May Help Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Ashwagandha is perhaps best known today as an adaptogen that helps your body better handle stress. How? “Ashwagandha adapts to the nervous system of the person taking it. Its superpower ability is to sense in the body if your nervous system needs to go up or down,”. So if you’re nervous and anxious, the herb might help soothe you, but if you’re feeling down, it can help lift you up, similar to ginseng, another popular herbal root.
 
In a meta-analysis of 12 papers that included more than 1,000 people, supplementing with ashwagandha was found to reduce anxiety and stress better than a placebo, though “the certainty of evidence was low,” the authors note. This means that more research is needed to verify this possible health benefit. One of the trials considered compared a placebo versus 240 milligrams (mg) of an ashwagandha extract once per day for 60 days in stressed yet healthy adults. Those in the ashwagandha group had reduced scores on a scale measuring anxiety and lower stress-related hormones, including lower morning cortisol and DHEA-S (a circulating steroid).
May Improve Fertility
Fertility is complex, and many factors go into both female and male reproductive health. Ashwagandha has traditionally been used in ayurveda to support fertility, and there are some studies on this.
 
In a meta-analysis of both human and animal studies, researchers concluded that there is some evidence that ashwagandha use may decrease infertility by improving semen quality, as well as improve the health of hormones that play a key role in ovulation and testosterone and sperm production. Although the exact reasons aren’t known, researchers stated that antioxidants in ashwagandha may be involved. These studies suggest only a potential fertility-supporting effect and don’t prove that ashwagandha will actually increase your chances of becoming pregnant; more studies are needed.
​
May Help You Sleep Well
If you’re struggling to get the sleep you need, ashwagandha may help make your night more relaxing. A randomized, placebo-controlled study from India of healthy people and those with insomnia found that taking ashwagandha for eight weeks improved various measures of sleep: actigraphy, daily monitoring of movement, and standardized self-reported measures, including shortening the time it took to doze off, sleep quality, and daytime alertness. And the benefits were more pronounced in the insomnia group. Researchers note that the herb may affect certain neurotransmitters involved in sleep.
​
Ingredients: Ashagwandha, shilajit & shiitake.