Ashwagandha Benefits For Women

What Is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a herb used in traditional Indian medicine called Ayurveda. It is an adaptogen which means that it helps the body maintain homeostasis and helps the body’s stress response.

It also goes by the name Indian ginseng or winter cherry. It is often taken as a powder or in pill form.

Ashwagandha Benefits For Women

Recently, we looked at ashwagandha benefits for men but there is also some research showing that ashwagandha could have some specific benefits for women as well. 

Sexual Health

A pilot study looked at the efficacy and safety of high-concentration Ashwagandha root in improving sexual function in women. The intervention group took 300mg of ashwagandha, two times per day over 8 weeks.

They used the female sexual function index questionnaire before, at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks of the study. The results showed a significantly higher score in the ashwagandha group compared to the placebo group at the end of the study.

There were significant increases in the “orgasm,” “lubrication” and “satisfaction” domains, though no significant increases in the “desire” domain.

Perimenopause And Menopause

One study looked at perimenopausal women to see how ashwagandha affected the quality of life, climacteric symptoms and hormonal levels.

Ninety-one women finished the study, with the control group taking 300mg ashwagandha twice daily compared to the placebo group over the course of 8 weeks.

They found a statistically significant reduction in the total menopause rating score and menopause-specific quality of life.

They also saw a significant increase in estradiol levels, though there was no difference in serum testosterone levels.

Possibly Help Regulate The Menstrual Cycle

The mechanism behind ashwagandha and menstruation seems to lie in its stress and cortisol-reducing properties.

Long-term stress or anxiety can cause delayed or irregular periods for women. The heightened stress response over the long term can negatively affect hormones and cause missed periods. 

Since one of ashwagandha’s main uses is for modulating the stress response, women who are particularly undergoing a stressful time in their life may find benefit from taking ashwagandha.

Female Fertility And Hormones

A lot of the literature currently available looking at hormones and fertility has been done on male subjects. However, there is some evidence that ashwagandha can impact female fertility and hormones.

Like the regulation of the menstrual cycle, ashwagandha can support female hormones and fertility by regulating the stress response.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that does have some important functions in the body such as the fight or flight response and providing energy.

Constantly being in fight or flight mode with high cortisol can make someone feel fatigued, and cause lower sex drive, cause weight gain and hair and skin issues.

High cortisol can also cause hormonal imbalances such as testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. These hormonal imbalances can affect a woman’s ability to conceive.

The fight or flight response is effective when we need it, but when stress becomes chronic and then stuck in that response, the body neglects things like the regulation of hormones.

We’ll learn below that Ashwagandha can help decrease cortisol levels in both men and women to help regulate the stress response, though ashwagandha may be worth considering for women undergoing chronic stress and looking to improve their fertility.

It’s advised for women to speak with an OBGYN or doctor before beginning. 

Ashwagandha Benefits For Men And Women

There are a variety of different preliminary studies explored in the literature that show that ashwagandha can benefit both men and women alike.

Improve Memory

Ashwagandha may help improve memory.

Fifty adults with mild cognitive impairment were given 600mg ashwagandha for 8 weeks.

Compared to the placebo group, the ashwagandha group showed improvements in immediate and general memory, as well as an improvement in executive function, processing speed and sustained attention.

An in vitro study looked at the rat and mouse-damaged neurons injected with amyloid B, one of the major causes of Alzheimer’s disease. They treated these damaged neurons with withanolide A, a component of ashwagandha.

The results found a significant regeneration in dendrites and axons as well as recognition of pre and post-synapses.

This is a possible upcoming area of research for ashwagandha in hopes that it could help improve brain function in those with neurodegenerative diseases.

Balance Blood Sugar Levels

A small clinical trial looked at 12 individuals, 6 with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and 6 with high cholesterol.

They found that ashwagandha has a similar blood sugar-lowering effect like that of an oral diabetes medication.

Additionally, a meta-analysis of in vitro, preclinical and clinical trials was completed and showed significant reductions in blood sugar levels.

They also saw a decrease in haemoglobin A1c, a number that measures blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months.

Improve Sleep

A meta-analysis reviewed the available data on sleep and ashwagandha. It included 5 trials and 400 participants.

The results found a significant improvement in sleep, with the improvement being the most prominent in those diagnosed with insomnia.

Some of the trials used doses of less than 600 mg per day and some used doses of more than 600 mg per day, and both showed improvements in sleep.

The same also went for the study duration. Some of the studies were 8 weeks or less and some were more than 8 weeks, with a maximum of 12 weeks. They both showed improvement in sleep.

Another endpoint the researchers looked at was mental alertness on rising. They saw a significant improvement in this endpoint in the ashwagandha group.

This means that ashwagandha can not only improve sleep in general but also improve sleep quality to feel more well-rested upon waking.

Lastly, one study looked at not only sleep quality, but the onset of sleep latency, which means the time to fall asleep. The results showed that 300 mg of ashwagandha improved sleep onset latency in those with insomnia.

