Arjuna Naturals, the makers of Shoden, were clearly up against some serious competition when they set out to make their own Ashwagandha extract. To start, Arjuna set out to redefine how we analyze the vast amount of bioactive compounds in Ashwagandha by developing new and improved HPLC methodologies. This even led to the discovery of high levels of a novel bioactive compound called Withanoside X, which up until this point, had not been explored in much depth. Once Arjuna had optimized their HPLC methodologies, they focused on state of the art extraction methodologies. This allowed them to achieve very high levels of bioactive compounds. Not only that, Arjuna figured out a way to get a full spectrum of bioactive compounds (and not just high levels of a select few). This makes Shoden one of the most well-rounded Ashwagandha extracts with a level of potency that was not possible up until this point.

As if sporting a whopping 35% (minimum!) Withanolides was not enough, Arjuna went above and beyond by running not one, but three human clinical trials on Shoden! When it comes to cutting-edge, patented botanical extracts, human clinical trials are very important to us. Since these extracts are usually on the more premium side of our offerings, we want to be able to confidently say that these extracts will work well for you and having access to human clinical trials allows us to do this with full confidence!

As we touched on above, there are two main things that set Shoden apart from other Ashwagandha extracts such as KSM-66 and Sensoril. First and foremost, the creation of Shoden was heavily dependant on the development of much more competent HPLC testing methodologies than the previous standard in the industry. Having developed our own testing methods in our in-house analytical laboratory, we know just how difficult it is to produce reliable and accurate testing methods, especially for complex botanicals such as Ashwagandha. We also know that a lack of testing methodologies can often put a halt to new innovations, especially if we are looking to test for something very novel like Withanoside X. By utilizing high tech HPLC methodologies, Arjuna was able to create an Ashwagandha extract with significantly higher potency that contains a variety of bioactive compounds. In our opinion, this is the main thing that sets it apart from the rest of the Ashwagandha extracts available on the market. Shoden is much more potent, but at the same time, less targeted due to its full spectrum nature. This has a few advantages and a few disadvantages. Let’s first cover the advantages of a full spectrum and high potency Ashwagandha extract like Shoden:

1. If you are new to Ashwagandha, a full spectrum extract will give you a much better idea of all of the unique effects Ashwagandha can have.

2. If you want to use Ashwagandha as a stand-alone supplement, having a wider range of bioactive compounds present will lead to more comprehensive effects. For example, if you want a supplement to help promote sleep quality while also supporting immune and cognitive function; then a full spectrum Ashwagandha extract like Shoden is exactly what you should be looking at.

3. The wider spread of bioactive compounds may help improve each other’s effectiveness. For example, there is a big difference in effects between pure Caffeine and a cup of coffee and this is because coffee has a much more complex mixture of bioactive compounds besides just Caffeine. The same is true for Ashwagandha, where certain bioactive compounds work hand in hand to improve their respective effects.

However, a full-spectrum extract can also have some disadvantages:

1. The effects are less targeted which could present issues if one of the compounds in Ashwagandha does not agree with your body chemistry.

2. It can be harder to stack full-spectrum extracts as they may have more unpredictable effects when combined with other botanical extracts.

With the above in mind, Shoden is one of the best Ashwagandha extracts out there, yet it does not replace all other Ashwagandha extracts because they each bring something unique to the table that may agree better with your personal biochemistry. This is why we now offer a total of four different Ashwagandha extracts for purchase from Nootropics Depot! If you want something more traditional, go for KSM-66 as it utilizes traditional milk-based extraction methods. If you want something more targeted, go for Sensoril which really focuses on the relaxing aspects of Ashwagandha. If you want to save a bit of money, and still want a very solid Ashwagandha extract, we have our own generic Ashwagandha extract available. However, if you want to shoot for the stars and are looking for a no-compromise Ashwagandha extract, then Shoden is the one for you!

Shoden Ashwagandha Benefits

- May help support stress management
- May help promote a positive mood
- May help promote sleep quality
- May help promote brain health and cognitive function
- May help promote physical strength

One of the main uses of Ashwagandha is to support stress management and Shoden is no exception! Due to its high levels of full-spectrum glycowithanolides, Shoden is especially well suited to supporting stress management, especially when stress levels are high and you are in need of some rapid and long-lasting relaxation. Unlike many stress support supplements, Shoden actually addresses the root causes of stress and doesn’t just produce a calming effect that helps mask the sensation of stress.

