Ashwagandha: Herbal Remedy with Dangerous Repercussions
Ashwagandha is a powerful herb. In this week’s post, I share the hidden dangers of this adaptogenic herb.
What is Ashwagandha?
Ashwagandha, also known as winter cherry, is a powerful herb in Ayurvedic medicine. The herb grows in India, the Middle East, and northern Africa, and like tomatoes and peppers, is a nightshade. Nightshades can cause joint issues or flare up autoimmune symptoms in some individuals. Due to its increasing popularity in the west, it is now also being grown in North America.
Ashwagandha proponents claim this herb can be used to alleviate stress, fatigue, low energy, improve problems with learning and concentration, reduce anxiety, stabilize brain-cell degeneration, lower cholesterol, and reduce inflammation. This popular herb is also being touted as a fantastic immune booster and superfood.
Many people, however, experience negative reactions to ashwagandha. Like all herbs, ashwagandha cannot be recommended without a thorough understanding of how it will react in unique individuals with specific conditions and in specific circumstances.
Side Effects of Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is often called “Indian ginseng” because it can be energizing, but botanically speaking, ginseng and Ashwagandha are completely unrelated. I urge you to be careful about buying into any “one size fits all” marketing claims.
Ashwagandha can do a lot of damage to people with abnormal methylation issues and copper toxicity. The overall long-term safety of ashwagandha is also unknown.
Here are some common negative reactions to ashwagandha:
1. Gastrointestinal Issues
Common gastrointestinal side effects of ashwagandha are diarrhea and nausea. Excessive ashwagandha intake can irritate the gastrointestinal tract and can exacerbate a pre-exisiting gut infection.
2. Increased Fatigue
Ashwagandha is touted as a wonderful remedy for adrenal fatigue (or more accurately put, hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis dysfunction (HPA-D). In my clinic, though, I’ve noticed that adrenal fatigue is a secondary concern compared to copper toxicity, undermethylation, pyrrole disorder, zinc deficiency, and systemic oxidative stress. By not addressing the underlying disorder first, ashwagandha can actually intensify any pre-existing symptoms of fatigue.
The first question one should ask is “what’s causing my adrenal fatigue to begin with?“ The answer might be related to a gut infection such as SIBO or yeast overgrowth, or any of the imbalances I mention above.
Excess copper, elevated kryptopyrroles, and undermethylation are classic underlying causes of chronic fatigue and oxidative stress. Copper is especially insidious. It causes an increase in norepinephrine while lowering dopamine, which puts stress on the adrenal glands, thus impairing hormone activity and increasing fatigue.
3. Depression
Part of the hype around ashwagandha involves its supposed mood-elevating properties, yet ashwagandha may actually contribute to depression. Its Ayurvedic properties include building, stabilizing, and the lowering of “qi” so anyone who already experiences low energy, lack of motivation, mental fog, or occasional depressive states should be wary.
Ashwagandha can also cause blood sugar levels to drop rapidly. Low blood sugar results in physical weakness, mental dullness, and confusion, which are all symptoms known to increase the likelihood of depression.
4. Insomnia
Because it’s been known to elevate heart rate, ashwagandha can increase insomniac tendencies. Additional side effects of ashwagandha are headaches and gastrointestinal distress, which can also prevent restful sleep.
5. Anxiety
The Ayurvedic energy of ashwagandha is “heating,” meaning it tends to increase inflammation as well as “hot” emotions such as irritation and frustration — both of which contribute to anxiety.
As mentioned above, ashwagandha can cause a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, and low blood sugar symptoms can both mirror and increase the intensity of anxiety. An increased heart rate, racing mind, shakiness, irritability, and panic are all symptoms that can intensify due to low blood sugar.
6. Disruption of Hormones
Proponents of ashwagandha don’t understand the connection between copper overload, methylation cycles, and adrenal fatigue, and ashwagandha’s role in hormonal disruption.
Hormone production requires a feedback mechanism, which is why we look at the methylation cycle instead of simply measuring hormone levels. If the methylation cycle is imbalanced, resulting disorders can disrupt the hormones, neurotransmitters, and feedback mechanisms that drive hormone production — especially those produced by the adrenal glands.
Hormone therapy, glandulars (such as desiccated glandular supplements), and/or herbal remedies may be problematic for you and may create adverse symptoms that can impair your progress and increase adrenal issues, especially if you have a methylation disorder, copper toxicity, and/or a gut infection.
This is because most adrenal supplements contain copper-carrying and stimulatory ingredients (such as organs and glands, and adaptogenic herbs) that can be detrimental and lead to adverse reactions. This is why I always test copper and methylation along with hormone testing that includes cortisol patterns and sex hormone cycling.
