Ashwagandha root extract and perceived stress in adults
The question: Does ashwagandha help with stress?
- Study type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Participants
- 64
- Population
- Adults with a history of chronic stress, single centre in India
- Intervention
- 300 mg ashwagandha root extract twice daily
- Compared with
- Placebo
- Duration
- 60 days
- Published
- Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 2012
- Funding note
- Commercial ingredient supplier involvement reported
What was measured
Standardised stress and anxiety questionnaires and serum cortisol.
What was found
Compared with placebo, the ashwagandha group reported greater improvement on stress and anxiety scales, and serum cortisol fell further.
Limitations
Small, single-centre and short. The extract was a commercial ingredient and the trial has industry links. Results apply to that specific extract and dose.
What it means
An early, encouraging signal for one standardised extract. It does not tell us how ashwagandha performs over the long term or how different products compare.
Source
Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255-262.
Read the original (DOI 10.4103/0253-7176.106022) · Source verified 8 October 2026
Study summaries describe published research for education. They are not claims about any product and are not medical advice.