Ashwagandha: Efficacy in Stress Reduction and Health Benefits
Psychological stress plays a significant role in our society, with worldwide prevalence constantly increasing in recent years. When encountering a stressor, a complex cascade of physiological responses is initiated, leading to the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the secretion of the primary stress hormone, cortisol.
However, chronic stress or ongoing exposure to stressors can disrupt the balance of the HPA axis, causing prolonged elevated cortisol levels. This dysregulation can lead to adverse health effects, including anxiety, depression, metabolic disorders, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular diseases, and sleep difficulties. Therefore, strategies to reduce the impact of stress and improve stress-related symptoms are of great interest to the general population.
Ashwagandha: A Powerful Adaptogen
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), also known as Indian Ginseng or Winter Cherry, is an herb belonging to the family of “adaptogens,” substances that regulate metabolism when the body is perturbed by physical or mental stress and help the body adapt to this stress. Recent clinical studies on humans have shown that WS extract is well-tolerated and can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in stressed subjects, exerting its effect by modulating cortisol and testosterone levels.
The purpose of this study was to support the role of an aqueous extract of ashwagandha root and leaf (WS) in stress reduction by confirming the lowest clinically validated dose for stress management (125 mg/day) in a dose-dependent clinical study on adults with self-reported high stress.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted over 8 weeks to compare the effects of three different doses of WS extract (125, 250, and 500 mg). A total of 131 adults were enrolled, and 98 were included in the final analysis. Chronic stress reduction was measured using the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and biochemical stress-related parameters.
The study demonstrated that WS extract safely reduces mild to moderate chronic stress at doses of 125 mg, 250 mg, and 500 mg/day for 8 weeks. The results show the stress reduction capabilities of ashwagandha at the low dose of 125 mg/day in a dose-dependent manner, through the modulation of the HPA axis.
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Source: Pandit, S.; Srivastav, A.K.; Sur, T.K.; Chaudhuri, S.; Wang, Y.; Biswas, T.K. Effects of Withania somnifera Extract in Chronically Stressed Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2024, 16, 1293. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091293
