What is KSM-66® ashwagandha?
Quick overview
- Ashwagandha is a herb which relieves stress symptoms and mild anxiety, plus it helps the body to cope with stress.
- KSM-66® is a specialised extract of ashwaganda, produced via environmentally and sustainable practices.
- Several studies have shown that KSM-66® can help improve the body’s ability to cope with stress, and help to relieve the symptoms of stress.[1]
What is ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha is the common name for Withania somnifera - a herb also known as withania, winter cherry or Indian ginseng. It is a small green shrub that grows in the drier areas of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa.[2]
History of ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine where it is used traditionally to promote health and reduce mild anxiety, and help the body adapt to stress.[3,4]
In Sanskrit, the word ashwagandha translates to “smell of horse”. This name was given to the herb partially as the fresh roots of the herb smell like a wet horse, but also as it was commonly believed that a person taking the herb developed the vitality of a horse.[5]
What is KSM-66®?
KSM-66® is a patented, highly concentrated, full-spectrum ashwagandha extract, meaning it maintains the balance of the active components found naturally in the herb. It’s not concentrated or altered to over-represent any one active constituent.[6]
KSM-66® uses only the roots of the ashwagandha plant with no leaves added. This is because the root is the part of the plant used for its ability to help the body cope with stress, also known as its adaptogenic effects. These effects have been noted over thousands of years of traditional use plus more recently shown in clinical trials.
What makes KSM-66® ashwagandha unique?
KSM-66® is made by a family-owned company called Ixoreal Biomed, which is dedicated to creating the world’s best ashwagandha extract.[6] They organically cultivate the herb on their farms. The plants are harvested when the active components (known as withanolides) are at their peak, and the roots are then transported to a purpose-built facility for processing.
KSM-66® is produced using a ‘green chemistry’ process where the extract is obtained without the use of alcohol or chemicals. This special process took 14 years of research and development to create and refine.
Part of the process entails soaking the ashwagandha roots with milk. This step in the process is consistent with the method described by traditional Ayurvedic healers and texts. The milk pre-treatment is an important part of the extraction process because it allows the extract to retain both water-loving (hydrophilic) components and fat-loving (lipophilic) components of the raw root, which enables the creation of a full-spectrum extract of such high potency.
Benefits of taking KSM-66®
KSM-66® ashwagandha is the most clinically studied ashwagandha extract available today. It has been the subject of over 22 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies – which are often referred to as the ‘gold standard’ of clinical trials.
Many of the clinical trials on KSM-66® have focussed on its effects on relieving stress symptoms and mild anxiety.
Several studies have shown that KSM-66® can help improve the body’s ability to cope with stress, and help to relieve the symptoms of stress.[4]
Other studies have shown that taking supplements containing KSM-66 helps to relieve symptoms of mild anxiety.
Sustainability of KSM-66® ashwagandha
Ixoreal Biomed has 15000 acres of ashwagandha under organic cultivation in the province of Rajasthan, India - an area selected for its optimal climate for growing ashwagandha. They are mindful that anything they do today on their farms can have a long-term impact on their supply and the future of the company.
Operating their own farms and working in close proximity with the land and natural resources has given the company owners a unique perspective and experiential knowledge that the natural resources they utilise are not limitless and that they need to be nurtured and replenished.
Social responsibility
Ixoreal Biomed believes that their key resources are in their farms, but also in the workers that operate their farms. The company places great importance on service to its community. It invests in the villages around its farms, supporting schools and medical facilities and providing a sustainable source of income.
They discovered several decades ago that the company’s productivity was greatly increased if it operated within happy, thriving communities. For this reason and for the greater good, lxoreal Biomed is passionate about supporting human capital and traditional livelihoods in the areas they operate in. They operate social outreach and charity programs focusing on promoting health and education in the local communities by establishing schools, colleges, hospitals, community centres and parks.
Fusion Health is proud to partner with Ixoreal Biomed to create products that are not only of benefit to our customers, but to the people that create them.
What Fusion product is KSM-66® found in?
You can find KSM-66® in Fusion Stress & Anxiety, where it reduces symptoms of stress and mild anxiety. It is combined with polygala, traditionally used in Chinese medicine to calm the mind and soothe the spirit. It’s also found in Fusion Immunity & Stress for its stress symptom relieving benefits.
References:
- Chandrasekhar K, et al. Indian J Psychol Med 2012; 34(3):255-62.
- Kulkarni SK, Dhir A. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2008; 32(5):1093-105.
- Singh N, et al. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med 2011; 8(S):208-213.
- Panossian AG, et al. Med Res Rev 2021:41:630-703.
- Salve J, et al. Cureus 2019;11(12):e6466.
- KSM-66 ashwaganda. Viewed 12 October 2022, available from https://ksm66ashwagandhaa.com/ksm-66/what-is-ksm-66/
