“The Non-GMO Project Verification and the organic certification emphasize that KSM-66 is produced without synthetic or genetically engineered components, and that KSM-66 comes from a pure and natural process,” said Kartikeya Baldwa, Director at Ixoreal.
The company’s vertical integration allows it to maintain the highest quality control standards among all ashwagandha producers, he said. “We work hard and continually toward making KSM-66 more and more attractive to formulators and consumers. That is the reason why non-GMO verification is an important milestone for us.
“The market seems to have appreciated our focusing on just one product and making it the world’s best ashwagandha, because KSM-66 recently became the ashwagandha extract with the highest sales volume in the market,” said Baldwa.
The flagship herb of Ayurveda
Ashwagandha has been gaining traction in the mainstream US market with consumers embracing its wide-ranging body of health benefits, which include supporting stress, cognitive function, sleep, metabolic wellness, adrenal function, sports performance, and more.
According to a monograph from the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP), the herb has a history of use in ayurvedic medicine that dates back as much as 4,000 years to the teaching of renowned scholar Punarvasu Atreya, and in subsequent works that make up the ayurvedic tradition. The name of the herb derives from Sanskrit, and means “smells like a horse”, which refers to the strong smell of the root which is said to be redolent of horse sweat or urine.