CONKA Formula Name: (ChC5+1)
Explanation:
CONKA Herbal Complex (5 key herbs + 1 supplementary)
Component 4 - Withania Somnifera (WA)
Pronunciation: With-a-nia Som-nifera
The Fact:
Backed By History
Withania Somnifera (WA) works on many levels in the brain. Cortisol (stress hormone) levels are stabilised and the damage to your brain begins to correct itself. Acetylcholine (neurotransmitter) levels rise as it is not being broken down as quickly and you’re left feeling energised and motivated.
WA has been used for 4000 years, it is in the same family as the tomato and is native to hot and dry climates in India. Humans have used the herb to recover from illness and adapt to stressors keeping control of their cognitive performance and improving cardiovascular endurance, VO2 Max and strength. The fruit is red and the size of a raisin, but it's the root that we are interested in for cognitive control.
So What?
How Does it Make you Feel?
Energised:
Chronic stress often is associated with feeling brain foggy, abnormally fatigued and waking up in the morning slowly. WA improves sleep since cortisol levels are lowered improving sleep quality and latency (the time it takes you to drift off). Those that use WA report a rapid change in energy and motivation, you will know WA is in your system when you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and eager to 'get up and at em'.
Driven:
Drive as an emotion is linked to levels of the hormone testosterone in both men and women. In both sexes, it is the hormone that makes you enjoy hard work or the grind(Huberman 2021).
A 90-day pilot study, conducted at five infertility centres in Mumbai, India, involved 46 male patients between 22 and 40 years of age with low sperm counts. Like CONKA formula full spectrum WA was used.
Hormone levels were evaluated at the end of treatment and reported (Ambiye et al., 2013):
17% increase in serum testosterone.
167% increase in total sperm count.
Improves Processing Power:
Ashwagandha as an anti-anxiety aid. Speech often feels more fluid and easier, especially in public settings or pressured video call meetings. No more panic attacks just thinking clearly under pressure.
Backed By Science:
Strength
Ashwagandha supplementation has been strongly associated with significant increases in muscle mass and strength.
In an eight-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, 57 men (ages 18 to 50 years old) with little experience in resistance training were given 300 mg of WA root.
Muscle strength was evaluated using the 1 rep max for the bench press and leg extension exercises pre and post-trial. Muscle recovery was evaluated by taking a sample of muscle creatine kinase levels. A noticeable muscle mass increase over the arms and chest and body fat levels had reduced by double compared to the placebo group. CONKA is designed to be used in conjunction with a strength training program, this is an important consideration for all of the formula components given this is a product designed for active individuals squeezing the most out of life.
Cardiovascular Endurance
VO2 Max defines the aerobic work capacity of a person (their body's ability to use oxygen during exercise) and it is used as an indicator of peak top-end fitness. Improving VO2 max is increasing the height of your 'ability ceiling'.
In a placebo-controlled trial involving a 20-minute shuttle run and 50 healthy adults aged between 20 and 45 years and normal body mass index (BMI) received 300 mg twice daily of WA or placebo for 12 weeks.
The 20-minute Shuttle Run Test was done to establish a baseline, at week 8 and week 12, with a look at oxygen consumption at peak physical exertion (VO2max).
V02 Max increased by an average of 4.91% at 8 weeks, and by 5.67% at 12 weeks(Lopresti, Drummond and Smith, 2019).
Neuro Protection
WA root is neuroprotective and neuroreparative in neuronal cells. This is a component that has the ability to target factors involved in brain injury and long-term symptoms of concussions by suppressing neuroinflammation (Saykally et al., 2017).
Brain inflammation spikes with a brain injury of any severity and this immunological response of the brain is incredibly toxic, the faster the person can reduce inflammation the more neurons they will save.
Ambiye, V.R., Langade, D., Dongre, S., Aptikar, P., Kulkarni, M. and Dongre, A. (2013). Clinical Evaluation of the Spermatogenic Activity of the Root Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Oligospermic Males: A Pilot Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, [online] 2013, pp.1–6. doi:10.1155/2013/571420.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863556/
Wankhede, S., Langade, D., Joshi, K., Sinha, S.R. and Bhattacharyya, S. (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, [online] 12, p.43. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9.
Pérez-Gómez, J., Villafaina, S., Adsuar, J.C., Merellano-Navarro, E. and Collado-Mateo, D. (2020). Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on VO2max: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 12(4), p.1119. doi:10.3390/nu12041119.
Lopresti, A.L., Drummond, P.D. and Smith, S.J. (2019). A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study Examining the Hormonal and Vitality Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Aging, Overweight Males. American Journal of Men’s Health, 13(2), p.155798831983598. doi:10.1177/1557988319835985.
Saykally, J.N., Hatic, H., Keeley, K.L., Jain, S.C., Ravindranath, V. and Citron, B.A. (2017). Withania somnifera Extract Protects Model Neurons from In Vitro Traumatic Injury. Cell Transplantation, [online] 26(7), pp.1193–1201. doi:10.1177/0963689717714320.
Huberman, A. (2021). The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen | Huberman Lab Podcast #15. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJXKhu5UZwk [Accessed 14 Oct. 2021].
Comments