Best Time to Take Ashwagandha

by Kat Austin May 09, 2022 4 min read

Best Time to Take Ashwagandha - VO Inc

Ashwagandha has been renowned for centuries for its potential ability to soothe stress and regulate fertility, but has recently gained popularity for it’s adaptogenic superpowers.

Before you can dive into an Ashwagandha dosing regimen, you need to decide–when is the best time to take Ashwagandha each day?

The truth is that it varies for everyone depending on how you intend to use Ashwagandha and other lifestyle and wellness factors. Here’s what you need to know to decide for yourself:

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Table of Contents
Ashwagandha Benefits
When to Take Ashwagandha?
How Long Will It Take for Ashwagandha to Work?
How Much Ashwagandha Can You Take?
Tips for the Best Time to Take Ashwagandha?
Resources

Key Takeaways

  • The best time to take Ashwagandha depends on how you intend to use it and other unique factors concerning your wellness routine.
  • Taking Ashwagandha daily, sometimes at multiple points throughout the day, is the best way to reap maximum benefits.
  • You should discuss your wellness routine with your doctor to determine the best time to take Ashwagandha surrounding other supplements or medications.

Ashwagandha Benefits

Ashwagandha may provide a wide range of benefits, from combating stress to improving sleep, but researchers are still evaluating the true limits of its therapeutic potential. For now, we have research that confirms that it may work similarly to to lorazepam, a popular anti-anxiety medication, for soothing stressors.

A bowl filled with ashwagandha capsules, a perfect dosing option for multiple daily doses.

Other studies suggest that it’s because of the way that ashwagandha can interact with GABA receptors, neuroreceptors that play a key role in regulating sleep-wake cycles. One small study even claims that ashwagandha supplementation may improve reaction time and cognitive function. Ashwagandha’s anti-inflammatory effects, beneficial impact on heart health, and potential anticancer properties have also been studied with some degree of success.

The benefits you hope to reap from your Ashwagandha dosage will impact the time of day or frequency at which you should take it. Read “Ashwagandha Benefits” to learn more about the reasons you may choose to supplement with Ashwagandha.

When to Take Ashwagandha

Because ashwagandha has such a wide range of benefits, there are plenty of variations of when you may want to incorporate it into your daily wellness routine. This is a decision you need to make based on your own unique health and lifestyle factors, and some of the factors that may impact your decision include:

  • The reason you intend to take it
  • Your total daily dosage (larger dosages may be broken into multiple doses)
  • Your sleep-wake routine
  • What time of day is most convenient for regular doses
  • Other Supplements taken daily and their compatibility with Ashwagandha

Although there is some leniency in when you should take Ashwagandha, here are some of the most common reasons and times it is used:

When to Take Ashwagandha for Sleep

If you intend to use Ashwagandha to help you sleep at night, take your dose about 30-60 minutes before bed.

When to Take Ashwagandha for Anxiety

Some sources suggest that Ashwagandha may have calming effects that benefit consumers with anxiety. If you intend to take Ashwagandha for anxiety, you may try taking it in multiple doses spaced evenly throughout the day. Take your total daily dosage and split it evenly into two or three doses. Then, incorporate these doses at mealtimes or evenly spaced throughout the day.

How Long Will It Take for Ashwagandha to Work?

Although some people claim that they can tell immediately when they miss their Ashwagandha dose, you shouldn't expect the effects of Ashwagandha to kick in immediately. Ashwagandha works systemically by helping to balance crucial body functions, so it may take around 2 weeks to notice the effects. Some people experience increasing benefits over the first one to two months after starting their Ashwagandha dosage routine.

How Much Ashwagandha Can You Take?

On average, people take between 1 and 6 grams of the whole ground herb daily. That’s between 1,000 and 6,000 milligrams of whole Ashwagandha root powder. This is a large dosing threshold, so it's important to understand the dosage range for the specific ailments you hope to treat. Read "Ashwagandha Dosage" to learn more.

Whatever the case, we recommend you start with small doses and increase slowly as needed, allowing several days to evaluate the effects before changing your dosing routine. Ashwagandha powder makes it easy to adjust your dosage. Talk to your doctor for help adjusting your wellness routine.

Tips for the Best Time to Take Ashwagandha

  • Many people take Ashwagandha at multiple points throughout the day. You should do this by splitting your total daily dosage into two or three doses.
  • In some cases, (like when taking Ashwagandha for sleep) you may need to take a larger dose at night.
  • Use an Ashwagandha powder if you’d like to be able to easily alter the dosage size.
  • Take supplements with plenty of water to help avoid heartburn and improve absorption. Alternatively, you can take Ashwagandha mixed into your favorite beverages.
  • Ashwagandha works best when taken everyday and not when used as a spot treatment.
  • Talk to your doctor about your Ashwagandha dose if you take other supplements or medications. Ashwagandha could interact with certain medications and may not be appropriate for use before surgery. Read "Ashwagandha Side Effects" to learn more. 

Resources

  1. “An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6750292/
  2. “A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32540634/
  3. “Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711300800306?via%3Dihub
  4. “Direct evidence for GABAergic activity of Withania somnifera on mammalian ionotropic GABAA and GABAρ receptors” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26068424/
  5. “Effect of standardized aqueous extract of Withania somnifera on tests of cognitive and psychomotor performance in healthy human participants”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24497737/
  6. “Efficacy & safety evaluation of Ayurvedic treatment (Ashwagandha powder & Sidh Makardhwaj) in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a pilot prospective study” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4405924/
  7. “Efficacy of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera [L.] Dunal) in improving cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy athletic adults” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4687242/
  8. “An Overview on Ashwagandha: A Rasayana (Rejuvenator) of Ayurveda” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252722/

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