Potential Health Benefits of AshwagandhaAshwagandha may deliver several potential health perks for certain groups. Here’s how the supplement might play a role in your well-being.May Help Relieve Stress and AnxietyAshwagandha is perhaps best known today as an adaptogen that helps your body better handle stress. “Ashwagandha adapts to the nervous system of the person taking it. Its superpower ability is to sense in the body if your nervous system needs to go up or down,” says Silcox. So if you’re nervous and anxious, the herb might help soothe you, but if you’re feeling down, it can help lift you up, similar to ginseng, another popular herbal root, she adds.In a meta-analysis of 12 papers that included more than 1,000 people, supplementing with ashwagandha was found to reduce anxiety and stress better than a placebo, though “the certainty of evidence was low,” the authors note. This means that more research is needed to verify this possible health benefit.[4]May Improve FertilityAshwagandha has traditionally been used in ayurveda to support fertility, and there are some studies on this. In a meta-analysis of both human and animal studies, researchers concluded that there is some evidence that ashwagandha use may decrease infertility by improving semen quality, as well as improve the health of hormones that play a key role in ovulation and testosterone and sperm production.[5]Although the exact reasons aren’t known, researchers stated that antioxidants in ashwagandha may be involved. These studies suggest only a potential fertility-supporting effect and don’t prove that ashwagandha will actually increase your chances of becoming pregnant; more studies are needed.May Help You Sleep WellIf you’re struggling to get the sleep you need, ashwagandha may help make your night more relaxing. A randomized, placebo-controlled study from India of healthy people and those with insomnia found that taking ashwagandha for eight weeks improved various measures of sleep, including overall sleep quality. Researchers note that the herb may affect certain neurotransmitters involved in sleep.[6]A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2021 included five randomized controlled trials and concluded that ashwagandha extract showed a small but statistically significant effect on overall sleep, especially in those with insomnia, in doses of 600 mg or greater when taken over eight weeks or more. They note that the reporting on safety and adverse effects, especially long term, was lacking in many studies and the overall quality of these studies was variable.[7]May Support a Healthy Immune SystemIllness happens, especially during cold and flu season, but you may be able to tip the odds in favor of staying well by using ashwagandha.One study had healthy people take 60 milligrams (mg) of an ashwagandha extract or a placebo for 30 days. Those who took ashwagandha had an increase in the activity of certain immune cells and molecules called immunoglobulins and cytokines. This suggests that the supplement may help your immune system better fight off invaders that can make you ill, such as bacteria and viruses.[8]The authors also note that ashwagandha’s sleep-promoting effects may play a large role in recovery from a cold or the flu, since sleep affects your immune system. More studies are needed to see if ashwagandha truly leads to improved immunity against specific viruses or infections.[8]