اشوگندھا · Withania somnifera, asgand
Mixed evidence
The best-studied herb for anxiety and stress — with a liver-safety question that deserves an honest mention.
This is information, not medical advice. This page is information, not medical advice. Nothing here is a prescription, a diagnosis or a recommendation to take anything, and none of it replaces a doctor who knows your history. Supplements are not harmless because they are natural: they interact with prescription medicines, some are unsafe in pregnancy, and a few can cause real damage. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything here, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, have a liver, kidney or heart condition, or take any regular medication. Never stop a prescribed antidepressant to try a supplement instead.
A root used in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine for centuries, long sold in Pakistan as asgand nagori. Classed as an adaptogen.
Multiple randomised trials report reduced anxiety and stress scores against placebo, and several report lower cortisol. It is the strongest herbal evidence base for anxiety that exists. The caveats are real: most trials are small, short, and run or funded by the companies selling the extract, and different studies use different extracts.
Trials commonly used 300 to 600 mg daily of a root extract standardised to its withanolide content, over eight to twelve weeks.
Recorded because a person who has decided to try something will find a number somewhere, and a forum's number is worse than a trial's. It is not a recommendation, and the right amount for you depends on things only a doctor who knows your history can weigh.
Cases of liver injury have been reported, some serious - stop and see a doctor for yellowing of eyes or skin, dark urine, or persistent nausea and right-sided pain. Avoid in pregnancy. Can raise thyroid hormone levels, so care with thyroid conditions or thyroxine. May add to sedatives, and may stimulate the immune system, which matters in autoimmune disease or after a transplant.
Sold widely as asgand by pansaris, usually as loose powder of unknown strength. Loose herbal powders here are not tested for heavy metals, which is a genuine problem with traditional medicines - a sealed, labelled product costs more and is safer.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything else you take, prescription and herbal both. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a liver, kidney, heart or thyroid condition, ask first. And if what brought you here is that you have been feeling low or frightened for weeks, that deserves more than a supplement — ask us anything, anonymously, or talk to us on WhatsApp.