Is Ashwagandha safe ? What is Safe and What not?

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 10:04 am

Ashwagandha has been used traditionally for so many years. It has many proven medicinal properties and so now ashwagandha has been used widely for its health benefits. But Is Ashwagandha safe as medicine? it has now been widely used, so obvious now people have this concern in their minds.

Is ashwagandha safe for use, is daily use of ashwagandha safe or not, its side effects and potential risks regarding consumption of ashwagandha are also other issues people are being more conscious about. Especially the health-conscious people.

In this blog, I will try to elaborate on the safety concerns about ashwagandha use in different situations and health conditions. I hope you will get every answer about everything you are looking for the safety of Ashwagandha.

Benefits of Ashwagandha

Since ashwagandha has been used to treat many health conditions, ashwagandha can be considered a multipurpose medicinal agent. Many studies and clinical trials have been conducted on this herbal medicinal drug. All the studies done to find the therapeutic use of ashwagandha give promising results in many health conditions. We will discuss some of them.

• Act as an adaptogen: Ashwagandha is known for its adaptogen properties. Adaptogen is a drug that adapts and copes with mental and physical stress. The study shows that ashwagandha significantly reduces stress, level with increased sleep quality and body-mind coherence.

• Reduces blood pressure: Ashwagandha has been studied to evaluate its use in controlling blood pressure. The results from these studies are positive. The study shows a significant reduction of systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure in the individuals treated with ashwagandha.

• Increases muscle mass: Ashwagandha is also known for its use in increasing body endurance and strength. Ashwagandha does this by increasing muscle size and strength. Study published in 2015 shows that ashwagandha helps in muscle development and recovery which directly affects the increase in muscle size and mass.

• Anti-inflammatory: The study shows ashwagandha as an inflammatory drug. This study shows the effectiveness of ashwagandha in various inflammatory rheumatological conditions like arthritis.

• Improve sexual health: In ayurveda, ashwagandha is considered as rasayana which means elixir of life. The name Ashwagandha suggests that strength is equal to the horse. It is well established in the study that ashwagandha helps in increasing testosterone, improvement in fatigue, vigor, and psychological well-being which helps in increasing sexual stamina.

Apart from this, there are many other benefits of ashwagandha in health-related issues. We have seen some of them in which ashwagandha seems to show promising results.

Now without wasting much time let’s see if is it safe to use ashwagandha for the above or any given health issue.

Safety Profile of Ashwagandha

There have been many studies done to ensure the safety and efficacy of ashwagandha as a medicinal drug. Many studies have shown that the use or consumption of ashwagandha in any form is generally safe. Of course, there are some protocols you need to follow before starting to consume the ashwagandha for any health benefits.

But for now, I will give a detailed explanation of currently available studies on the safety of ashwagandha.

There are many studies, research, and review articles available on this topic. We will discuss a few of them.

One of the present studies revealed that the daily consumption of root extract for 8 weeks is safe in both males and females. The study only highlighted the consumption of ashwagandha till 8 weeks, which was revealed as safe. However, further research needs to be conducted a study for the long-term use of ashwagandha.

Another study from Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine highlighted the use of ashwagandha SR capsules for 90 days. This study gave insight into the use of ashwagandha sustained-release capsules for a term like 90 days. A study suggests that ashwagandha SR capsules can be safely used once daily as an adaptogen.

One review article published in 2000 ensures the safety of ashwagandha for therapeutic use as an adaptogen, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer.

There is also a study for 10 weeks. It was a placebo-controlled study. 58 participants were studied during the study. Participants from the study were instructed to administer 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily for 10 weeks to treat insomnia and anxiety. A study showed this ashwagandha root extract was well tolerated with no significant side effects.

So based on current research and studies the ashwagandha in any form is generally safe and has no significant side effects after consumption.

Now I know you are having other doubts also regarding the safety of ashwagandha. Do not worry. I have tried to cover all the queries you might have regarding this topic. We will see them in detail.

Is Ashwagandha safe for any age?

There is very limited research done focusing on studying the safety and use of ashwagandha according to age or age groups. The available research and the studies we have discussed earlier are generally safe for consumption in adults. There is very little or no research available that focuses on the safety and efficacy of ashwagandha use in children, adolescents, and elderly age groups.

