Boosting Testosterone Naturally – Does Ashwagandha Actually Help?
You keep hearing about it everywhere – powders, gummies, some herb that ‘boosts testosterone’. Sounds almost too easy, right? Ashwagandha this, ashwagandha that. It’s old medicine with a new hype. But people aren’t imagining things. Something about this plant really does make a difference … not in a miracle-pill way, but more like giving your body a breather so it can do its job again.
Anyway, let’s just talk about it the way you’d tell a mate over coffee.
Ashwagandha doesn’t really ‘push’ testosterone straight up; it kind of works from the side. It relaxes the stress response-chains of glands which determine which hormones to secrete, which scientists call the hypothalactic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Once stress is reduced, this system is eventually given an opportunity to rest and it starts the production of testosterone again. There are studies showing better sperm counts, stronger muscles, higher testosterone, mostly in men under stress or doing heavy workouts.
It is usually fine to take short-term, though you might get a bit of bloating, or feel tired for a day or two. It’s always worth checking in with a doctor first.
Ashwagandha, or Withania somnifera, is sometimes called Indian Ginseng or Winter Cherry. It’s this scruffy little shrub that survives heat and dust across India, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Ayurvedic medicine has been using this substance over the centuries. It is called an adaptogen, which is a term implying that it assists the body to adjust to stress.
Withanolides are the most important compounds. They behave as natural steroids and influence the brain chemicals, serotonin and acetylcholine, which relax the mind and make it less nervous. A large-scale study indicates that when the brain is relaxed, cortisol and anxiety levels are reduced. The testosterone changes become noticeable as the hormones become more balanced.
People imagine testosterone as this macho hormone for muscles, drive, and confidence. But it’s actually fragile.
When you’re stressed for too long, your body goes into emergency mode. It diverts energy to survival, not reproduction. So, testosterone production slows down.
The stress system known as the HPA axis remains active as the hormone-producing system, the HPG axis, takes a back seat. Ashwagandha relaxes the stress system. When the alarm is switched off, you become normal again. It’s indirect but real. That’s why results don’t happen overnight. You fix stress first, then testosterone follows.
A few studies have looked at it properly.
One tested over 100 young men who trained with weights. Half took 300 mg ashwagandha daily, half didn’t. After eight weeks, the ashwagandha group had higher testosterone, better strength, and more muscle.
Another study gave men with low sperm counts 675 mg a day for three months. Sperm count jumped by about 160 percent, and testosterone rose roughly 17 percent. Pretty wild.
According to a 2019 double-blind study, the men using the supplement experienced a reduced level of stress hormones and an increased level of testosterone and DHEA-S compared with men on a placebo.
We don’t yet have ten-year data. Most trials are short. Nevertheless, the trend is obvious: there is a decrease of the level of stress and an improvement of hormonal balance, particularly in men who work long hours.
The name itself cracks people up. Ashwa means horse, gandha means smell. Yep, it smells like a wet horse. You don’t have to taste that though. Most people take it in capsules now. Powders work too if you’re into smoothies.
Morning or night, either works. Around 300 to 700 mg daily is the usual zone from studies. Don’t go tossing in more thinking it’ll work faster. At Longevity Clinics, it’s not treated like a magic fix but part of a wider plan. Ashwagandha gets mixed with nutrients that already matter for hormone function, zinc, magnesium, selenium, vitamin B6, manganese.
They help the same system, lower stress, improve sperm health, and provide more steady energy.
Sometimes clients feel a difference in a few weeks, sometimes it takes a bit longer. It depends how run-down you are.
It’s generally fine, especially short-term. Some people feel light-headed, some get stomach grumbles. A few get sleepy. It’s nothing dramatic, but good to notice.
The biggest issue is excessive use of minerals in mixes. Selenium is an example of the chemicals that are useful in low dosage but toxic when consumed in large amounts. The supplementary intake by an adult should not exceed 150 micrograms daily.
If you’re already on medication for blood sugar, thyroid, or blood pressure, tell your doctor. Ashwagandha can nudge those levels down a bit, which isn’t great if your meds already do the same.
So yes, natural doesn’t mean ‘take buckets of it’. It still needs to be taken with sense and balance.
You can’t just pop a capsule and expect everything to change. Testosterone is one of those hormones that reacts to nearly everything you do daily.
Start With Stress. Increase in cortisol levels decreases testosterone levels. Meditation, walking and having a sound sleep; all of which relax the fight-or-flight response, can restore the balance.
Eat Better. Green vegetables provide you with magnesium, eggs with good fats and the oysters with zinc. These are textbook testosterone accumulators. The opposite is not true of processed foods and sugar, which drag testosterone in the opposite direction.
Cut Back On Alcohol. It can be deceptive. Although it is a relaxing feeling, it, in fact, interferes with the production of hormones and liver functions. The higher the number of drinks you consume the more belly fat you acquire and the less testosterone you secrete. That’s how it works.
Exercise. Not just any movement is needed – do proper lifting, squats, presses,and deadlifts. Studies show testosterone rises after heavy resistance sessions. And it keeps working if you stay consistent.
Lose Extra Weight. Fat tissue turns testosterone into oestrogen. So trimming down isn’t only about looks, it’s chemistry. Even 5 percent weight loss can lift testosterone numbers.
And Sleep. People skip this but it’s huge. Most testosterone is made at night. A week of poor sleep can tank it faster than bad food ever could. Aim for a solid seven hours, no excuses.
Sometimes men do all that and still feel flat. Their energy is low, libido is gone, and motivation is down. That’s usually when we look deeper. Thyroid issues, insulin resistance, nutrient deficiencies, all can drag testosterone with them.
At Longevity Clinics, tests come first – full hormone panel, thyroid, cortisol, everything. Then you actually know what’s wrong.
If testosterone really is low and doesn’t bounce back naturally, there’s testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) involving injections, gels, or patches, depending on what suits the person. It’s not something you jump into lightly. Once you start, you usually stay on it. But it can be life-changing when done properly.
Sometimes though, you don’t even need TRT. Fixing sleep, gut health, or thyroid brings testosterone back on its own. The goal is always to restore balance, not flood the system.
It’s not about chasing numbers here. It’s about getting you back to feeling normal, strong, alert, and comfortable in your skin again.
Ashwagandha fits into that puzzle, but it’s one piece. The team usually works through a mix of:
The approach does not just aim at increasing testosterone, but it attempts to create a balance in the whole system. As stress levels reduce, sleep is deeper and nutrients get into place, hormones tend to reawaken.
The point is ashwagandha is not a steroid. It only gives your body the situation to generate testosterone on its own. It cuts back background noise, stabilises the system and provides you with room to recuperate.
Combine that with intelligent eating, improved sleep, and reduced stress-inducing factors and you will probably begin to feel a small yet tangible change, which will be increased energy levels, improvement of the mood, and increased motivation. It’s quiet, but it works.
At Longevity Clinics, ashwagandha is used as part of a science-based, natural approach to hormone balance. It’s never just one supplement doing all the work. It’s about rebuilding from inside out, step by step.
And that’s the quiet power of it – not a quick fix, but a gradual reset. When stress eases, hormones wake up, and you start feeling like yourself again.
We’ve developed a comprehensive six-step process that acts as your personal health roadmap, to follow towards your health goals.
