Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships with love, affection, and intimacy each playing a crucial role in the development and maintenance of healthy relationships across the lifespan. One other critical component, that is vastly underemphasized, is self-confidence. Being confident in your own skin (i.e. who you are, how you look, etc.) has a monumental impact on your sexual health and well-being. Plus, men and women alike find confidence (not to be confused with arrogance) to be extremely sexy.
As with many aspects of life, sexual health declines with age. But aging isn’t the only factor that can adversely affect sexual health and performance. Chronic stress is well-established as a saboteur, impairing mood, motivation, desire, and sexual performance. Moreover, research also notes that excessive stress along with anxiety and fatigue leads to sexual arousal difficulties and vaginal pain.[1] It’s estimated that 40% of women experience sexual dysfunction.[2]
While thousands of plants claim to promote sexual health and vitality, few (if any) have solid scientific backing. Ashwagandha root extract is unique, and ideally positioned, as it stands at the forefront of both stress-management and supporting women’s sexual health. This staple of Ayurveda possesses both a traditional history of usage and a stable of high-quality randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) bolstering its utility and efficacy. For centuries, ashwagandha has been used to treat sexual weakness and performance anxiety as well as ameliorate reduced sexual desire and dysfunction in women. Numerous studies have also been conducted investigating the benefits of ashwagandha on sexual health. In fact, KSM-66 ashwagandha is the premier ashwagandha extract for women’s sexual health, backed by three published studies on sexual function and two published studies on menopause.
KSM-66 Ashwagandha & Sexual Function
Study #1
Published in BioMed Research International, a pilot study involving 50 otherwise healthy females with sexual dysfunction and arousal disorder examined the effects of KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract on women with sexual dysfunction.[3] Half of the women were randomly assigned to receive 300mg KSM-66 twice per day and the other half received a placebo for 8 weeks. KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation significantly improved sexual arousal, lubrication, quality of orgasm, and overall satisfaction in women.
More specifically, supplementing with KSM-66 Ashwagandha led to an increase >75% in total Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores, with an increase of 62.4%, 59.4%, 82.4%, and 62.4% in the arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction domains.[3] KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation also reduced sexual distress among the women with a statistically significant reduction of 60.9% in Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) scores.
Study #2
A follow-up study published in Cureus examined the effects of KSM-66 ashwagandha root in improving sexual function in healthy females without hormonal disturbances. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 80 women, half of whom supplemented with 600mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha (300mg twice daily) and the other half consumed a placebo daily for 8 weeks.[4]
KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation demonstrated a significant improvement in sexual arousal, lubrication, quality of orgasm, and overall satisfaction in women. In particular, KSM-66 supplementation produced an increase of more than 59.2% in total Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores, with an increase of 40%, 48.7%, 75.7%, 71.6%, and 50.8% in the arousal, lubrication, orgasm, desire and satisfaction domains, respectively. KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation also reduced sexual distress among the women with a statistically significant reduction of 52.8% in Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) scores compared to the placebo.[4]
Also, KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation improved total sexual encounters (18.3%) and successful sexual encounters (31.8%) as well as a dramatically improved scores in the Total General Health Questionnaire (which includes 28 different metrics).[4]
It should also be noted that in the study evaluating the safety and efficacy of KSM-66 Ashwagandha in alleviating climacteric symptoms in perimenopausal women, it was observed that KSM-66 administration demonstrated a significant reduction of 5.09% in the sexual domain score, indicating a significant improvement in sexual desire.[6]
How Does Ashwagandha Support Sexual Health?
Sexual dysfunction doesn’t have a single cause; it's impacted by multiple mental, physical, emotional, and psychological factors. Numerous pharmaceuticals have been developed over the years to address sexual dysfunction; however, those same options also possess myriad adverse side effects, including hypotension, sleepiness, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and fainting.[5]
Ashwagandha root is a safe, natural option that supports sexual health in women (and men). The time-tested botanical helps manage stress by reducing stress hormone levels (cortisol) in the blood, which is believed to directly contribute towards better sexual health. Ashwagandha can also improve energy, stamina, and endurance. The reason this is noteworthy is that fatigue is frequently cited as an inhibiting factor in reduced sexual arousal and activity. Furthermore, increased cortisol levels have been associated with sexual dysfunction.
Through its cortisol-modulating and energizing properties, ashwagandha root is ideally positioned to support women’s sexual health and total body well-being across the lifespan.
Takeaway
While there are multiple ashwagandha products available, KSM-66 Ashwangandha stands alone as the premier extract, maintaining the balance and synergies of the various constituents, which are endogenous to the herb in its native form. Developed over 14 years of intensive R&D, KSM-66 Ashwagandha root-only extract is standardized to the highest percentage of withanolides available, >5% by HPLC. KSM-66 Ashwagandha is also backed by the most scientific research and is the botanical with the highest number of certifications with over 40. For stress-management, sexual health, sleep enhancement, and natural energy, the clear choice is KSM-66 Ashwagandha.
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References
- D. A. Kalmbach, S. A. Kingsberg, and J. A. Ciesla, “How changes in depression and anxiety symptoms correspond to variations in female sexual response in a nonclinical sample of young women: a daily diary study,” Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 2915–2927, 2014.
- Allahdadi J. Kyan, Tostes C.A. Rita and Webb Clinton R., Female Sexual Dysfunction: Therapeutic Options and Experimental Challenges, Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2009; 7(4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152509789541882
- Dongre, S., Langade, D., & Bhattacharyya, S. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study. BioMed research international, 2015, 284154. 2015
- Ajgaonkar A, Jain M, Debnath K (October 28, 2022) Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract for Improvement of Sexual Health in Healthy Women: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. Cureus 14(10):
- Salonia, A., Munarriz, R.M., Naspro, R., Nappi, R.E., Briganti, A., Chionna, R., Federghini, F., Mirone, V., Rigatti, P., Goldstein, I. and Montorsi, F. (2004), Women's sexual dysfunction: a pathophysiological review. BJU International, 93: 1156-1164. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2004.04796.x
- Gopal, S., Ajgaonkar, A., Kanchi, P., Kaundinya, A., Thakare, V., Chauhan, S. and Langade, D. (2021) Effect on an ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) root extract on climacteric symptoms in women during perimenopause: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study. J. Obstet. Gynaecol. Research, 47(12), 4414-4425.
