These 5 Reasons Are Why You Should Be Taking Ashwagandha
It's no secret that it's vital to stay active and work toward a healthy lifestyle, and getting enough sleep is just one way to help do that. You've probably also heard of a number of different wellness trends that claim to be the magic pill, and adaptogens are probably on that list as well. As the name gives away, these herbs and mushrooms can help your body deal with the environmental stresses that we deal with every day. If you're keen to maintain homeostasis as you navigate life's stresses, adaptogens could help.
While there's a lot to explore here, consider starting with one of the more popular adaptogenic herbs: ashwagandha. It already has a global market size of more than $42 million, and experts predict it will see a compound annual growth rate of more than 11% between now and 2029. You can attribute this growth to the many health benefits of ashwagandha supplements.
What is ashwagandha?
Before we dig into ashwagandha's benefits, let's briefly introduce this plant.
We get ashwagandha supplements from Withania somnifera, an evergreen shrub that grows in dry regions in Asia and Africa. Also called winter cherry, this plant has been used in Ayurvedic medicine since 6000 B.C.
Specifically, ancient Ayurvedic practitioners and people today use the root and leaves of the plant for their medicinal benefits. You can find an ashwagandha supplement in powder or pill form to take orally or spot it in other products like teas. Because it's so popular, you can now find ashwagandha in most pharmacies, big-box grocers and health stores. You can also get it online.
Dosage
Ashwagandha, just like other dietary supplements, isn't regulated by the FDA.
Still, you don't have to guess how much to take. Studies have examined incorporating doses ranging widely but generally between 125 and 1,000mg. Many study dosages lie somewhere in the middle, with participants taking 500 or 600mg of ashwagandha daily, often divided into morning and evening doses.
The amount you need to see benefits depends on the health goal you're trying to accomplish. Do some research based on the specific supplement you plan to take and what you want to achieve. Always speak with your doctor before starting any new dietary supplements.
5 benefits of ashwagandha
Azay photography/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Adding an ashwagandha supplement could give you a safe, natural way to improve your wellness. Here are a few of the more popular uses of this adaptogenic herb.
1. Manage stress
When it comes to ashwagandha benefits, mitigating stress tops the list. One study, for example, found that people taking 600mg of ashwagandha root each day for 60 days "exhibited a significant reduction in scores on all the stress-assessment scales." Other studies have found similar stress-busting results.
2. Reduce inflammation
If you want to fight swelling, consider this natural option. Studies have shown that ashwagandha supplements can reduce inflammation by delivering a chemical compound called Withaferin A, and ashwagandha may also reduce swelling when applied topically.
3. Boost your immunity
Want to give your body a stronger defense system? Consider an ashwagandha supplement, which studies show can improve your immune response even at a dose as low as 60mg daily. Winter might be the best time to try this supplement out.
4. Improve your sleep
A relatively recent meta-analysis of studies using ashwagandha found that it can improve your sleep and help you feel more mentally alert when you wake up. If you've felt groggy after taking melatonin to improve your sleep, consider swapping it for this adaptogen.
People seem to see the best sleep-related ashwagandha benefits when taking 600mg or more daily.
5. Reduce cancer risk
Specific studies have shown that ashwagandha can help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and may even aid in the side effects of cancer treatment, such as inflammation. An ashwagandha supplement may help your body defend against cancers, including:
Brain
Breast
Colon
Lung
Ovarian
Prostate
Who should not take ashwagandha?
While most studies found little to no adverse effects of ashwagandha, it can cause drowsiness, upset stomach and digestive issues if taken in extremely high doses.
If you're on diabetes medication, skip ashwagandha, because it might cause your blood sugar to dip too low. Similarly, ashwagandha might cause hypotension (low blood pressure), especially if taken with a medication that targets high blood pressure.
You should also avoid it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. The National Library of Medicine's resource, MedlinePlus, says that some evidence suggests it might contribute to miscarriages.
Similarly, MedlinePlus cautions against using ashwagandha if you have a thyroid condition or autoimmune disorder.
Ultimately, any supplement can potentially interact with medication. So if you're taking something prescribed by your doctor, talk with them about adding ashwagandha or any other supplement to your routine.
Bottom line
Eugenuiz Dudzinski/iStock/Getty Images Plus
For many people, ashwagandha can bust stress and boost immunity while helping to fight inflammation, cancer and sleep problems. With so many ashwagandha benefits on offer, you might want to consider trying this plant-based supplement for yourself.
