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Randomized trial · measured the question itself

12-week trial in 66 people with schizophrenia: better depression and anxiety scores with ashwagandha

Gannon and colleagues · Annals of clinical psychiatry · 2019

Original title: Effects of a standardized extract of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on depression and anxiety symptoms in persons with schizophrenia participating in a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

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What the study found

Points to benefit

In this side analysis, depression and anxiety-depression scores favored ashwagandha over placebo, with effect sizes of 0.683 (95% CI, 0.16 to 1.21) and 0.686 (95% CI, 0.16 to 1.21). Side effects were mild.

The study at a glance

Type of study
Randomized trial
Who or what was studied
66 people · people with schizophrenia having a flare-up of symptoms
What was tested
1,000 mg of standardized ashwagandha extract (how often not stated) for 12 weeks, added to usual treatment, vs placebo
What it measured
The question itself: stress, anxiety and cortisol
How long
12 weeks
Who has a stake
No disclosure in PubMed
No disclosure in PubMed.
Journal
Annals of clinical psychiatry, 2019
Source
PubMed record 31046033. This page is based on the abstract only.

How much this study counts

  • ✓Randomized: people were put into groups by chance, so the groups start out alike.
  • ✓Compared with a placebo, a dummy treatment.
  • •Medium size: 66 people.
  • •Lasted 12 weeks.
  • ✓Measured the question itself: stress, anxiety and cortisol.
  • •The PubMed record has no conflict-of-interest statement.
  • •Summarized from the PubMed abstract only. The full paper may hold details the abstract leaves out.

✓ Strength– Limit• Note

These points come from fixed rules about the type of study, its size and length, what it measured, and who has a stake. Every study on Digestery gets the same rules.

Where this study sits

Each dot is one on-topic paper on this question. Steps near the top answer the question more directly.

↑ Stronger evidence

  1. Trials in people: stress and anxiety

    9

    7 benefit, 2 no difference

    ↑ This study is the ringed dot

  2. Trials in people: other measures

    6

    3 benefit, 1 mixed, 1 no difference, 1 no direction

  3. Trials in people: lab tests or safety

    1

    1 benefit

  4. Population studies

    1

    1 benefit

  5. Blood levels and genes

    0

    None among the papers we read.

↓ Weaker evidence

  • Points to benefit
  • Mixed
  • No difference
  • No direction
  • Points to harm

How it fits with the other research

The short answer to “Does ashwagandha reduce stress and anxiety?”

Possibly, but the evidence is weak.

Confidence: low. Based on 24 on-topic papers.

Read the full answer

Of the other 8 papers on the same step: 6 benefit, 2 no difference. This one found benefit. It agrees with most of them.

Other papers on the same step

See all 24 studies on this question

How this page was made

Label

First read of the abstract
Claude Sonnet
Independent second read
Claude Haiku
Differences settled
The reviewer corrected 3 fields after reading the abstract. Claude Opus 5.5.
Headline
Claude Sonnet, from the checked study record. A script checked its numbers and wording.
Numbers
Checked against the abstract by a script
“How much this study counts”
Fixed rules, the same for every study
Source check by a person
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