Ashwagandha and stress

What 2 graded rows on ashwagandha agree on for stress, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.

Consensus finder Rows from the Ashwagandha page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides

What the rows agree on

Each block and row is one graded row from the Ashwagandha page, with its PubMed record.

Supplement

Ashwagandha Choose another

2 rows · 1,490 people

They agree: both rows found an improvement.

No difference

Improved

Each block is one evidence row, sized by how many people it enrolled, with its grade inside.

From the rows

The best-graded row, grade B, is a meta-analysis of 1,002 people (2022) and found an improvement.

The rows run from 488 to 1,002 people, published from 2022 to 2025: 2 pooled reviews and 0 single studies.

2 improved

Grade BPerceived stress · Improved
Meta-analysis, 12 studies · n 1,002 · 2022 · 12 RCTs, adults aged 25–48
Varied; dose-response analysis favored 300–600 mg/day for stress · Varied across trials
Stress (SMD -1.75) and anxiety (SMD -1.55) fell versus placebo. Heterogeneity was very high (I² 83–94%) and certainty of evidence was low.
Row on the Ashwagandha page · PubMed 36017529 (opens PubMed)
Grade BCortisol · Improved
Meta-analysis, 7 studies · n 488 · 2025 · RCTs of at least 2 weeks: 7 reported cortisol and 6 perceived stress (488 participants in total)
At least 250 mg/day (inclusion criterion) · At least 2 weeks (inclusion criterion)
Cortisol fell by 1.16 µg/dL versus placebo (95% CI -1.64 to -0.69). Perceived stress did not change significantly (SMD -0.355; 95% CI -1.188 to 0.47). Risk of bias was generally moderate.
Row on the Ashwagandha page · PubMed 40746175 (opens PubMed)