Stress And Anxiety Relief

One of the main purposes that ashwagandha is used for is to ameliorate stress and anxiety.

An 8-week randomized control trial was completed with 58 participants. There were three groups: 

• a 250 mg ashwagandha group
• a 600 mg ashwagandha group
• a placebo group

The primary endpoints were perceived stress and serum cortisol levels.

Both intervention groups, those taking ashwagandha, show significant decreases in perceived stress compared to baseline.

There was a significant decrease in serum cortisol levels compared to the placebo, though the effect was greater in the group that was taking 600 mg ashwagandha compared to the placebo as opposed to the 250 mg group.

Regarding anxiety, one study designated employees to a naturopathic care group and a standardized treatment group.

The naturopathic group included deep breathing multivitamins and dietary counselling along with 600 mg of ashwagandha per day. The standardized treatment group included a placebo, deep breathing and psychotherapy.

Both groups showed improvement from baseline, however, the naturopathic treatment group had significant improvements in mental health, fatigue, and social functioning.

FAQs: Ashwagandha For Women

Are There Negative Side Effects for Women Taking Ashwagandha?

There are a few uncommon side effects seen with large doses of ashwagandha such as stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

This goes for both men and women and when doses higher than recommended are taken.

It is important to note that a majority of the studies on ashwagandha in females did not include women on birth control or those using hormonal contraceptives in their study. More research is needed on the effects of ashwagandha for women on birth control.

There was one rare case report in which a woman was taking ashwagandha for her hypothyroidism for two years, and presented with very low thyroid levels along with supraventricular tachycardia.

She was treated and told to stop taking the ashwagandha and levels returned to normal.

Since ashwagandha has been shown to increase testosterone in males, women with hormonal imbalances or already elevated testosterone levels should seek medical advice to see if ashwagandha is right for them.

Does Ashwagandha Affect Periods?

There is no evidence that ashwagandha can make your period lighter, or heavier for that matter.

Since ashwagandha does appear to impact female hormones, if you find your period becomes irregular, more painful, or any other unusual symptoms stop taking ashwagandha and speak with your doctor.

Can Ashwagandha Cause Weight Gain In Women?

There is no evidence that ashwagandha causes weight gain in women.

There is a study that showed a significant increase in muscle strength, but this study was done using only male subjects.

More research is needed for using ashwagandha for weight loss, weight gain, or strength training in women.

Can You Take Ashwagandha While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding?

While we know that ashwagandha has positive effects on women’s hormonal health, it is not advised to take ashwagandha while pregnant or breastfeeding. 

No scientific studies have been done on taking ashwagandha while pregnant.

Even though it is a herb and considered generally safe, it is best to discontinue your ashwagandha use when you first find out you are pregnant.

How Much Ashwagandha To Take Per Day?

The standard dose of ashwagandha throughout the research to see benefits appears to be 240-600 milligrams per day.

More research is needed on higher doses greater than 600 milligrams per day to see if they provide any true benefit.

Since most studies are done within 4 to 12 weeks, this suggests that it could take as little as 1-2 weeks for ashwagandha to start working.

Green Powders And Ashwagandha

Besides taking a pill form of ashwagandha, green powder blends like Supergreen Tonik contain 500mg of ashwagandha as well.

Not only will you be getting the powerful adaptogen, but Supergreen Tonik also contains vitamins, minerals, greens blend, an immunity blend, along with a Nootropic blend.

The combination of all of these together can help support immunity, brain function, and improve energy levels. 

The Nootropic blend contains Ashwagandha, along with Rhodiola, another adaptogen.

Rhodiola is an adaptogen used in traditional herbal medicine and can help reduce anxiety while providing a bit of an energy boost as well.

Taking the two together in a greens powder may be able to help provide consumers with a calming, yet stable energy throughout the day.

Supergreen Tonik specifically is different from some other greens powder brands because of their full labelling transparency.

There are no proprietary blends, so consumers can know how much of each component they are consuming. 

For example, there is 500mg of ashwagandha in one serving of Supergreen Tonik.

This is right in line with the dose that most scientific studies have used that shows benefits for women and men.

Final Thoughts

More research is needed for Ashwagandha benefits for females.

We have some promising studies that may help with menopausal symptoms and sexual function and we know it impacts hormones as well.

Modulating the stress response can help with optimal female hormonal function. 

While green powder should not be a substitute for a healthy diet, it is one way to provide ashwagandha and other vitamins and minerals.

Always speak with your own doctor or registered dietitian before starting any supplement regimen like ashwagandha or green powders, as the components in them may interact with prescription medications or health conditions.

Nicole Minnelli, BSc, RDN

Nicole is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian / Nutritionist. She completed her bachelors degree in Food and Nutrition with a concentration in Dietetics. She is passionate about taking evidence-based nutrition research and transforming it into an easy to read format for everybody to understand.

She has experience working in a variety of different settings such as acute care, long term care, school nutrition education and community nutrition. Nicole has spent most of her career working as a Clinical Dietitian in hospitals, providing nutrition education to those managing chronic diseases.