Ashwagandha root extract for stress and weight in adults
What it found
In 91 overweight adults, taking ashwagandha root extract for 24 weeks led to greater weight loss and larger drops in stress scores than a placebo.
The authors say it was well tolerated.
What they found
Studies in people
Weight and BMI
People taking ashwagandha lost an average of 8.46 kg and reduced their BMI by 3.31, compared with 2.41 kg and 0.93 in the placebo group. The difference was statistically significant.
Perceived stress
Stress scores on the Perceived Stress Scale dropped by 6.16 points in the ashwagandha group versus 1.43 points with placebo. The authors report this as a significant improvement.
Food cravings
Total food craving scores fell by 21.24 points with ashwagandha and 8.28 with placebo. All craving domains improved significantly except thoughts about food.
Quality of life
Scores on a quality-of-life survey rose by 9.38 points in the ashwagandha group compared with 2.54 points in the placebo group.
Cortisol levels
Blood cortisol dropped from 13.91 to 8.90 mcg/dL in the ashwagandha group, a larger fall than in the placebo group. The authors call this a significant reduction.
Side effects
Seven people in the ashwagandha group and six in the placebo group reported mild side effects like nausea, stomach pain, or drowsiness. All resolved without treatment.
What the authors conclude
“The present study demonstrates that Ashwagandha root extract significantly reduces stress levels, thereby contributing to decreased body weight and reduced food cravings.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that ashwagandha root extract significantly reduces stress, which contributes to decreased body weight and reduced food cravings.
- They state that it was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events or clinically meaningful changes in laboratory safety parameters over 24 weeks.
- They support the long-term use of ashwagandha root extract as a safe and promising intervention for stress and stress-related weight management in overweight adults.
How it was done
Stress is linked to weight gain through raised cortisol and increased food cravings. The authors wanted to test whether ashwagandha root extract could help with both stress and weight management over a longer period.
They randomly assigned 100 adults aged 19 to 65 with a BMI of 25.0 to 39.9 to take either 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract or a placebo twice daily for 24 weeks. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who got which. The final analysis included 91 people.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was done at a single center with a limited demographic, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- Diet, sleep, and physical activity were not monitored, so these factors could have influenced the outcomes.
- The trial cannot show whether ashwagandha works the same way in people who are not overweight or who have different health conditions.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- D Y Patil University School of Medicine, India
The paper
- Title
- Efficacy and safety of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) root extract on stress and weight management in adults: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Pakhale K, Pakhale R, Srivathsan M, Langade J, Langade D (2025). Efficacy and safety of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) root extract on stress and weight management in adults: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of medicine and life. doi:10.25122/jml-2025-0147Free full textPubMed 41635453DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error