Yes, you can take ashwagandha and creatine together. They work in different ways, and the NIH's list of possible ashwagandha interactions does not include creatine, so many people who lift take both: creatine for the work inside a session, ashwagandha for the days between them. MAXIS Ashwagandha+ KSM-66® 600 mg with Eury Gold 28® Tongkat Ali 400 mg is built for that second role.† Below is what each was studied for, how to take them side by side, and who should check with a doctor first.
Key takeaways
- We did not find a published trial that tested ashwagandha and creatine together. Each has been studied on its own, mostly alongside resistance training.
- Creatine is taken daily, 3 to 5 g a day once muscle stores are full. Timing matters less than taking it every day.
- KSM-66® ashwagandha trials in trainees used 600 mg a day for 8 weeks.
- The NIH lists possible ashwagandha interactions with several medications. Creatine is not among them.
- Check with a doctor first if you are pregnant, have a thyroid, autoimmune or kidney condition, or take prescription medication.
Featured in this article: MAXIS Ashwagandha+. 600 mg KSM-66® ashwagandha and 400 mg Eury Gold 28® tongkat ali per two-capsule serving, 30 servings per bottle. Helps the body adapt to stress and supports energy and stamina.† See the full label and dosing →
Can you take ashwagandha and creatine together?
The research below concerns individual ingredients, not the finished MAXIS products.
The two ingredients do different jobs. Creatine is a compound your body makes and also gets from meat and fish. About 95% of it sits in skeletal muscle, where it helps regenerate energy during short, hard efforts. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), supplementing raises muscle creatine and phosphocreatine by roughly 20 to 40%.
Ashwagandha is a root, sold mostly as standardized extracts. It is studied for how people handle everyday stress, for sleep quality and, in a smaller set of trials, for training outcomes.
Because they act in different ways, taking both is a matter of adding them to your routine, not swapping one for the other. What is missing is a trial of the combination itself, so any claim that the pair does more than either alone goes beyond the evidence.
What the KSM-66® ashwagandha training research measured
One trial gave 57 men aged 18 to 50 who were new to resistance training either 300 mg of KSM-66® root extract twice a day or a placebo for 8 weeks, with supervised training three days a week. The ashwagandha group gained more bench-press strength (46.0 kg vs. 26.4 kg) and leg-extension strength (14.5 kg vs. 9.8 kg), and more arm and chest size, than the placebo group. That 600 mg daily total is the amount in a two-capsule serving of Ashwagandha+.
A 2021 systematic review covered 13 trials in 615 healthy adults and pooled 12 of them. In the five trials that measured strength and power, ashwagandha outperformed placebo by a medium margin, and eight trials that measured fatigue and recovery also favored it. The authors noted the small number of studies and called for more research in trained athletes.
Not every trial agrees. In a 2023 study of national-team wrestlers on intensive training, 600 mg a day for 8 weeks did not change body composition more than placebo did; both groups improved with training alone. For more on the extract itself, see What Is KSM-66 Ashwagandha?
How to take ashwagandha and creatine
| Creatine monohydrate | KSM-66® ashwagandha | |
|---|---|---|
| Amount studied | 3–5 g a day to maintain stores | 600 mg a day |
| Timing | Any time, every day, including rest days | Same time each day |
| Time frame | Stores fill in about 4 weeks at 3 g a day, or 5–7 days with loading | Trials measured results at 8 weeks |
| Form | Powder mixed into a drink | Capsules |
The ISSN describes two ways to fill creatine stores: 5 g four times a day for 5 to 7 days, then 3 to 5 g a day, or 3 g a day for 28 days with no loading. MAXIS Micronized Creatine Monohydrate provides 5 g per scoop, so one scoop a day sits at the top of the maintenance range. For timing details, see Best Time to Take Creatine.
There is no need to space the two apart. A simple routine is a scoop of creatine in your morning water or post-workout shake and two capsules of ashwagandha with breakfast. Whatever time you choose, consistency matters more than the clock for both.
Safety: who should check first
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says ashwagandha appears well tolerated for up to about three months, while evidence on use over many months or years is lacking. Reported side effects are mostly mild: stomach upset, loose stools, nausea and drowsiness. Rare cases of liver injury have been reported with ashwagandha products. The NIH notes possible interactions with thyroid hormone, diabetes, blood pressure, immunosuppressant and sedative medications; creatine is not on that list.
The ISSN position stand concludes that creatine is safe and well tolerated in healthy people at recommended doses. Creatine raises blood creatinine, a marker used in kidney tests, so tell your doctor you take it before blood work, and ask first if you have a kidney condition. For a fuller list of cautions, see Ashwagandha Side Effects.
Skip both, or ask your doctor first, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18.
Where MAXIS Ashwagandha+ fits
MAXIS Ashwagandha+ provides 600 mg KSM-66® ashwagandha root extract and 400 mg Eury Gold 28® tongkat ali root extract (standardized to 28% glycosaponins and 10% eurypeptides) per two-capsule serving, with 200 mg velvet bean (15% L-Dopa) and 50 mg each of tribulus, muira puama and maca. It helps the body adapt to stress and supports energy, stamina and healthy hormone balance.† Take two capsules a day, ideally at the same time. It sits in our Recover collection.
It is not for anyone under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding. Check with your doctor first if you have a thyroid, autoimmune or hormone-sensitive condition, or take MAOIs, antipsychotics, Parkinson's, sedative, immunosuppressant or blood pressure medication. Stop two weeks before surgery, and do not combine it with MAXIS Men's Vitality, which also contains ashwagandha and tongkat ali.
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Pairs well with
- MAXIS Micronized Creatine Monohydrate: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per scoop and nothing else, 100 servings. It supports increases in strength and lean body mass when combined with resistance training.† It covers the training side while Ashwagandha+ covers the days between.† See Micronized vs. Regular Creatine Monohydrate.
Both come together in the Train & Recover Stack: one tub of Micronized Creatine Monohydrate and one bottle of Ashwagandha+ in a single order.
FAQ
Is it safe to take creatine and ashwagandha together?
Creatine is not on the NIH's list of possible ashwagandha interactions, and each is well tolerated in healthy adults at studied doses. No trial has tested the pair directly, so check with your doctor if you have a medical condition or take medication.
Should I take ashwagandha before or after a workout?
It does not need to be timed to training. Trials gave it daily for weeks, so take it at the same time each day, whether or not you train.
Does ashwagandha increase muscle like creatine?
They are studied differently. Creatine raises muscle creatine stores directly. In one 8-week trial, trainees taking 600 mg of KSM-66® ashwagandha gained more strength and muscle size than placebo, but a 2023 trial in wrestlers found no added change in body composition.
How much is in one serving of MAXIS Ashwagandha+?
Two capsules of Ashwagandha+ provide 600 mg KSM-66® ashwagandha and 400 mg Eury Gold 28® tongkat ali. One bottle holds 30 servings.
References
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. PMC5469049
- Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9
- Bonilla DA, Moreno Y, Gho C, Petro JL, Odriozola-Martínez A, Kreider RB (2021). Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on Physical Performance: Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-Analysis. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. mdpi.com
- Długołęcka B, Jówko E, Kotowska J, Gierczuk D (2023). Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Supplementation on Body Composition and Blood Health Indices in Professional Wrestlers. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism. doi:10.2478/pjst-2023-0022
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Ashwagandha: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
