{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T17:30:14Z","timestamp":1777915814926,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775433600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Nutr Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Nutritional supplements are commonly used to increase strength, recovery, and overall athletic performance.\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Ashwagandha<\/jats:italic>\n                      (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Withania somnifera<\/jats:italic>\n                      ), a natural adaptogen, has shown promising ergogenic potential; however, evidence in athletes\u2014particularly over short-term periods remains limited.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effects of 8 days of\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Ashwagandha<\/jats:italic>\n                      supplementation (600\u2005mg of standardized root extract daily) \u2013 a duration chosen to evaluate its potential utility during acute competitive periods \u2013 on neuromuscular performance and recovery in 31 male handball players (age: 20.3\u2009\u00b1\u20093.1 years). Participants ingested either\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Ashwagandha<\/jats:italic>\n                      (600\u2005mg\/day) or placebo capsules. Assessments included knee extension and flexion strength, handgrip strength, perceived muscle soreness, fatigue, and total quality recovery (TQR), measured at baseline, day 4, and day 8.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Ashwagandha<\/jats:italic>\n                      significantly improved handgrip strength compared with placebo after 8 days (d\u2009=\u20090.33;\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.011), whereas no consistent effects were found for knee flexion or extension. Perceived soreness, fatigue, and recovery did not differ meaningfully between groups.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Short-term\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Ashwagandha<\/jats:italic>\n                      supplementation may enhance handgrip strength, suggesting a potential neuromuscular benefit in athletes. However, the lack of consistent effects on lower-limb strength and subjective recovery highlights the need for longer-term studies to confirm these findings.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/02601060261439102","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T11:46:58Z","timestamp":1775476018000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effects of 8 days of Ashwagandha supplementation on strength, fatigue, soreness, and recovery in amateur handball players: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-5125-2578","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o Francisco","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4026-3804","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipe","family":"Maia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Maia, Maia, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1596-9685","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo Maia","family":"Ferreira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"},{"name":"Sport Physical Activity and Health Research &amp; Innovation Center (SPRINT), Melgaco, Portugal"},{"name":"Scientific-Pedagogical Unit of Physiotherapy, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Coimbra Health School, Coimbra, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0825-4032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diogo Vicente","family":"Martinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Coimbra"},{"name":"Laboratory of Robotics and Engineering Systems (LARSYS), Interactive Technologies Institute, Funchal, Portugal"},{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias do Desporto e Educa\u00e7\u00e3o F\u00edsica, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, Cruz-Quebrada- Dafundo, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-2448-5324","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu\u00eds Gon\u00e7alves","family":"Fernandes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7154-8266","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"C\u00e9sar","family":"Le\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Maia, Maia, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun\u2019\u00c1lvares, Viana do Castelo, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8390-1370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nuno","family":"Pimenta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sports School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Cast\u00ealo da Maia, Maia, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Cross-education of lower limb muscle strength following resistance exercise training in males and females: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"109","author":"Altheyab A","year":"2024","unstructured":"Altheyab A, Alqurashi H, England TJ, et al. 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