The powder ingredient is standardized to 35% withanolide glycosides, with a recommended dose of 120 mg, said the companies.
Interest and demand for adaptogens like ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and rhodiola (Rhodiola spp.) are on the rise, with data from the most recent HerbalGram Herb Market Report showing that sales of herbal supplements containing ashwagandha posted an increase of 26% year-over-year in the US in the natural channel, with $10.6 million in sales in 2017.
“Shoden has all the pieces for a prized dietary ingredient – low dose, demonstrated potency, full spectrum analysis, high manufacturing quality, no safety or regulatory concerns, patented, clean label,” said Michael Lelah, PhD, NutriScience Innovations’ CSO. “Easy for formulating in a stand-alone product or in combination with other ingredients for a wide spectrum of product claims.”
Science
Shoden has been studied in three clinical trials that have been completed and two more are in progress. Dr Lelah told us that one of the studies has been published, with two additional studies on anxiety and sleep close to publication.
The first study, which was published in the American Journal of Men’s Health (doi: 10.1177/1557988319835985), included 43 aging men randomly assigned to take the ashwagandha extract (Shoden beads) or placebo for eight weeks. The results showed that participants in the ashwagandha group experienced 15% increases in testosterone levels, and 18% increases in DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate), a hormone that is known to decline by 1-4% every year after 40 years of age.
There are two other trials ongoing with the ingredient, said Dr Lelah: one focusing on immune support and the other on endurance.
Ongoing work
Benny Antony, PhD, Jt. Managing Director at Arjuna, commented: “Arjuna has used its product development, manufacturing and scientific expertise to develop this new standardized extract. Arjuna is working on multiple aspects of Shoden – the clinical and scientific studies, new analytical developments, and GMP manufacturing.”
Alan Yengoyan, Chief Executive Officer at NutriScience, added: “I am very excited to partner with Arjuna on Shoden. Both companies share the same vision of bringing new innovations backed by science, like Shoden, to the benefit of consumers and the customers we serve.”