Arjuna Natural says it has developed new technology that ensures the safe delivery of its proprietary Shoden ashwanghanda extract at a new level of purity and bioactivity.

The company notes that Innova Market Insights data has reported a 48% increase in the number of food and beverage launches in 2018 globally compared to 2015 with the USA taking the lead. This spike is, says Arjuna, no doubt spurred by growing consumer demand for the adaptogenic herb to help overcome the stresses of modern life. Ashwangandha growth is said to be especially strong in the sports industry. According to Innova data, one in three product launches of the ingredient have been under the nutritional sports category globally between 2015 and 2018. A further two in five launches featured an energy or alertness claim.

The Shoden product is now bioactivity protected and contains ashwagandha extract standardised with 35% withanolide glycosides ,which is the most active component of ashwagandha. Shoden is manufactured from carefully seleced ashwagandha roots and leaves.

Arjuna developed its Bioactive Ingredient Protection System (BIPS) proprietary safety technology to ensure optimal delivery of the bioactive components of ashwagandha. BIPS is a patented procedure in which all the active molecules are encapsulated in a shield to deliver them safely and at the desired potency. This process makes Shoden active even at a low dosage.

“Ashwagandha extract is known to be very effective in amelioratng stress, anxiety, depression and also increases testosterone,” said Benny Antony, Joint Managing Director for Arjuna. “But to benefit from these functions effectively, we needed to find a way to deliver the most bioactive component in the gut without it getting damaged.”

When ingested in its naked form, ashwanghanda interacts with the acids in the stomach and loses its activity , thereby denying the human body from enjoying the full spectrum of its benefits.

“We were faced with the challenge of identifying the site of absorption in the gut as well as the reasons for its damage while passing through the gut and then devised a solution to maximise absorption of ashwaghanda in the intestine only,” said Anthony. “This required intense research by our R&D team to find out the precise mechanism by which this can be achieved.“

Toxins are removed from the roots and leaves using a proprietary purification process. This gentle procedure is said to remove known toxic alkeloids such as somnifrine and withanine and other undesirable components yet retains withanolide glycosides at optimum levels. The newly developed process has also eliminated the necessity for using milk which has been the traditional medium for removing toxins from ashwaghanda extract, making Shoden wholly vegan.

Arjuna is supporting several ongoing clinical studies of Shoden that it says have already yielded promising results of the ingredient for alleviating depression, stress, and sleep disturbances, and for improving immunomodulation and production of testosterone.

Ashwagandha is powerful herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine. Practitioners have used the roots of this plant for centuries as a rasayanic tonic that promotes rejuvenation of the entire system, especially the endocrine and immune systems.