Strength
Ashwagandha extract (Sensoril)
Sensoril ashwagandha is an herb extract with strength data from daily use over weeks, not acute dosing.
How it counts: Not part of the score
We show it on the label and count it as disclosed, but it never affects Dose, any sub-score or the grade. The basis below explains why.
- Clinical dose
- No established clinical dose
- Safety ceiling
- —
- Evidence
- moderate
- Category
- Strength
Evidence summary
Research confidence: medium
No pre-workout reference dose. Ashwagandha is an herb sold for stress, recovery and strength. The Sensoril trial behind strength claims gave 500 mg once a day for 12 weeks and found larger squat and bench-press gains than placebo (Ziegenfuss 2018). Across trials the best-supported amount is 500-600 mg a day taken for weeks, and endurance benefits are clearer than strength gains (Li 2026). This label's 250 mg is half that, and one scoop before training is not the daily use those results depend on.
Research sources
- Effects of an Aqueous Extract of Withania somnifera on Strength Training Adaptations and Recovery: The STAR Trial (Ziegenfuss et al., Nutrients 2018)(opens in new window)
- Effects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) Supplementation on Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Three-Level Meta-Analysis (Li et al., Nutrients 2026)(opens in new window)
13 RCTs, 599 participants: overall performance g=0.47 (prediction interval crosses zero); clearest for aerobic endurance; strength effects positive but uncertain; 500-600 mg/day the most evidence-supported extract dose.
- Acute and Repeated Ashwagandha Supplementation Improves Markers of Cognitive Function and Mood (Leonard et al., Nutrients 2024)(opens in new window)
59 young adults: a single 225 mg dose of a different (liposomal) extract improved some cognitive and mood measures at 60 min; mixed results; funded by the ingredient supplier. Cognitive, not exercise, outcomes.
- Ashwagandha-induced acute liver injury: A case report (Tóth et al., Clin Case Rep 2023)(opens in new window)
Rare liver-injury case reports exist for ashwagandha supplements; recovery after stopping.