Evidence supporting the use of: Ashwagandha
For the health condition: Mental Illness

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 3

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has a long history of use in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as a "rasayana" or rejuvenator, often employed to support mental well-being and reduce stress. In recent years, scientific studies have begun to investigate these traditional claims. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed ashwagandha’s effects on anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms. For example, a 2012 double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that ashwagandha extract significantly reduced scores on the Perceived Stress Scale and reduced cortisol levels compared to placebo. Other RCTs have indicated that ashwagandha supplementation may modestly reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality in individuals with mild stress or anxiety disorders.

Mechanistically, ashwagandha is thought to act as an adaptogen, modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and reducing stress hormone (cortisol) secretion. There is also some evidence that ashwagandha may influence neurotransmitter systems implicated in mood regulation, such as GABAergic and serotonergic pathways. However, most studies to date have had relatively small sample sizes, short durations, and have primarily focused on stress and mild anxiety rather than severe psychiatric disorders. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses generally conclude that ashwagandha appears safe and may provide mild to moderate benefits for stress and anxiety, but more large-scale, high-quality trials are needed to confirm its efficacy and clarify its mechanisms of action.

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Other health conditions supported by ashwagandha

Addictions (drugs)
Addictions (general remedies for)
Adrenal Fatigue
Afterbirth Pain
Aging (prevention)
Alcoholism
Allergies (respiratory)
Alzheimer's Disease
Amenorrhea
Anemia
Angina
Anorexia
Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders
Appetite (deficient)
Anger (excessive)
Arthritis
Asthma
Athletic and Exercise Aids
Attention Deficit Disorder
Autoimmune Disorders
Backache
Bedwetting
Body Building
Cancer (natural therapy for)
Cancer (prevention)
Cancer Treatment (reducing side effects)
Cholesterol (high)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder
Circulation (poor)
Concentration (poor)
Depression
Diabetes
Digestion (poor)
Emotional Sensitivity
Endurance (lack of)
Energy (lack of)
Epilepsy
Erectile Dysfunction
Exercise
Fatigue
Fear (excessive)
Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Goiter
Grief and Sadness
Hair (graying)
Hair (loss or thinning)
Hair Care (general)
Headache (general)
Headache (tension)
Heart (weakness)
Hot Flashes
Hypertension
Hypothyroid
Hysteria
Infertility
Inflammation
Insomnia
Irritability
Leucorrhea
Lyme Disease
Memory and Brain Function
Menopause
Menorrhagia
Menstrual Irregularity
Menstruation (scant)
Mental Illness
Migraine
Miscarriage (prevention)
Mood Swings
Muscle Tone (lack of)
Nervous Exhaustion
Nervousness
Neurosis
Nightmares
Nocturnal Emission
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Osteoporosis
Pain (general remedies for)
Parkinson's Disease
Peripheral Neuropathy
Pets (supplements for)
PMS (general)
PMS Type C
PMS Type D
Post Partum Depression
Post Partum Weakness
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Premature Ejaculation
Prolapsed Uterus
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sex Drive (low)
Sleep (restless and disturbed)
Stress
Syphilis
Tension
Testosterone (low)
Thinking (cloudy)
TMJ
Tremors
Triglycerides (high)
Tuberculosis
Vitiligo
Weight Gain
Weight Loss
Worry
Wounds and Sores