However, there has been a study about the use of ashwagandha root extract in children to treat ADHD. The study didn’t show any significant risk or side effects after consuming ashwagandha root extract in different dosages. However, a concrete conclusion is needed to solidify this outcome.

Also read- Does ashwagandha kill emotions?

For now, there are two things I can say about this. As there is not enough research and studies done on this aspect, there is a need to study the use of ashwagandha in different age groups.

Second thing, if you seek to have traditional medicine therapy for your children consult with your healthcare professional. Experts will evaluate the possible side effects of the use of ashwagandha according to age and other factors. If they find everything fair, they might customize the form and ashwagandha for your children.

Is it safe to take Ashwagandha daily?

There is no scientific research that shows the use of ashwagandha daily is harmful to any individual. So, you should only be concerned about the duration of consumption of ashwagandha.

Studies are showing only safety when being taken ashwagandha for 90 days or 8 weeks. More or less, other research studies also show this duration of consumption of ashwagandha being safe.

So, you should be only concerned about the duration of consumption of ashwagandha, like for how many days you are taking it. If you are using ashwagandha for a longer duration, consult your doctor.

Is Ashwagandha safe during breastfeeding?

Again, there is no solid evidence about the safety of using ashwagandha during your breast-feeding period. So here, it’s not possible to explain the effects of ashwagandha on breast milk or infants.

But what is important here is that this ashwagandha contains many active ingredients like many alkaloids. These elements can interfere with the production or quality of breast milk. This can harm the infant also. So here I would say you to play safe during using the ashwagandha when you breastfeed.

You must consult your healthcare professional before using ashwagandha or any herbal medicine during your breast-feeding period. They would give you a personalized treatment adding ashwagandha in safe dosage, considering your health and other factors.

What about using ashwagandha during pregnancy?

There are some mixed types of opinions and studies related to the safety of using ashwagandha during pregnancy.

Again, this means that you cannot take a chance to risk your life and others also. It is a mixed type of suggestion which makes NO for use.

This study is positive about the use of any rasayana during pregnancy. It says that rasayana not only helps the mother but also improves the health of a fetus. While we know that ashwagandha is a type of rasayana.

There is another study that does not contraindicate ashwagandha during the pregnancy period. Study shows that there is no toxicity seen in the mother as well as in the fetus upon using ashwagandha during prenatal development.

Most of the research has been done on non-pregnant adults including females. So, there is not much scientific data on this aspect.

Is Ashwagandha safe for women?

Any woman can use ashwagandha with some considerations. Unlike men, women have no drawback in consuming ashwagandha. You just have to consider some factors like pregnancy, breastfeeding, and hypersensitivity to ashwagandha.

In those cases, you must consult your healthcare professional before choosing any herbal treatment including ashwagandha.

One of the reasons for this consideration is the complicated female physiology. The female body always has loads of hormones or play of hormones going in the female body. So, the use of ashwagandha may interfere with any of the hormones. Disturbances in this hormone cause many issues regarding menstrual period and pregnancy.

How much ashwagandha per day is safe?

There is no fixed range for the dosage of ashwagandha that needs to be given to patients to treat specific conditions. Your healthcare provider will evaluate your disease, history, age, and other vital factors to determine the dose of ashwagandha.

According to most research, the ashwagandha extract in 250 to 500 mg per day is proven to be beneficial to treat any given condition.

For example, to treat anxiety, this research proved the dose of 225–600 mg for 1–2 months to be beneficial. For sexual dysfunction and sperm motility, the dose of about 5 gm per day for 3 months has given the best results. The 2009 research article has documented these amazing results after treating with ashwagandha. It is observed that 14% of females have got pregnant after taking the treatment of ashwagandha for infertility.

If you want to take ashwagandha for muscle growth and to increase strength the study revealed that 500 gm of ashwagandha for 12 weeks would be beneficial. The same effects were observed in this study when ashwagandha extract was used in a dose of 750-1250 mg for 30 days.

So meanwhile the dose of ashwagandha is varied. It will depend on the need for use, the duration for how long you are consuming, and other factors. The healthcare professional will assess all these factors before deciding your dose. There is also another factor that will determine the dose to be given. The form of ashwagandha to be given is also crucial when deciding the dose of ashwagandha to be used.

The ashwagandha comes in different forms as powder, root extract, tablets or capsules, and tincture. All these forms have their own properties and absorption potential which differentiate them from each other while deciding the dosage of ashwagandha.

FAQ’s