While no safe or effective dosage has been established, ashwagandha tends to be added to supplements that already contain other herbs, vitamins or minerals. Talk with your doctor first to ensure you steer clear of unwanted side effects and drug complications.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
Emulate Launches AVA™ Emulation System to Accelerate Drug Development With First-of-its-Kind High-Throughput Organ-Chip Platform
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emulate, Inc., the world leader in Organ-on-a-Chip technology, today announced the commercial launch of the AVA™ Emulation System, a self-contained instrument that cultures, incubates, and images up to 96 independent Organ-Chip samples in a single run. AVA delivers an unprecedented magnitude of in vivo -level insights faster than animal models while cutting consumable costs four-fold and in-lab labor by half compared to current generation technologies. These transformative capabilities give the pharmaceutical industry the practical means to pivot beyond animal testing and into truly human-relevant territory. With the FDA targeting animal studies to become 'the exception rather than the norm,' the need for proven human models is urgent. Emulate's Liver-Chip S1—the first and only Organ-Chip admitted to the FDA's ISTAND program. Share 'AVA gives scientists unprecedented experimental capacity with the biological depth of live human tissue—something no other platform can match,' said Jim Corbett, Chief Executive Officer at Emulate. 'By combining Emulate's proven Organ-on-a-Chip technology with high-throughput consumables, automated imaging, and streamlined workflows in one benchtop unit, AVA lets teams ask bigger questions earlier and move the right drug candidates forward faster.' AVA Emulation System: Three Instruments in One AVA is the first self-contained Organ-on-a-Chip workstation to fuse high-throughput microfluidic tissue culture, full environmental control, and real-time imaging into a single, compact benchtop unit. Key performance gains include: Expanded experimental power – 96 independent Organ-Chip samples in a single run enable researchers to achieve microplate-level scale of their Organ-Chip experiments, enabling side-by-side comparison of dozens of compounds, doses, or stimuli. Lower operating costs – AVA achieves a four-fold drop in consumable spend and up to 50% fewer cells and media per sample compared to previous generation technology. Time & labor savings – Hands-on, in-lab time is reduced by more than half, thanks to automated microscopy, remote monitoring, and the revolutionary new Chip-Array™ consumable that integrates 12 independent Organ-Chips into an SBS format for streamlined workflows with multichannel pipettes and automated liquid handlers. AI-ready datasets – A typical 7-day experiment can generate >30,000 time-stamped data points from daily imaging and effluent assays, with post-takedown omics pushing the total into the millions—providing a rich, multi-modal foundation to feed machine-learning pipelines for target discovery, lead optimization, and safety prediction. A Timely Answer to Shifting Regulations With the FDA targeting animal studies to become 'the exception rather than the norm,' the need for proven human models is urgent. Emulate's Liver-Chip S1—the first and only Organ-Chip admitted to the FDA's ISTAND program—has already outperformed animals, showing 87% sensitivity and 100% specificity for drug-induced liver injury in a 2022 Communications Medicine study. AVA now scales that level of human relevance across discovery, efficacy, and toxicology screens, accelerating safer therapies through the pipeline. 'Moving towards reduction and in some cases replacement of animal models demands both biological fidelity and throughput,' noted Dr. Lorna Ewart, Emulate Chief Scientific Officer. 'AVA meets those dual requirements, empowering teams to rank-order lead candidates, pinpoint off-target toxicities, and advance safer therapies with unprecedented speed and confidence.' Broad Impact Across Industries In biopharma, this type of reduction and replacement is already a reality. A leading pharmaceutical company has demonstrated the power of implementing Organ-Chips into their development pipeline when one of their scientists saved millions of dollars and years of development time by using Emulate Liver-Chips ahead of non-human primates to screen lipid-nanoparticle (LNP) candidates. AVA's leap in throughput of predictive human biology stands to benefit not only biopharma but a wide spectrum of sectors that currently rely on inaccurate animal testing. Large pharmaceutical pipelines can now run comparable screens in a single AVA experiment, while smaller biotech teams gain enterprise-level capacity without adding headcount or infrastructure. Beyond therapeutics, contract research organizations, consumer-product companies, and environmental agencies can harness AVA to evaluate industrial chemicals, food additives, and cosmetic ingredients under human-relevant conditions—bringing faster, more ethical safety and efficacy decisions to market-driven and regulatory programs alike. Availability Global orders are open immediately. For pricing or demonstrations, please submit a request here. About Emulate Emulate, Inc. is the pioneer of Organ-on-a-Chip technology, enabling researchers to accurately replicate human tissue function and disease biology through next generation in vitro models. From target discovery to IND submission, Emulate aims to ignite a new era in human health research—one that reduces animal testing, cuts drug development costs, and accelerates the delivery of life-saving treatments. Emulate's Organ-Chip platforms, consumables, and organ models help the world's leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic teams generate human-relevant data that advance safer, more effective therapies. Learn more at
