Ashwagandha in a can.
Arjuna Natural's Shoden-R ashwagandha is now in beverages and chews. See the sparkling water, strawberry peach drink, and orange mango chews at Expo West 2026.
A few years ago, that idea was mostly wishful thinking! Traditional extracts were bitter, cloudy, and practically impossible to work with in liquid formats. Arjuna Natural changed that with Shoden-R, a 100% root extract that's odorless, tasteless, water-soluble, and clinically effective at just 60mg per serving.
We covered the technical breakthrough in our Shoden-R ingredient deep dive and first saw the concept prototypes at SupplySide Global 2025. Now the products are real, they're being sampled, and Arjuna Natural's team is bringing them to Natural Products Expo West 2026.
What Makes Shoden Different
Shoden is Arjuna Natural's flagship ashwagandha extract, standardized to 35% withanolide glycosides by HPLC, far above the 2.5% to 10% found in most commercial extracts. That distinction isn't just a number on a spec sheet. The glycoside form retains a sugar molecule attached to the core withanolide structure, which protects the compound during digestion and drives dramatically higher absorption.
A 2023 pharmacokinetics study found that despite containing far fewer raw withanolides per capsule, Shoden delivered over 18x higher total withanolide exposure (AUC) and 6x higher peak plasma concentration (Cmax) compared to a standard high-dose ashwagandha extract.[1]
Arjuna Natural's Shoden-R ashwagandha just won Ingredient Idol at SupplySide Global 2025. The root-only extract is water-soluble, works at 60mg, and finally makes ashwagandha viable in beverages, gummies, and RTD formats.
That bioavailability advantage translates directly to clinical outcomes at low doses. In a 2024 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 60mg of Shoden daily reduced serum cortisol by 66% over 60 days, while the 120mg group saw a 67% reduction. The placebo group saw 2%.[2] Earlier research showed significant improvements in sleep quality at 120mg, and meaningful testosterone support in men at doses of 60mg to 240mg.[3]
Shoden-R takes the same withanolide glycoside profile and reformulates it specifically for beverages: 100% root-derived, water-soluble, colorless, and neutral in taste. Where Shoden uses roots and leaves and suits heat-stable solid formats like capsules and chews, Shoden-R is engineered for clear liquid applications. Both deliver at the same 60mg to 120mg clinical range.
And that brings us to what you can find at Expo West:
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Shoden-R in a Can (and a Stick Pack)
Arjuna is currently showcasing two ready-to-drink beverages built around Shoden-R: a pineapple sparkling water and a strawberry peach drink. Both use Shoden-R at 75mg per serving -- right in the sweet spot of the clinically studied range.
What makes this possible is the ingredient itself. Shoden-R's withanolide glycoside structure gives it genuine water solubility, which lets it drop cleanly into carbonated and still beverages without sediment, cloudiness, or off-flavors. Most ashwagandha extracts need 300mg to 600mg to do anything meaningful. At 75mg, Shoden-R stays out of the way of your flavor system entirely.
Bennito Russo, Keely Johnson, and Nipen Lavingia from Arjuna Natural's team reveals the science behind Shoden ashwagandha's superior bioavailability and their industry-leading botanical standardization on the PricePlow Podcast #171.
For a deeper look at why the glycoside structure matters, check out Episode #171 of the PricePlow Podcast, where Arjuna's team breaks down the science behind both Shoden and Shoden-R.
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Orange Mango Chews, Too
Beyond beverages, Arjuna is also showcasing Shoden orange mango chews, bringing a soft chew format delivering 60mg of Shoden per piece. This one uses the roots-and-leaves variant (Shoden, not Shoden-R), which suits the chew manufacturing process thanks to its heat stability.
Soft chews have become one of the fastest-growing supplement formats, largely because consumers prefer them over capsules and powders. The confectionery-style delivery format also opens doors to retail channels that traditional supplement packaging can't reach. At 60mg, a single chew delivers a full clinical dose without the chalky texture or masking flavors that plague most botanical gummies.
If you want to see how Shoden-R fits into a complete nighttime formula concept, our Formulator's Corner #22 walks through exactly that.
Win Some Product
Our own Cody at Bevlab will be getting his hands on both the beverages and the chews -- and we're embedding his take below once it goes live. Check back shortly.
Want to get your own? Follow @PricePlow and @BevlabMedia on social media for giveaway announcements. Details are coming soon.
Find Arjuna Natural at Expo West
Arjuna Natural won't have a booth at Expo West 2026 this year, but the team will be walking the show floor all week. Keely Johnson will be there through the week, with Bennito possibly joining for at least one day. Don't recognize them? Then see them in action on Episode #171. They'll have chews on them, so if you're in the industry and want to try the products in person, track them down.
What if one evening formula could tackle stress, sleep, AND hydration? Formulator's Corner #22 designs a nighttime recovery powder with Shoden-R ashwagandha, glycine minerals, and smart osmolytes. Will a brand bring it to market?
And if you're not attending Expo West, keep an eye on Arjuna's upcoming news. A major sports nutrition brand is launching a product featuring Shoden in the coming months, and it's going to be worth watching. Subscribe below to get notified when that drops.
Stay on Top of Arjuna Natural News
There's a lot happening in Arjuna's world right now -- new product formats, a pending clinical study on cortisol awakening response, a women's health study, another podcast, and more brand partnerships on the horizon. You're going to love the new product coming from a major brand, to be detailed here soon. The Shoden Revolution is happening.
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