their endocrine system from overloads.