Ashwagandha, also known as Withania somnifera, is an ancient herb revered in Ayurveda—the traditional medicine system of India—where it has been used for thousands of years. Modern researchers have now begun to unravel why this herb has so many wide-reaching benefits for human health.
Ashwagandha’s traditional medicinal uses are so numerous, it’s difficult to list them all. However, some of its well-known uses are promoting youthful vitality and longevity, enhancing the function of the nervous system, and sharpening the intellect.
In the West, ashwagandha has been studied extensively and is known as a potent adaptogen. Adaptogens, according to the Cleveland Clinic, “are plants and mushrooms that help your body respond to stress, anxiety, fatigue, and [improve] overall well-being.”
Studies have also shown that ashwagandha supports the adrenals, increases stamina, and has neuroprotective effects.
Ashwagandha sales have skyrocketed in the United States due to its adaptogenic properties, and this has resulted in a rapid increase in research studies of its biological effects, particularly of its applications for stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Americans are some of the most stressed out people in the world—at 20 percent higher than the global average—according to the American Institute of Stress.
A 2022 poll by the American Psychological Association details the main stressors for the average American:
The survey also noted that 27 percent of Americans reported that most days their stress levels are so high they are unable to function, 70 percent reported they do not think people in the government care about them, and 64 percent said they felt their rights were under attack. More than three-quarters of U.S. adults (76 percent) said that the future of our nation is a significant source of stress in their lives and 68 percent said this was the lowest point in our nation’s history that they can remember.
We all experience stress in our daily lives, from being late for work, taking a particularly difficult exam, or having to make a presentation in front of a room full of people. These are types of acute stress. They happen in bursts, and each time we have an acute stress, cortisol—a stress hormone—is released into our bloodstream, our bodies pump more oxygen to our brains, and our heartbeat increases, which helps us focus on and deal with the stressful event as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Once the event is over—we get to work, write the exam, and have finished the talk—our bodies’ systems normalize, cortisol levels go back to normal, and we go on with our day. This type of stress usually doesn’t cause us harm and, in small amounts, can actually be beneficial.
There is another type of stress however, that is not good for us, and that is chronic stress. This is when the stresses in our lives are ongoing, and our bodies react in the same way they do to acute stress—but then remain on “high alert—with elevated cortisol levels and increased heart rate, which can lead to a whole cascade of health problems because we are simply not made to remain in that state for extended periods. Remaining in this state depresses the immune system, upsets the digestive system, and can cause a whole host of other problems.
Adaptogens are plants and fungi that naturally help the body resist the negative effects of stress. Adaptogens help us to build resilience to stress by stabilizing physiological processes and promoting homeostasis, or equilibrium—keeping our internal systems balanced. Adaptogens help the body to “adapt” to stressors by strengthening and balancing internal systems, which help stabilize our moods, improve focus and performance, and promote vitality.
Adaptogens naturally work with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which is central to the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis and works through a complex system of glands and hormones. For example, if we are feeling stressed or anxious because our bodies have too much of the stress hormone cortisol, adaptogens can help lower it to bring the body back to a state of balance, which makes us feel less stressed. Conversely, if there is not enough of a certain hormone, adaptogens can bring levels back up to where they should be, which is part of their ability to maintain homeostasis and help make us feel more even-keeled, especially when dealing with stress.
Ashwagandha is most famous for its powerful ability to lower stress and anxiety, and for helping the body to build resilience with its normalizing effect on the body’s processes. There have been numerous scientific studies demonstrating ashwagandha’s beneficial effects against stress.
A systematic review published in 2022, wanted to evaluate whether ashwagandha supplementation had a beneficial effect on anxiety and stress based on previous studies. A search of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar from their inception until 2021, including randomized clinical trials, was evaluated. Various studies containing a sample size of 1,002 participants that were between the ages of 25–48 years were evaluated in the review. Based on the previous studies, the review concluded that ashwagandha supplementation significantly reduced anxiety and levels of stress compared to a placebo.
In a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, ashwagandha root was used to evaluate the effects of reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Sixty-four adults with a history of chronic stress were enrolled in the study after measuring levels of blood cortisol (a stress hormone) and assessing scores on standard stress assessment questionnaires. The group was randomized to either a placebo control group or the drug treatment group and each took a capsule twice a day for sixty days.
The treatment group had capsules that contained 300 mg of high-concentration, full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root, the other group received a placebo. The group taking the ashwagandha showed a significant reduction in scores on all the stress assessment tests, and serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced in the ashwagandha group compared to the placebo group. The researchers concluded that (high-concentration full-spectrum) ashwagandha root safely and effectively improves resistance to stress and improves self-assessed quality of life based on the results of the study.
In mice, ashwagandha was shown to prevent stress-induced gastric ulcers. It was also shown to prevent an increase in the weight of the adrenal glands, which is a sign of chronic stress, as well as stabilize cortisol levels. The findings were published in the International Journal of Crude Drug Research.
Ashwagandha has also been shown to benefit the thyroid. A study involving rats published in Molecular Biology Reports in 2019, concluded that ashwagandha (in the form of a methanolic extract) improved thyroid function by enhancing and regulating thyroid hormones and preventing oxidative stress in mice with induced hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Ashwagandha was even found to be more effective than the anti-hypothyroidism medication used in the study.
In a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2017, researchers tested the efficacy of ashwagandha on subclinical hypothyroidism—a thyroid disorder without obvious symptoms of thyroid deficiency that, according to the study, affects approximately 3–8 percent of the global population.
A total of fifty subjects between the age of 18–50 with elevated blood thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels–a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, were included in the study. They were split into two groups, one receiving ashwagandha and the other a placebo over an eight-week treatment period. The treatment group received 600 mg of ashwagandha root extract daily and the other received starch as a placebo.
Thyroid stimulating hormone, T3 and T4 (both hormones produced by the thyroid gland and are at low levels in hypothyroidism) were measured. The results showed that patients receiving the ashwagandha had significantly improved levels of TSH, T3, and T4 compared to those in the placebo group. The researchers concluded that ashwagandha treatment effectively normalized the serum thyroid measurements during the treatment period in a significant manner.
Ashwagandha is also known for its neuroprotective abilities.
In a review published in 2020 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, researchers set out to assess and summarize Ashwagandha’s use in brain disorders. The review concluded that ashwagandha has “extensive potential” as a neuroprotective in a variety of brain disorders which is supported by preclinical studies, clinical trials, and published patents.
Ashwagandha is an incredibly versatile herb, and although there is much interest in studying its medicinal effects, science is still learning about its healing capabilities and how they work. For our fast-paced modern lifestyles, and the continuing stresses the past few years have presented us with, ashwagandha is a wonderful herb to help us manage chronic stress that may seem overwhelming or beyond our control.
Although ashwagandha is a marvelous herb to help us manage chronic stress, our absolute best option is to try to keep stress to a minimum, and although this is not always possible, implementing some long-term strategies like regular exercise, prioritizing sleep, and regular faith or meditation practice are excellent ways to manage chronic stress and keep us happy, healthy human beings.