A clinical study, published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine , examined the effect of supplementation by KSM-66 Ashwagandha on a broad range of outcome measures related to body weight management under stress. The subject pool in this double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design comprised 52 males and females of ages between 18 and 60 years. The subjects were under chronic stress and moderately overweight, but otherwise healthy. The authors found that compared to placebo subjects, those consuming KSM-66 Ashwagandha for eight weeks showed substantial reduction in stress as indicated by psychometric scores and serum cortisol levels. Because it is known that stress is associated with improper diet maintenance and that cortisol potentiates hunger, the authors sought to examine whether the decreased stress and cortisol from KSM-66 Ashwagandha is accompanied by better attitudes and behaviors toward food consumption.

An important finding from the study is that KSM-66 Ashwagandha subjects are less likely to resort to food consumption to cope with stress. They exhibited lower food craving, reduced uncontrolled eating and less emotional eating. As one might expect, these healthier attitudes to eating under stress were accompanied by reduced weight under KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation. Particularly innovative was the authors’ choice to study not just micro-markers but a major macro construct: overall happiness. Using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, the authors find that KSM-66 Ashwagandha supplementation led to a significant improvement in happiness, contentment and psychological well-being.

Kartikeya Baldwa, director of Ixoreal Biomed, the maker of KSM-66, said: "It is well known that the ashwagandha root has significant ability to reduce stress and cortisol. On this basis, many practitioners have believed that the root should help combat some of the effects of stress and cortisol, such as reactive eating and the reliance on food as a coping mechanism. However there was no direct evidence of this connection. This is the first study to show that ashwagandha can reduce food cravings and emotional eating mediated by stress relief."  Mr. Baldwa added, "The authors have made an important contribution to the scientific literature on ashwagandha root extract for stress relief and body weight management, and we feel gratified that they picked KSM-66 Ashwagandha for this study." Mr Baldwa also commented that, "The traditional Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda, has long advocated Ashwagandha root for homeostasis and overall balance in the body. It is nice to see these traditional beliefs supported by careful clinical studies."