Ashwagandha for Stress: What the Research Shows and Who Should Ask First

Short answer: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says some ashwagandha preparations may be effective for stress, but the studies have been small and used many different preparations. Ashwagandha is not for everyone. NCCIH says it should be avoided during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, is not recommended for people with thyroid or autoimmune disorders or before surgery, and may interact with several kinds of medicine. Check those first, and ask your prescriber or pharmacist if any of them apply to you.

Stress is real, and a supplement is a small part of the answer

NCCIH describes stress as a physical and emotional reaction to life's challenges. Your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure go up, and your muscles tense. Occasional stress is a normal coping mechanism, but NCCIH notes that long-term stress may contribute to or worsen problems such as headaches, digestive disorders and sleep disorders.

NCCIH points first to something you already have: the relaxation response, which slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure. Breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga and mindfulness meditation are among the ways people bring it on, and NCCIH says current evidence suggests mindfulness meditation may help reduce symptoms of stress and may help improve sleep. None of these needs a purchase, and they can sit alongside anything else you decide to try.

Ashwagandha: what the research shows, and its limits

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, sometimes called Indian ginseng) is an evergreen shrub that has been used for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Supplements usually contain the root, the leaf, or extracts of them.

Here is how NCCIH sums up the research: it says research shows that "some ashwagandha preparations may be effective for … stress," and that "evidence is unclear about its effects on anxiety." It adds that "many of the studies have had small sample sizes and have used a variety of ashwagandha preparations."

Three points follow from that:

• Preparations differ. A study of one extract tells you about that extract. A product with a different part of the plant, a different extract or a different amount may not behave the same way.
• Long-term use isn't well studied. NCCIH's safety information covers use for up to 3 months and says there is not enough information to reach conclusions about long-term use.
• Side effects happen. NCCIH lists drowsiness, stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting in some people.

Who should skip it or ask first

These cautions come from NCCIH's ashwagandha page. Read them before anything else:

• Liver. Although it is rare, a number of cases have linked liver injury to ashwagandha supplements.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. NCCIH says ashwagandha should be avoided during pregnancy and should not be used while breastfeeding.
• Thyroid and autoimmune disorders. It is not recommended for people who have autoimmune or thyroid disorders.
• Upcoming surgery. It is not recommended for people who are about to have surgery.
• Medicines. NCCIH says there is evidence it might interact with medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure, immunosuppressants, sedatives, anti-seizure medicines and thyroid hormone medicines.
• Prostate cancer. Because of its possible effect on hormone levels, NCCIH says people with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it.

If you take levothyroxine or another thyroid medicine, our guide to supplements and thyroid medication covers other products worth raising with your prescriber. Whatever you take, bring the full list, including nonprescription medicines and other supplements, and use a checklist before starting any new supplement. Never change a prescribed medicine to make room for a supplement; that decision belongs to your prescriber.

Rhodiola: popular, but the evidence is thin

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea, also called golden root or arctic root) is often promoted for stress and energy. NCCIH's rhodiola page is blunt: "There isn't enough reliable evidence to determine whether rhodiola or its components are useful for any health-related purpose." Most research in people is of low-to-moderate quality.

NCCIH lists dizziness, headache, insomnia, and dry mouth or extra saliva as possible side effects. Interactions between rhodiola and losartan, a blood pressure medicine, have been reported, and little is known about its use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

L-theanine and magnesium: what we can and can't say

Magnesium is an essential mineral. MedlinePlus says magnesium "helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function." That is a role in the body, not evidence that a magnesium supplement changes how stressed you feel. A 2017 systematic review of magnesium and self-reported anxiety and stress found that none of its 18 studies used a validated measure of stress, and it rated the quality of the existing evidence as poor. Magnesium can also show up in a multivitamin and other products, so add up every label.

L-theanine is also sold as a supplement; when it is in a VitOptics pack, each capsule holds 200 mg.

When it's more than everyday stress

Feeling anxious in response to stress is normal. NCCIH explains that anxiety disorders are different: the feeling becomes a severe, persistent problem that is hard to control and affects day-to-day life. They are generally treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both. NCCIH's advice is direct: "If you think you may have an anxiety disorder, talk with your health care provider."

The same applies to stress that won't let up. NCCIH says that if you are struggling to cope, or your symptoms won't go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. A supplement is not a substitute for that conversation.

How VitOptics handles a stress goal

VitOptics builds a personalized daily supplement pack from a free, three-minute assessment. "Stress resilience" is one of the goals you can choose. The assessment also asks for your medicines, your conditions, the supplements you already take, and whether you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive.

Automated checks review the recommendation; some profiles need additional review by a person on our team. A second automated check reads the whole pack before release. A few examples of what that looks like in practice:

• The health screen asks about upcoming surgery, liver disease, an organ transplant or immunosuppressant, and seizure disorder, bipolar disorder or high-risk psychiatric medication. Ticking one of these sends your result to a person on our team, with one exception: if the psychiatric box is explained only by one or two common antidepressants, your result can be released automatically under fixed rules, and our system does not pick rhodiola for it.
• If you report insulin or another diabetes medicine with a higher risk of low blood sugar, a fixed rule withholds ashwagandha from your automatic pack.
• If our system adds rhodiola to a pack on its own, its card is labelled "Popular choice" and says its studies have been small and their results mixed, rather than presenting it as research-backed.

When ashwagandha is in a VitOptics pack, each capsule holds 95 mg of ashwagandha root extract (standardized to 1.5% withanolides) plus 380 mg of organic ashwagandha root. That may differ from the preparations used in the studies NCCIH describes. Your result lists every formula, the amount of each ingredient and the reason it is there, so you can show it to your doctor or pharmacist before you start. Our article on how a personalized recommendation should be built explains the thinking behind this, and this page shows how our personalized vitamin packs work. When you're ready, start your free assessment and list everything you take.

From $59 a month, priced by what’s in your pack and the same every month · free standard U.S. shipping · U.S. only

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Sources

1. NCCIH: Ashwagandha (last updated March 2023)
2. NCCIH: Rhodiola (last updated April 2025)
3. NCCIH: Stress (last updated April 2022)
4. NCCIH: Anxiety (last updated September 2024)
5. MedlinePlus: Magnesium in diet (reviewed January 2025)
6. Nutrients (Boyle et al., 2017): The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety and stress, a systematic review

Read more in the VitOptics learning hub.

This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Prepared with AI assistance using the sources linked in this article.

Last updated: October 2026