Best Time to Take Ashwagandha for Anxiety

Suppose you are the type of person who is curious about the world of dietary supplements or medicinal plants. In that case, you may have heard of Ashwagandha, also called poisonous gooseberry, winter cherry, or Indian ginseng.

This curious plant with an exotic name is an annual evergreen shrub native to India and some parts of Africa that brings many therapeutic qualities and nootropic effects that can lead to potential benefits for human health and metabolism.

Ashwagandha, or Withania Somnifera, is a plant that has been used for millennia in the traditional Ayurvedic medicine system due to its ability to relax the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, produce sleep-inducing effects, and calm the cravings. All these properties suggest that Ashwagandha may be a potential adaptogen.

Although we still need more scientific evidence to support these beliefs, much evidence suggests that Ashwagandha works effectively as an adaptogen. The main benefit of Ashwagandha to humans is the anxiolytic properties this plant presents, which can help us better deal with external stressors by reducing the levels of cortisol generated by anxiety and stress.

Thanks to its anxiolytic effects, Ashwagandha may help reduce anxiety episodes and some specific depressive symptoms. If you want to try a natural treatment for this condition, we have created this simple guide on the best time to take Ashwagandha for anxiety.

Key Takeaways

• Taking Ashwagandha for anxiety is best done by dividing doses over 12-hour periods, spreading them out 2 to 3 times a day. However, some individuals have reported good results with a single large dose in the afternoon (1 pm to 3 pm) to reduce cortisol spikes and experience the relaxing properties in the latter part of the day.
• Ashwagandha yields the best results for anxiety when taken consistently for more than two to three weeks every day. After reaching this mark, the components of Ashwagandha flood the system, leading to improved mental state and sleep quality.
• To experience the anxiolytic benefits and reduce anxiety symptoms, a recommended daily dose of Ashwagandha for anxiety is between 500 mg and 600 mg, with 300 mg as the minimum effective dose. The specific dosage may vary depending on the severity of anxiety and the type of Ashwagandha extract or product used.

When is the Best Time to Take Ashwagandha for Anxiety? 

As with all supplements, there is a correct time to take Ashwagandha for anxiety. Nonetheless, the truth is that the ideal time to take Ashwagandha will largely depend on why you have included this herb in your diet and what are the benefits you want to obtain from it.

Ashwagandha has a relatively short half-life that can range from 2 to 4 hours. This means that 95% of the active components of ashwagandha will disappear after 12 hours of its ingestion. Therefore, to obtain the best results from this medicinal plant, we recommend dividing your doses over 12-hour periods. However, for some people, this may not be the ideal way to take Ashwagandha. 

Some of the active components of this plant can be slightly sedating, while some can be somewhat stimulating. Therefore for some people, taking Ashwagandha before going to bed can generate a slight state of alert that could make it difficult to go to sleep at the desired time. However, this will also depend on what form of Ashwagandha you are taking.

Considering the effective range of Ashwagandha, we recommend taking this supplement in doses spread out 2 to 3 times a day. However, some people report good results taking a single large dose at some point in the day.

Studies show that a single large dose of Ashwagandha in the morning can reduce the natural cortisol spikes that the human body generates at this time of day. Cortisol is a hormone related to stress but also alertness.

In this way, reducing cortisol can reduce stress and induce a stress-free feeling of calm. But, reducing cortisol too much could cause feelings of lethargy or demotivation that may not be the exact result you expect from taking Ashwagandha for anxiety.

If you want to give it a try to a single large dose of Ashwagandha a day, perhaps the best time may be in the afternoon from 1 pm to 3 pm. By taking this supplement at this time of the day, you could enjoy the benefits of Ashwagandha in the second portion of the day.

In this way, the relaxing properties of this wonderful plant could be of great help to you in a part of the day that naturally tends to become a little more stressful.

How Long Does it Take Ashwagandha to Work for Anxiety?

Ashwagandha reports best results when taken more than two to three weeks in a row every day. Once you reach the mark of 14 to 21 days in a row taking Ashwagandha, the components of this plant somehow flood your system, and you can even skip some of the doses and in the same way feel present, in a better state of mind, and have a better quality of sleep.

How Much Ashwagandha per Day for Anxiety?

To have the best results, the dose of Ashwagandha per day for anxiety is 300 mg per day. In general, to experience the anxiolytic benefits of Ashwagandha and reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, you should take doses between 500 mg and 600 mg per day for at least one month.

Ashwagandha Dosage for Anxiety

Just as there are different anxiety levels, there are also different doses of Ashwagandha to treat each of those anxiety levels. For example, you can take it preventively on consistent daily doses, or you can simply take it when anxiety symptoms appear.

Whatever the case is, the specific Ashwagandha dosage for anxiety will depend mainly on what type of anxiety you want to treat and how severe it is.

Ashwagandha Extract Dosage for Anxiety

The ideal dose of Ashwagandha extract may vary depending on the presentation and the expected results. For example, when it comes to KSM 66 Ashwagandha extract for treating anxiety, we recommend doses between 300mg to 900mg.

If we talk about the Sensoril Ashwagandha extract, which is a little more concentrated, with a dose of between 200mg to 600 mg you will notice the results. Furthermore, in the case of Ashwagandha ground root powder, the recommended dose is 1 to 3 grams per day. All in all, everything depends on the indications of the product you buy.

Ashwagandha Dosage for Anxiety and Depression

General data suggest that doses of 50 to 100 mg of Ashwagandha per day can generate a slight feeling of calm. For slightly more severe cases of anxiety, doses of 300 to 500 mg show that Ashwagandha can work even to calm moderate panic attacks.

However, there are some situations where you can take Ashwagandha for anxiety and depression in doses of up to 2000 mg two to three times per day to treat much more severe cases of anxiety.

Ashwagandha Dosage Social Anxiety 

As we already mentioned, you can take Ashwagandha to treat anxiety preventively or exclusively when you feel any anxiety symptoms appear. Suppose your case is that you suffer from social anxiety, and you want to try to treat your anxiety with this natural remedy.

In that case, you can try taking a dose of Ashwagandha before any social event you have to help you better manage any anxiety symptoms. 

For example, suppose you must go to some event where there will be many people, and you feel anxious just thinking about it. Before attending the event, you could take a dose of Ashwagandha extract of about 100mg to 300mg or even higher, depending on how severe your social anxiety is.

That way, the dose of Ashwagandha that you just took could take effect during your social event, helping you manage the social anxiety symptoms that attending these types of social events can usually cause.