Have You Had a Bad Reaction to Ashwagandha?
If you’ve had a negative experience with ashwagandha, I’d love to hear your story in the comments below. If taking this herb made you feel worse instead of better, please know that you are not alone. To date, no studies have been done to verify the adverse events associated with ashwagandha, especially in individuals with copper toxicity, methylation imbalances, and gut infections. This article is the result of clinical study and application with this powerful adaptogenic herb.
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To address oxidative stress, I aim to identify and address the root biochemical cause of your symptoms.
I offer a free 1:1 consultation to help you disconnect from the hype and the marketing jargon, and address the true source(s) of your discomfort. It’s time for your healing journey to truly begin.
I suffer from p t s t from combat in iraq and afghanistan. My mood at best is stable most times. I suffer from nightmares too. For a while there ashwaganda was actually helping my nightmares go away. But then after long term taking of it my mood started changing, my bowl movements started changing. It has increased my anxiety and my depression. I feel like i’m back to square one when I was just trying to figure out my medications to get my mood stable.
Ashwagandha gives me headaches. I’ve come across other people experiencing the same.
Hello, I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and am extremely sensitive to nightshades. I heard the hype about ashwagandha and relaxation so I bought a carbonated water that contained this. I started to have a can a day for about 3-4 days and had brain fog. I was very out of it. I felt floaty and lost all day and thought to myself that the only thing I had was this new water. I stopped drinking it and my symptoms stopped. Little did I know that this was a nightshade. When I first googled it, it comes up as an adaptogen, I had to search harder and finally got lucky and found that it’s a nightshade. My symptoms then made sense. I should have researched more at first but it was getting so much hype without saying nightshade that I didn’t think twice about trying it.
I started taking ashwagandha due to anxiety. Note – I also have bouts of severe IBS. When I first started taking it (daily) I slowly noticed stomach pain, but due to waves of IBS, I assumed it was another flare up. It was just a constant stomachache, and underlying nausea daily. I went on vacation and forgot the ashwagandha……so I hadn’t taken it in about a week when I took one at night in hopes for some anxiety relief. Almost exactly 2 hours later, I became the sickest I have EVER been. Extreme dizziness, violent vomiting and diarrhea, blacking out, it was awful, and went on for hours. I am not a dramatic person, but I was so sick I considered having my husband take me to the ER. I could not stand and could not go longer than 10 minutes without another episode. I was weak for days after this. Unfortunately, I did not link it to the ashwagandha. About a week and a half later I decided to start taking it again, and the EXACT same thing happened again, exactly 2 hours after I took it. It was honestly terrifying. It goes without saying, I have never and will never take it again.
Definitely Insomnia!!
Increased body temperature to 98.8.
Allergic reaction made my eyes swollen and itchy
Cause erection deficiency for sure!
But it boost my energy like crazy I could exercise three times as much as I would normally do
And this is on a single pill of 600 mg per day.
The very first time that I took Ashwagandha, within 2 hours I suddenly felt a strong buzz in the left side of my body from hand to foot, and I couldn’t walk straight.
My left lower leg wanted to turn inward as I was trying to keep my balance to walk.
It took about 5 minutes for the buzz to disappear but felt strange on the left side for about an hour or so. I haven’t taken it since. The
Took Ashwagandha for 3 months, I kept waiting to feel leveled out but it just made me sleepy with a low grade dull headache. I did feel less stress, but I think because I was too tired to feel anything else 😄 I stopped taking it 3-4 days ago and I can tell my body is going to take some time to adjust. The only benefit was sleep came so easy, I could sleep any time. I hated it.
My husband takes it before bed, he doesn’t have the same problems I have with it. He loves it for sleep.
I just recently started taking ashwagandha because I’ve had extreme stress that I’ve never before experienced so bad. I was diagnosed with panic disorder about 3-4 years ago, and have overcome it for the most part except for when I’m extremely stressed. I started these supplements to help with this, but it seems like it’s just worse. I have intense brain fog and I’m getting tired so easily. I nearly had a panic attack at an orientation today, which hasn’t happened in a while. I almost feel high like i can’t drive. I’m not sure whether to keep taking it and see if it gets better or stop. I just want the stress to go away.