The word “stress” refers to a very complex set of physiological responses in our bodies that respond to situations that push us to our limits. In an evolutionary sense, stress is a positive response as it helps motivate us and can help push our bodies to their limits when we need it. However, when stress levels become elevated and stay elevated for long periods of time, the effects of stress can invert and instead rob us of our motivation and cause us to feel tired and weak. This is likely something everybody has experienced at some point in time and unfortunately is a normal part of life in most of the world these days, especially as our lives have gotten busier and more hectic.

A lot of these stress-induced effects can be attributed to a collection of hormones called the corticosteroids which include cortisol, corticosterone, cortisone and aldosterone. The most well-known stress hormone is cortisol, and for good reason, as it appears to be responsible for the majority of the less desirable outcomes of stress such as trouble focusing, restlessness and physical weakness. The great thing about Ashwagandha, is that it can help regulate cortisol levels, thereby regulating the impacts of stress. The compounds within Ashwagandha that are responsible for these effects are the Glycowithanolides and since Shoden has an impressive 35% Glycowithanolides content, it is going to be incredibly well suited to supporting stress management!

Mood and stress go hand-in-hand, so it is no surprise that Shoden can help promote a positive mood. The effects of elevated cortisol can have some undesirable outcomes and one of these undesirable outcomes is a negative mood. In fact, elevated cortisol levels are so reliable in producing a negative mood that it is often used in animal studies on mood. These animals are gently stressed over a prolonged period of time and the cumulative effects of low-level stress quite reliably induces a negative mood in these animals. The same holds true for humans, as low-level stress is quite common in the workplace these days. So, if you have ever started to feel your mood starting to drop a little bit, it may just be due to cumulative low-level stressors, such as getting stuck in traffic on the way home or running a little tight on a deadline. Supplementing with Shoden on a daily basis may help mitigate the impact of these low-level stressors, thereby helping to promote a positive mood!

The interesting thing about Shoden is that its mood-promoting effects are not just dependent on regulating stress. In fact, Shoden interacts with many targets in the brain that play an intricate role in mood. For example, Ashwagandha has been shown to promote serotonergic activity. More specifically, it has been shown to promote 5-HT2 activity. The family of serotonergic 5-HT2 receptors are highly involved in mood and Shoden likely helps promote mood through this signalling pathway. Ashwagandha also has significant effects on our GABAergic receptors. GABA is often regarded as one of the primary calming neurotransmitters and Shoden does a fantastic job of promoting feelings of relaxation.

Adding up all of the receptors and pathways that Shoden targets, it produces a very comprehensive mood-promoting effect that helps brighten mood while also helping to induce some much-needed relaxation!

1As we touched on briefly in the above section about mood, Shoden has some significant effects on our GABAergic system. GABAergic receptors often get oversimplified, and usually are only attributed to relaxation, but they play a very essential role in our brain by helping to regulate neuronal activity. GABA is known as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, meaning that it can help slow down the activity of certain parts of our brains. This can be especially useful when we are getting ready to go to sleep and we want to start slowing down our mental activity a little bit. To explore this in some more detail, lets touch on some light neuroscience!

During wakefulness, there is a signalling pathway from the preoptic area (POA) in the hypothalamus that connects to the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN). The TMN is known as a histaminergic nucleus, meaning that this part of our brain produces histamine and sends histaminergic signals out to various parts of our brain. Histamine mainly produces wakefulness effects and thus, the TMN is a major regulator of wakefulness.

The POA sends out GABAergic afferents to the TMN, and through this pathway, outputs from the POA can regulate the activity of the TMN. During wakefulness, there is something called a ‘basal GABAergic tone’ between the POA and TMN, which allows the TMN to operate at full capacity while also ensuring that its activity stays under control. This helps keep us awake and focused! Before sleep, however, the GABAergic tone elevates in the POA which starts to dampen the activity of the TMN. This causes the wakefulness-promoting histaminergic pathways to slow down and before you know it, you are floating away into sleep! What this means is that Shoden, by promoting GABAergic activity, may help promote this GABAergic tone between the POA and TMN, thereby helping to promote sleep onset and sleep quality!

Ashwagandha also has a plethora of effects may help support the general health and integrity of our brains. These effects are largely attributed to the Glycowithanolide content of Ashwagandha. Shoden achieves its brain health-promoting effects through a variety of pathways such as helping to support balanced levels or neuro-oxidation and neuro-inflammation while also helping to promote neuroplasticity.

What makes Ashwagandha unique in regards to its brain health-promoting effects is that it targets some very unique pathways. For example, while many brain health-promoting supplements support neuroplasticity by promoting brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, Ashwagandha also targets glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). This neurotrophic factor is not often discussed in the context of brain health supplements, due to the fact that not many supplements act on GDNF. With this in mind, Shoden can be a fantastic standalone supplement for promoting brain health while also helping to round out an advanced neuroplasticity-promoting stack!