Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is the root of Withania somnifera, a small shrub in the nightshade family that grows across the drier parts of India. It is one of the most-used herbs in Ayurveda, classed there as a rasayana — a preparation taken over time for general vitality rather than for a specific complaint.

The traditional uses are stress, sleep, physical stamina and recovery. It is also the Ayurvedic herb with the most modern research attention: a number of small controlled trials have looked at perceived stress and at cortisol, with broadly encouraging but far from conclusive results. The name translates roughly as "smell of a horse", which is both a description of the root and a claim about the strength it was meant to confer.

What it is doing in these products

Ashwagandha appears in more Biosash formulations than any other added herb. It is the backbone of the men's range and of the stress formulation, and it turns up in the general-vitality products too. Where a product is aimed at energy, stamina or stress, this is usually the ingredient the claim rests on rather than sea buckthorn itself.