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Randomized trial · measured the question itself

90-day trial in 70 adults with depression and anxiety: better scores with ashwagandha

Majeed and colleagues · Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2024

Original title: A Standardized Withania somnifera (Linn.) Root Extract with Piperine Alleviates the Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression by Increasing Serotonin Levels: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Under review. A person has not yet checked this summary against the paper. It is written from the PubMed abstract. Until a person checks it, search engines are asked not to list this page.

What the study found

Points to benefit

Anxiety (HARS) and depression scores improved more with ashwagandha than placebo (p < 0.001) on days 30, 60, and 90. Serum serotonin rose with ashwagandha and fell with placebo (p < 0.001).

The study at a glance

Type of study
Randomized trial
Who or what was studied
70 people · adults with mild to moderate depression and anxiety
What was tested
500 mg a day of ashwagandha root extract with piperine for 90 days, vs placebo
What it measured
The question itself: stress, anxiety and cortisol
Daily amount
500 mg a day
How long
12.9 weeks
Trial registration
CTRI/2022/05/042640
Who has a stake
No disclosure in PubMed
No disclosure in PubMed.
Journal
Journal of integrative and complementary medicine, 2024
Source
PubMed record 37878284. 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: 70 people.
  • •Lasted 12.9 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 two reads agreed on every checked field. 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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