Glizzy Pills: TikTok Myth or Health Reality?

What is Ashwagandha?

If I had to pick an herbal supplement that was my absolute favorite, it would be ashwagandha. I think it’s incredibly valuable for so many reasons, and my husband and I take it daily.

The herb is one of the most important in Ayurveda, a form of traditional Indian medicine based on holistic, natural healing. For thousands of years, people have used ashwagandha to improve concentration, relieve stress and anxiety, and increase their energy levels.

In Sanskrit, ashwagandha means “smell of the horse,” referring to its ability to increase strength. The technical herbal name is Withania somnifera, and it’s also known as winter cherry and Indian ginseng.

General benefits of this Ayurvedic herb include:

• The ashwagandha herb can relieve stress and anxiety. It’s characterized as an adaptogen. Adaptogens help your body deal with stress in healthy ways. It reduces your stress response, and in research studies, taking it regularly for eight weeks often leads to significantly lower levels of perceived stress and lower cortisol levels over time. 
• Taking the supplement can help with sleep quality.
• Ashwagandha powder and supplements may reduce blood pressure. 
• Research finds taking ashwagandha can have benefits on athletic performance. Research confirms it can improve physical performance, including oxygen use and strength during exercise.
• There’s some evidence ashwagandha improves muscle strength. In one study, male participants taking 600 mg of ashwagandha per day had greater muscle size and strength gains than a placebo group.
• Several mental health conditions may be helped by ashwagandha, including depression. In one study, participants taking 1000 mg of the herbal supplement daily for 12 weeks had more reductions in depression and anxiety than people who took a placebo.
• There’s a bit of evidence so-called glizzy pills could help people with a high blood sugar level or high blood glucose level or diabetes. Clinical studies’ effects on blood glucose and related factors include reduced blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and oxidative stress markers.
• The impact of ashwagandha may reduce inflammation, which is one of the primary reasons my husband and I take it. The compounds the herb contains target inflammatory pathways in the body. These compounds can reduce levels of inflammatory proteins like interleukin-10. In a study from 2008, adults taking ashwagandha for 60 days had significant reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker. Similar results were found in another study of people with COVID-19.
• There are cognitive, and brain function benefits that researchers believe may be linked to ashwagandha supplements. In a review of five clinical studies, ashwagandha showed potential to improve cognitive functioning. In a study of 50 adults, taking 600 mg of ashwagandha per day for eight weeks improved memory, attention, and information processing speed.
• We mentioned this briefly above, but ashwagandha can help with sleep issues, alertness, and feeling refreshed when you wake up. It could be because it reduces anxiety. The benefits seem to be best for sleep when more than 600 mg a day is taken for eight weeks or more.

Do “Glizzy Pills” Help with Sexual Function?

The term glizzy pills that originated on TikTok focuses primarily on the potential benefits of ashwagandha for sex. 

There is some scientific research to back some of this up. First, ashwagandha has been found to improve testosterone in men. In one study, men who took ashwagandha had testosterone levels five times higher than participants who didn’t.

Research also finds ashwagandha supplements improve luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and prolactin in infertile men. Those are all factors associated with male fertility and sperm quality.

In another study, 57 men who didn’t have a significant history of weight training were divided into two groups. One group took ashwagandha, and both groups participated in strength training for eight weeks.

After eight weeks, the group that took ashwagandha herbal powder had more increases in strength when performing leg extension and bench press. The ashwagandha group also had more muscle size in the chest and arms.

The group taking ashwagandha herbal products also had a bigger increase in their testosterone levels, by quite a bit. In the placebo group, the ashwagandha group had an average testosterone increase of 96.2 ng/dL versus 18.0 ng/dL.

The ashwagandha group had more reductions in body fat percentage too.

In another study, during 16 weeks, men received either an ashwagandha extract or a placebo. The ashwagandha group had a 14.7% higher increase in testosterone than the placebo group.

In a study of 43 overweight men with mild fatigue, they took either ashwagandha extract or a placebo each day for eight weeks. The treatment with ashwagandha was associated with an 18% higher increase in DHEA-S, a sex hormone that plays a role in testosterone production.

A review of four studies found the herbal supplement significantly increased sperm concentration, sperm motility, and semen volume in men with both low and normal sperm counts.

Below we detail some other ways ashwagandha can improve sexual function for men.

Reduces Cortisol

Cortisol is a stress hormone. Our bodies release it when we’re in a stressful situation, but modern living can cause our bodies to get stuck in that high-stress mode. Then your cortisol levels are chronically high.

Cortisol and testosterone are made from the same precursors. If there’s a high demand for cortisol production, it will lower your testosterone production.

That’s why stress can greatly impact libido, weight, energy, and mood.

A dose of ashwagandha helps reduce cortisol levels, which is one way it can help with testosterone and sexual function.

Nitric Oxide Production

There’s some evidence ashwagandha can stimulate nitric oxide production in the body. Natural dilation can occur, which then helps every part of your body get more blood flow, including your penis. When you have constricted blood flow or constricted blood vessels, it can have significant sexual effects. 

Sex Drive

According to Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha is a natural aphrodisiac. There’s the potential to boost your sex drive and help you have more stamina, although it is based on ancient medicine and anecdotal evidence.

Stress Relief

Stress, anxiety, and depression impact your testosterone levels and sexual desire. When you take ashwagandha, it can improve your mood and mental health, leading to sexual benefits.

Mental health symptoms are a big part of erectile dysfunction, and these natural products have proven benefits for mental health.

Will Ashwagandha Make Your Penis Bigger?

A question circulating in response to all the TikTok videos about glizzy pills is whether or not ashwagandha will make your penis bigger. That we can’t say for sure. Some people swear ashwagandha for penis growth is a thing, but there isn’t any research on the topic.

We know that ashwagandha can reduce stress and anxiety and improve sexual function, testosterone levels, strength, and muscle mass. Who knows, maybe future research will confirm the use of ashwagandha for penis enlargement. 

Is Ashwagandha Safe?

One of the best things about supplementing with ashwagandha is that it’s well-studied and considered very safe for most people. Taking very large doses might upset the stomach or vomiting, so follow the dosage instructions on the product you buy. Otherwise, there are few known ashwagandha side effects. 

How Should You Take Ashwagandha?

The big thing to remember when taking an herbal supplement like ashwagandha is that it will not act the same way as a prescription pharmaceutical drug. That means that taking ashwagandha isn’t going to be like taking Viagra. Instead, it’s something you need to take consistently, and within a few weeks, you should start to see benefits.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for whatever brand you choose, by usually around 600-1200 mg a day is considered a good dose for men. If you don’t notice benefits right away, be patient.

Many people take ashwagandha at night since it helps them sleep, but you can experiment and find what works for you because everyone’s different. 

What Are the Best Glizzy Pills to Try?

If you’re interested in getting in on the glitzy pills trend, three of our favorite types of ashwagandha for men are below.