Hello I’ve been taking 1300 mg
a day and I started feeling that I was getting very dry mouth and i would cough alot almost like choking and I said to myself the only thing I’m taking is ashwagandha so I stopped taking it and it’s been 2 days already and I haven’t cough and my mouth isn’t dry nomore so know I only feel like palpation in my anul I think is because of the pill of the strength I would do to cough cause of my dry mouth
Hi yes I’ve had very bad side effects from ashwaghanda. I’m very sensitive and after broke up with my boyfriend I was feeling very sad and depressed and I read ashwaghanda can help with low mood. Unfortunately I experienced side effects of taking it and my blood pressure dropped and blood sugar I almost fainted and the other day I felt so fatigued, dumb and like on some high and I couldn’t do anything during my day and I just went to sleep. So I will not recommend taking it at all. Not for sensitive people I assume.
I suffer from Long Covid and have Fibromyalgia and chronic pain I started taking Ashwaganda and noticed that my joints hurt more. It was then I rechecked my diet and found it to be in the nightshade family. Needless to say, done taking it.
I started taking it because I’m in Florida I live in NY and I could not get my medicine for anxiety and depression. I’m good after it goes thru my system but when I first take it, I get sensitivity to the sunlight a headache, nausea and diarrhea. I think I need to take less to be honest cause the next day I’m ok I don’t know what’s happening and if I should stop or let my body get used to it
I have ulcerative colitis. I took Ashwaganda concentrated capsules for 2 days and am still feeling the effects. Sharp abdominal cramping and pain, sometimes accompanied with nausea. Similar to symptoms of a flare up without the washroom frequency. It has been a week and am hoping ot subsides. Feeling very bloated and raw inside.
I started taking ashwaganda about 2 weeks ago, before bed. I took it to help with my sleep. I have had the WORST sleep. I never fall into a deep sleep and keep waking up. It almost feels like I am “speeding”. At first I thought maybe 2 capsules were too much, so I cut back to one. Nope, last night was my last ashwaganda! The only reason I took it is because everything I read said it helped with sleep and I couldn’t find anything saying it could cause an adverse affect. I just found your article after another crappy night sleep!
Long story short, I have a long history of treatment resistant depression, complex grief, PTSD, anxiety and ADHD. I found out I was extremely low on a number of key vitamins and began taking prescribed regimens. My sister had vitamin patches and suggested I try them as well. I started them and did not realize they also included ashwaghanda. The only way I can describe it is I soon started frightening having thoughts/premonition type feelings that I would soon die and severe insomnia as well as hallucinations. I do feel that I have some sort of underlying issue that is causing all of my symptoms and vitamin deficiencies and would love to hear your thoughts. My mental health has taken a deep decline and is impacting my physical and social well being greatly and I am now 42. I would love to regain my life before it is too late as this had cost me a great deal this far. Thank you.
I took ashwagandha for over a month, with initially no problems. It helped my anxiety, and though I knew it was bubbling under the surface, it allowed me some relief from the fatigue caused by constant anxiety. However, it is now causing extreme diarrhoea. I stopped taking it for a few days, and everything went back to normal. Then took one tablet and within 6 hours, same effect, with added nausea. I will now stop taking it entirely, which is a shame as I thought I had found a good support for my anxiety.
Hi just reading your article as I have taken ashwandha on and off but I can’t say I have felt better with it.
I have C677T on my methylation gene and even activated b’s make me jittery.
I haven’t felt normal for the last 10 years since breast cancer and going through menopause when having treatment just this nervous anxiety all of the time tried most health supplements but still get hot flushes.
I did the Dutch urine testing and my estrogen was on the floor my methylation pathways were good.
I have took b vitamins for years too scared not to get the right amount of b’s I need for methylation.
Spent a fortune on health therapists health supplements nothing changed through all of it
I had my first ever dose of ashwaghanda on Wednesday evening. About an hour later I started to feel nauseous and a couple of hours later started puking. Yesterday I spent the day being hot and cold tingling all over. Last night I had really vivid complicated dreams. I ate some toast this morning and puked it up accompanied by a really bad headache. And then about two hours later I felt much better. I still feel a bit battered but oh so much better. I’ve not been anywhere near someone with a tummy bug, the rest of my family have eaten the same things I did without any impact. We live very rurally so it’s easy to say these things with confidence. The only difference is I also had some ashwagandha. So I maybe clutching at straws but maybe not?
Al 5 giorno di assunzione che sarebbe oggi sono stato veramente in uno stato pietoso, ansia, estrema sonnolenza, attacchi di panico esperienza terribile, alla mattina risvegli difficili specifico che sono in cura con xanax da 6/7 anni in concomitanza esperienza da non riprovare mai più
On the 5th day of taking it, which would be today, I was really in a pitiful state, anxiety, extreme sleepiness, panic attacks, terrible experience, difficult awakenings in the morning, specifically that I have been on xanax for 6/7 years in conjunction with an experience never to be tried again.
