Ashwagandha extract cut stress in studyAshwagandha extract cut stress in study

An Indian supplier of a proprietary ashwagandha extract has released study results showing the product significantly reduced anxiety in a group of healthy adults with high stress.

The new research was published in the journal Heliyon.  It was the work of a team of researchers associated with a hospital in India. The study was conducted using a proprietary extract branded as Shoden, which is manufactured by Indian supplier Arjuna Natural. The study’s authors said Arjuna provided the study material free of charge but did not fund the study.

Longtime Ayurvedic mainstay

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an evergreen shrub native to the Indian subcontinent that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. It has been used as an adaptogen, which is “loosely defined as a compound or product that increases the ability of a person to resist, adapt or become resilient in nonspecific ways to biological, physical or chemical stressors,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Per NIH, ashwagandha has been shown to have some efficacy in cases of stress and anxiety as well as a sleep aid.

There has been some controversy about the makeup of the products used in studies. One prominent and well-funded ashwagandha supplier has made the case that the traditional makeup of the ingredient is from the root of the plant and only those ingredients should properly be labeled as ashwagandha. However, other extracts incorporating the leaves have come onto the market. 

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Shoden is an ashwagandha root and leaf extract that the company says is standardized to 35% withanolide glycosides, which is postulated as the main bioactive ingredient in the botanical.

To test the ingredient’s effects on generalized anxiety, the researchers recruited 60 subjects who were healthy but were experiencing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), as measured by a standardized questionnaire. The participants were men and women between the ages of 18 and 60.

Three-arm study design

The placebo-controlled, double-blinded study was structured in three arms to allow the researchers to test different Shoden dosages. One arm took a daily dose of a capsule containing 60 mg (milligrams) of the extract, while another arm took a 120-mg daily dose. The third arm took an equivalent placebo. The study lasted for 60 days.

The primary outcome was the participants’ score on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, or HAM-A, which is a validated tool for measuring anxiety symptoms.

Secondary outcomes were measured by other psychological evaluation tools such as clinical global impression scores (CGI), perceived stress scale scores (PSS), and patient global impression of change (PGIC).  In addition, blood draws at 15-day intervals tested for serum cortisol (a stress hormone) and testosterone levels.

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Significant results achieved

The researchers found significant results in all three outcomes. Subjects’ stress levels were reduced, serum cortisol levels were reduced, and men saw their testosterone levels increase.

The HAMA scores decreased (higher means more stress) about 59% for both ashwagandha groups, indicating a lower dose was about equally effective. The two dosages were about equally effective in quelling cortisol secretion, with levels dropping about 66% for both groups.

Men in the low-dose group saw their testosterone levels increase by 22% while the high-dose group saw a 33% increase. There were no significant before-and-after differences for any of these measures in the placebo group.

“Although there was a non-significant trend favoring the higher dosage of 120 mg over the 60-mg dose in reducing stress and anxiety, the overall results suggest that both doses are effective. Ashwagandha extract with 35% withanolide glycosides can be recommended for individuals seeking to reduce high levels of stress and anxiety,” the authors concluded.

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