Does Ashwagandha supplementation have a beneficial effect on the management of anxiety and stress? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Akhgarjand C, Asoudeh F, Bagheri A, Kalantar Z, Vahabi Z, Shab-Bidar S, Rezvani H, Djafarian K
Phytotherapy research : PTR · 49 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2022-08-25 · Phytother Res · vol. 36 · issue 11 · pp. 4115–4124
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 74 citations · more than 98% of similar papers · 5.7× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 50 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Phytochemicals and Medicinal Plants · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Medicinal Plants and Neuroprotection
- Keywords
- Medicine, Anxiety, Meta-analysis, Randomized controlled trial, Placebo, Strictly standardized mean difference, Confidence interval, Internal medicine, Clinical trial, Physical therapy, Traditional medicine, Alternative medicine, Psychiatry, Pathology
- MeSH
- humans, withania, plant extracts, anxiety, anxiety disorders, dietary supplements, adult, middle aged, randomized controlled trials as topic
8 authors
From IR
- Camellia AkhgarjandTehran University of Medical Sciences
- Farzaneh AsoudehTehran University of Medical Sciences
- Amir Reza BagheriTehran University of Medical Sciences
- Zahra KalantarTehran University of Medical Sciences
- Zahra VahabiRoozbeh Hospital; Tehran University of Medical Sciences
- Sakineh Shab‐BidarTehran University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Clinical trial studies revealed conflicting results on the effect of Ashwagandha extract on anxiety and stress. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Ashwagandha supplementation on anxiety as well as stress. A systematic search was performed in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Google Scholar from inception until December 2021. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that investigate the effect of Ashwagandha extract on anxiety and stress. The overall effect size was pooled by random-effects model and the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) for outcomes were applied. Overall, 12 eligible papers with a total sample size of 1,002 participants and age range between 25 and 48 years were included in the current systematic review and meta-analysis. We found that Ashwagandha supplementation significantly reduced anxiety (SMD: -1.55, 95% CI: -2.37, -0.74; p = .005; I2 = 93.8%) and stress level (SMD: -1.75; 95% CI: -2.29, -1.22; p = .005; I2 = 83.1%) compared to the placebo. Additionally, the non-linear dose-response analysis indicated a favorable effect of Ashwagandha supplementation on anxiety until 12,000 mg/d and stress at dose of 300-600 mg/d. Finally, we identified that the certainty of the evidence was low for both outcomes. The current systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs revealed a beneficial effect in both stress and anxiety following Ashwagandha supplementation. However, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the plant.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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