Hello!
I ordered “ Magnesium, New Chapter Magnesium + Ashwagandha Supplement, 2.5X Absorption, Muscle Recovery, Heart & Bone Health, Calm & Relaxation, Gluten Free, Non-GMO”. I started taking the 18th feb. I’m on paraoxetine for anxiety also, for years.
I feel I’m having a bad reaction to the supplement. I may be wrong but the timing seems to make sense. Feeling extremely anxious, depressed, extra clammy/sweaty, irritated. Been reading up about reactions and came across yours.
I took 2 at night and It helped me sleep but the next morning this caused deep depression and anxiety attack. This was on 2 different mornings with a break between.
I don’t see where I can post a comment, so I’ll reply to this one, especially since I relate to it!! When I first began taking Ashwaganda, it seemed to help with my anxiety and sleep. On the second week, it didn’t seem as helpful anymore and I stopped taking it as much. On to the third week, my anxiety was worsening so I decided to try it again. I feel like lately I’m getting the symptoms the article mentioned; nausea, more stomach problems, more anxiety and depression. I’m so glad I saw this article.
I also don’t see where to reply so:
While i have taken ashwaganda in the past with no noticeable side effects, i just bought some powdered organic ashwaganda, and putting in a jar the fine powder billowed out and i could smell it and it made me feel nauseous and within 5-10 mins I started vomiting… which is why i looked up this subject. I think i will just get rid of it… if that little makes me vomit, it’s not for me.
PS, I very rarely vomit, maybe once a decade.
I had a very similar experience, I had taken it around 9am because I was feeling anxious this was calm by hum brand. Maybe an hour later I felt like my body had a vibration, rapid heartbeat and extreme anxiety/panic. So terrifying I didn’t take it again and have not experienced anxiety like that since.
I don’t see where I can comment either so I will do the same.
I have recently tried Ashwaganda and it has been helpful. What was wrong is the dosage. Once I greatly reduced the dosage it was fine.
I use a tincture. It is indeed powerful and I believe that one must find the dosage that works best for one’s body.
I think it’s wonderful herb but after a few doses and finally a huge dose of it straight under the tongue my side hurt & I was having horrible gas. I think I need to taper off for awhile
I’ve been taking alpha greens which has ashwagandha in it for almost two weeks. I was just taking ashwagandha before that though and had to stop. After a few days of taking just the ashwagandha I noticed a persistent headache, low motivation and probably worst of all it makes me pretty irritable. I am much less tolerable to things that bother me and they set me off noticeably quicker. Whether that be a good thing or a bad thing I am unsure of. I’ve always been a very passive person. Not since ashwagandha though. A good thing I noticed was that I do sleep much better and wake up feeling refreshed. I suffer from ibs and Alpha Greens has worked miracles for me in that department. I just wish they would drop the ashwagandha or offer an alternative without it. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone handles it well.
I’m glad to have found this post. I just started taking Ashwagandha leaf juice Monday, didn’t take it Tuesday but did again on Wed and Thur. The itching started Wed night and getting raised red spots that I thought were bug bites. I have a cat and thought we were infested by fleas, checked him head to toe. No fleas (and I hadn’t found any on me or seen anything biting me. At that point I thought I was going crazy. Topical Benadryl did absolutely no good, so I started hunting online. It’s sad, but also comforting to see that there are others going through similar symptoms. Like many others have commented the itching is worse at night. I have limited mobility and even with proper diet have been unable to lose weight, so this was part of a recommended Ayurvedic juice to assist with my much needed weight loss. Unfortunately, I have several bottles of the juice and will not be able to return them. I hope the itching stops soon 🙁
I started using it for a week, and unfortunately I’m feeling mental dullness, lack of clarity and not sharp which is unfortunate because I think I’m sleeping better but I have to stop because I can’t work properly while feeling mentally drained like this
My pharmacist suggested I try Ashwagandha to reduce stress and insomnia. Three separate doses of 500 mg sent me spiraling into a weepy, depressive state. It’s been years since I’ve felt this “dark”. No more for me.
I took it 2 nights in a row and experienced hallucinations both nights. I will NEVER touch this again.
I took ashwagandha for the first time and my throat started to close up, it felt like I was getting a sore throat but more like a closing. thank God I only took one chewable from CVS Pharmacy and I am returning them first thing in the morning. And taking an antibiotic to help fight this whatever reaction is im feeling. Beware of ashwagandha hype.
