Herbs
Ashwagandha and Body Weight, Trial by Trial
No ashwagandha trial has ever recorded weight gain as a side effect. Here is every trial that measured body weight, its size, population and sponsor.
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Topic
Adaptogens
The herbs and mushrooms paired with the resin in the capsule range. Ashwagandha, Lion’s Mane, Reishi, and what each one is actually for.
Adaptogen is a category, not a mechanism. The word was coined in Soviet pharmacology in 1947 for substances claimed to raise non-specific resistance to stress, and the European Medicines Agency's reflection paper concludes that the term is not accepted in EU clinical terminology. Two things can both be called adaptogens and have been studied for completely different outcomes, which is why every page in this section names the trial, the dose and the extract rather than the category.
Start with what are adaptogens, which ranks eight herbs and mushrooms by the weight of published evidence. The ashwagandha pages are the largest group: benefits and side effects including where it is restricted, dosage and timing, ashwagandha and cortisol, and ashwagandha and body weight. The mushrooms are lion's mane and reishi, and spirulina sits with the herbs. Ashwagandha and shilajit is the comparison for anyone deciding what to pair with the resin.
Sections
Where this topic is split
Herbs
Ashwagandha, Cortisol, Sleep and Anxiety, Trial by Trial
Every ashwagandha cortisol trial with its dose, duration, population, the exact cortisol measurement behind it and who funded it, plus the sleep data.
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The rest of adaptogens
Hericium erinaceus, and Every Human Lion's Mane Trial
Every human lion's mane trial with its size, dose, duration and population, the three that found nothing, and why fruiting body or mycelium changes the jar.
Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Audited Trial by Trial
Every human Ganoderma lucidum trial with its dose, duration and population. What reishi was measured to change, what it was not, and who should avoid it.
Spirulina, Audited: The Trials, the Protein and the B12
Every human spirulina trial with its dose, size and duration, plus the protein arithmetic per capsule, the pseudovitamin B12 problem and microcystins.
Ashwagandha and Shilajit, Compared on What Was Measured
Ashwagandha and shilajit are sold in one capsule. What each was studied for, at what dose, whether the pair has ever been tested, and who should avoid each.
Ashwagandha Benefits and Side Effects, Trial by Trial
What ashwagandha trials actually measured, the liver case reports behind the European restrictions, and the country by country legal position with dates.
Ashwagandha Dosage, Onset and Timing, Read Off the Trials
Trials used 125 mg to 600 mg of ashwagandha a day, each tied to a named extract: KSM-66, Sensoril or Shoden. First measured change, and morning or night.
What Are Adaptogens? Eight Ranked by Strength of Evidence
Adaptogens ranked by published trial volume, not popularity. Eight herbs and mushrooms, the largest trial for each, and where the evidence runs thin.
Vocabulary
The words this topic uses
6
Glossary entries
Each one filed under a section of this topic.
6
Sources behind them
A definition names where its meaning comes from, or it is not published.
- अश्वगन्धाAshwagandhaWithania somnifera, a shrub of the nightshade family whose root is the most studied of the Ayurvedic adaptogens.Read
- CordycepsCordycepsA genus of fungi taken as a supplement, most commercial material being cultivated Cordyceps militaris rather than the wild caterpillar fungus.Read
- Hericium erinaceusLion's maneHericium erinaceus, an edible fungus that grows in white cascading spines on hardwood, used both as food and as a supplement.Read
- Lepidium meyeniiMacaLepidium meyenii, a root vegetable of the brassica family grown on the Peruvian high plateau and dried before it is powdered.Read
- 霊芝 (reishi)ReishiA hard, varnished bracket fungus of the genus Ganoderma, too woody to eat and taken instead as a decoction or an extract.Read
- tongkat aliTongkat aliEurycoma longifolia, a Southeast Asian shrub whose root is used traditionally and studied for effects on stress hormones and male hormonal markers.Read
Elsewhere
The other three topics
- ShilajitThe resin itself: what it is, where it comes from, how it is purified, and how to tell a real jar from an expensive one.Read
- Fulvic acidThe compound doing most of the work. What soil microbes make out of plant matter over centuries, and why it changes how minerals are absorbed.Read
- VitalityEnergy, focus, immunity and recovery as things that happen across a month, not in an afternoon. The outcome side of the range.Read
The questions everyone asks
What is shilajit, actually?
A dark resin that seeps out of rock at altitude in the Himalaya, made of plant matter pressed and broken down over a very long time. What comes off the rock is not the product. Shodhana, the purification step, is what separates the resin from everything it was sitting in, and that is the step worth asking a seller about.
Why does fulvic acid matter?
Fulvic acid is a carrier molecule. It binds trace minerals and is studied as a way of getting them across a cell membrane, which is why the interesting question about a mineral is not how much is in the jar but how much of it arrives. That is the mechanism the research is built on. It is a line of study, not a settled fact, and nobody should sell it to you as one.
How much do I take, and when would I notice anything?
A rice-grain portion, dissolved in warm water or under the tongue, once a day. A 30g jar lasts two to three months at that dose. Shilajit is not a stimulant and nothing here works like one, so the honest unit of time is a month rather than an afternoon. If you want the caffeine experience this will disappoint you.
Resin or capsules?
The range includes resin and six distinct capsule formulas in vegan HPMC shells. Ingredient amounts are listed for each product rather than reduced to one formula for the whole range. One caution: the Sea Moss and Bladderwrack blend contains iodine, so if you have Hashimoto’s or any diagnosed thyroid condition, take that one to your doctor rather than to the checkout.
Where does it come from, and how do I know it is clean?
Our products come from the white-label range offered by established UK supplier Pure Shilajit UK. The supplier describes its resin as Himalayan-sourced. Certificate of Analysis 63849 from Alex Stewart Agriculture, Liverpool (ISO 17025 accredited analyses) covers the February 2026 resin batch: arsenic 0.02, cadmium under 0.2, lead 0.44 and mercury 0.03 mg/kg. It covers the resin only; the capsules are not independently tested.
Do you ship outside Europe?
We ship worldwide, with one exception: not to the United States. Orders to the United Kingdom pay GBP 7.00, free for orders of GBP 140 or more. Switzerland and Europe pay CHF 6.90, free from CHF 150; every other country CHF 14.90, free from CHF 200, converted at checkout.
