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Published on: January 22, 2018
Effects of Withania somnifera Extract in Chronically Stressed Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Srikanta Pandit1, Amit K Srivastav1, Tapas K Sur1
1Research Unit, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Bengal, J. B. Roy State Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital, 170-172, Raja Dinendra Street, Kolkata 700004, India.
Background:
Stress is a known causative factor in modulating cognitive health, which overall well-being and quality of life are dependent on. Long-term stress has been shown to disrupt the balance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Adaptogens, such as Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), are commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine for stress relief and ameliorating HPA-axis dysfunction. The aim of this study was to support the role of a root and leaf water-extracted ashwagandha extract (WS) in stress reduction by confirming the lowest clinically validated dose for stress management (125 mg/day) in a dose-dependent clinical study in adults with self-reported high stress.
Methods:
An 8-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to compare the effects of three different WS extract doses (125, 250 and 500 mg) was performed. A total of 131 adults were enrolled, and 98 were included in the final analysis. Attenuation of chronic stress was measured using the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and biochemical-related stress parameters.
Results:
We have shown that aqueous WS extract (roots and leaves) safely reduces mild to moderate chronic stress at doses of 125 mg, 250 mg, and 500 mg/day for 8 weeks.
Conclusions:
Our findings demonstrate the stress-reduction capabilities of this well-characterized aqueous extract of WS (root and leaf) at the low dose of 125 mg/day, in a dose-dependent manner, via the modulation of the HPA axis.
Trial Registration:
This study was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) with the registration number: CTRI/2019/11/022100.
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