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Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) supplementation

RCTs and meta-analyses of Ashwagandha extracts report large pooled reductions in anxiety and stress self-report scales versus placebo with very high heterogeneity and low certainty—distinct from prescription anxiolytics, magnesium trials, or mindfulness curricula.

Scope

Ashwagandha here means oral Withania somnifera extracts studied as dietary supplements for stress, anxiety, sleep, or related self-report scales in randomised trials.

Variation (same hub)

Root powder vs concentrated extracts, withanolide content, extraction solvent, and co-use with caffeine / other adaptogens are within-family variation—do not equate positive trials across different commercial products.

Evidence anchors (PubMed)

  • Pooled anxiety/stress MA: Akhgarjand et al. 2022 (Phytother Res; PMID 36017529; akhgarjand-2022-ashwagandha-anxiety-stress-meta-phytother-res) — 12 RCTs, n = 1,002; pooled SMD signals for anxiety and stress versus placebo with I² ≈ 84–94% and low certainty language in the abstract.

Distinct protocols (do not merge)

  • Mindfulness meditation (meditation-practice) — attention-training programmes without herbal pharmacology.
  • Magnesium supplementation (magnesium-supplementation) — mineral sleep/anxiety RCTs.
  • Marine omega-3 (marine-omega-3-supplementation) — EPA/DHA cardiovascular/psychiatry adjunct literature.

Safety / clinical hygiene

Discuss sedation, thyroid, pregnancy/lactation, autoimmune therapies, and CNS-active drugs with clinicians before high-dose or chronic use—this wiki curates trial summaries, not personalised supplement plans.

Tertiary map

Consumer herb encyclopedia pages are navigation only—SMD / CI / GRADE language stays on the PubMed-linked row above.

Evidence