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Health New England to replace Humira coverage with lower-cost biosimilars
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Health New England announced Monday that it will shift coverage of the biologic drug Humira to more affordable FDA-approved biosimilars starting next month for members of its commercial health plans. Markey playing defense against GOP clean energy plans Effective July 1, the not-for-profit health insurer will cover Amjevita by Nuvaila and Hadlima instead of Humira, as part of a broader effort to manage rising health care costs while maintaining access to effective treatments. Humira is used to treat several chronic inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and plaque psoriasis. 'Biologic medications like Humira are complex treatments that carry significant cost. Its biosimilars provide a meaningful opportunity to enhance affordability for the health care ecosystem while members continue to get the full benefits of the medication,' said Gary Tereso, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy Services at Health New England. Biologic drugs are made from living organisms and are typically more expensive than other medications. Biosimilars are developed to be nearly identical in safety, potency, and efficacy to the original biologic, but at a significantly lower cost. The shift in coverage is intended to make treatment more accessible and financially sustainable for members and employer groups alike. Health New England is directly reaching out to members who are currently prescribed Humira, along with their health care providers and pharmacies, to assist with the transition. The company said it will continue monitoring the biosimilar marketplace to ensure members receive both high-quality care and cost-effective treatment options. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Medscape
6 hours ago
- Medscape
Part D Cancer Drug Launch Prices Soar Past Inflation
Launch prices for Medicare Part D anticancer drugs have risen sharply since 2012, with a mean increase of $1694 per year. In 2025, the observed prices were 15%-200% higher than expected if the increases were due to inflation alone, but the gap between observed and inflation-adjusted prices narrowed over the study period. METHODOLOGY: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 introduced price negotiation for Medicare-covered drugs and required manufacturers to pay rebates to Medicare for price increases above inflation. But it did not address the launch prices of new drugs. Anticancer drugs, a protected drug class with mandatory Medicare Part D coverage, may now be especially prone to higher launch prices, in part because the Inflation Reduction Act limits out-of-pocket spending and price increases after market entry. Researchers identified 86 branded, self-administered, molecularly targeted anticancer therapies approved by the FDA between January 2010 and December 2024. Data on drug prices were obtained from the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Formulary and adjusted for inflation. The researchers looked at launch prices by year and compared drug prices in 2025 with those expected if launch prices had increased due to inflation alone since the drug's market entry. TAKEAWAY: The mean monthly launch price increased from $10,954 for drugs first observed in the Medicare formulary in 2012-2014 to $27,891 for drugs first observed in 2023-2025. After adjusting for inflation, the mean launch price increased by $1694 per year ( P < .001). < .001). In 2025, actual drug prices were 14.8%-200.9% higher than expected if they had only kept pace with inflation. Although the gap between observed and inflation-adjusted prices narrowed over time, price increases continued to outpace inflation in 2023 and 2024, despite the Inflation Reduction Act rebate requirement, which will result in rebates to Medicare starting in fall 2025. IN PRACTICE: 'Launch prices for self-administered targeted anticancer therapies have grown precipitously, although no evidence was found of disproportionate increases in recent years. Instead, continued launch price growth for anticancer therapies was observed, consistent with prior research,' the study authors wrote. 'This suggests that companies were already engaging in price maximization for anticancer therapies and continued to do so after the implementation of the [Inflation Reduction Act].' SOURCE: This study, led by Stacie B. Dusetzina, PhD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, was published online in JAMA . LIMITATIONS: This study used example indications to determine monthly doses and pricing. Additionally, variations in available price measures were noted over the study period. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by Arnold Ventures. Several authors reported receiving grants or personal fees and having other ties with various sources.
