herb · for insomnia
Ashwagandha
Lowers stress hormones. Best if worry is what keeps you awake.
Say that in clinical terms
Ashwagandha contains triethylene glycol which induces non-rapid eye movement sleep. It also reduces cortisol levels, addressing stress-induced insomnia, and modulates GABAergic pathways to promote sleep onset and duration.
How strong is the research?
1 paper read, 1 supporting.
Who was studied: Adults with diagnosed insomnia who were also anxious.
How much to take
daily, with evening dose before bed
300–600 mg
The triethylene glycol in ashwagandha has sleep-promoting properties. Take 300mg with dinner or before bed.
Before you take it
- Hepatotoxicity documented in NIH LiverTox (NBK548536): case reports of clinically apparent liver injury including fatal acute liver failure; doses in case reports ranged from 450–1,350 mg/day; withanolides are the prime suspect; avoid in pre-existing liver disease or with concurrently hepatotoxic medications.
- Contraindicated in pregnancy: historically used as an abortifacient; animal studies demonstrate fetal harm; insufficient human safety data to establish a safe dose during pregnancy.
- May elevate thyroid hormones (T3 and T4): avoid in hyperthyroidism or when co-administering thyroid hormone medications.
- Potentiates CNS depressants (benzodiazepines, z-drugs, sedatives, alcohol): additive CNS depression risk.
- In vitro CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 inhibition observed: clinical significance uncertain; flag in any polypharmacy context.
- Immunostimulatory activity: may counteract immunosuppressive therapy in transplant recipients or patients treated for autoimmune disease.
- No established Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): NIH ODS has not defined a UL for ashwagandha; long-term safety beyond 8–12 weeks has not been adequately studied in controlled trials.
- Additive sedation risk: ashwagandha potentiates CNS depressants; insomnia patients are more likely to be concurrently prescribed z-drugs or benzodiazepines, creating a clinically relevant additive sedation risk not present in other symptom contexts
When to take it
Best taken: evening
What we make of it
Same 60-person study as our sleep quality claim, and the sleep compound is in the leaf, not this extract.
The detail
This rests on the same 60-person trial we use for sleep quality. The compound thought to induce sleep comes from a leaf water extract, which is not what the branded root extract contains.