Thank you for this article. I thought I was going crazy. My ND put me on a cortisol manager, which included 500 mg of Ashwagandha and Magnolia bark. Consequently, a week after being put on it, I experienced hot flashes and tachycardia at night, with adrenal dumps that were so hard in the morning that I could barely function and would dry heave. Without a full night of sleep, I became more anxious and depressed. I have visited a cardiologists, a MD and an integrative medicine person and none of them caught this.
I have stopped this dosing today and will be detoxing and hoping that all of this goes away. It’s been over two months. Thank you for everyone that shared.
I couldn’t figure out my tachycardia. My heart has been racing and I can’t get it to come down. Today I had an episode of dizziness, shakiness… likely low blood sugar. I’m glad I read this, I’m done with ashwaganda after reading all of this!
I started taking 500 mg pill before bed since a few days ago, and it helped me fall asleep faster, sleep longer and feel more awake and fresh in the morning when I get up. On the other side, I have elevated heart rate and elevated fatigue.
I’m an athlete so the sleep is important to me. I had trouble with waking up in the night and not falling asleep again, especially during competitions (which is 3-6 days for me), But I don’t know if the elevated heart rate and fatigue will lead to bad consequences on my performance.
Any suggestions?
Sorry for my English.
Try Primal Sleep its all natural and it works well.
I took Ashwaganda 8 years ago. And I remember it like it was yesterday. I became horrifically ill. I began vommitting having seizures and my skin began to peel off. This was back in the 80’s and when I went to the hospital they though I had aids. I walked in on my son the other day smoking it out of his bong. I only let him do natural herbs like Marijuana. And I had a long talk with him about the effects these kinds of things have on your body.
I took Ashwaganda 8 years ago. And I remember it like it was yesterday. I became horrifically ill. I began committing having seizures and my skin began to peel off. This was back in the 80’s and when I went to the hospital they though I had aids. I walked in on my son the other day smoking it out of his bong. I only let him do natural herbs like Marijuana. And I had a long talk with him about the effects these kinds of things have on your body.
The herb did the opposite things of what the proponents claim it would do. I became more insomniac, weak, have brain fog, etc. I thought my body needed to adapt since today is my 4th day and, now that I know the thing is not for everybody, I will not take it again.
Strange, seems to work for me and obviously everyone is different. I haven’t slept well since 0ct 16 of 2022 when I went to the hospital with stress, high BP and elevated heat rate and since then, I’ve had a hard time sleeping or staying sleep soundly. Plus my stress and anxiety levels soared. Been taking two Gogi Ashwagandha gummies, MAX, a day and have my stress and anxiety levels are nonexistent, my BP and heart rate is awesome and I’m taking no other meds, only regular vitamins. I use to take Ollys melatonin extra strength which worked maybe 20% of the time with sleep. I also tried Feals Cbd full spectrum med strength which was slightly more effective. Goli works for me thus far but I’ll update if it changes.
I don’t see how some people can have opposite results. I just started taking it and my only issue is that it only knocks me out for about 2 hours and then I wake up and can’t get back to sleep. The fact that I fall asleep so easily makes me wonder if the amount is off . Just one pill has 700 mg . Too much, too less ? I don’t know.
I’ve been taking the same ones for over a year now, along with my levothyroxine. The past week, my heart rate is now elevated even at rest, and I feel like I’ve went from hypo to hyper which I found can happen when taking ashgwanda. Keep a close eye out on your heart rate.
I was actually surprised when I woke up alive this morning, not exaggerating at all!
I’m 59 years old and on zero meds, alcohol, or drugs. My daughter bought some Ashwagandha gummies for her Anxiety, insomnia, etc. She thought it might help me with my insomnia, so she gave me one gummy. It was the biggest mistake! A couple of hours later, after eating, I suddenly felt sick and began vomiting. This progressed to the point that I could barely catch my breath, vomiting for hours on end, heaving every last bit of bile and dry heaving all night. I was having extreme diarrhea while also vomiting. I was sweating profusely and shivering at the same time also. It has been 24 hours and I am still having a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and weakness with nausea. I lost 9 pounds in one night! I didn’t even know that was possible. I must be highly allergic or something, but PLEASE BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS WITH THIS.
Note: My daughter has had no issue with it for two weeks.
I appreciate the time and effort you put into creating this resource
This stuff has really had a horrible effect on my system .
1. Fatigue
2.exhaustion
3.depression
5. Mind fog & serious confusion
6.anxiety thru the roof
7.paranoia
8 . Sleeplessness
9. Elevated heart rate
10 . Negative emotions
11. Bad temper
12. irritability
13. Intense headaches
Never again will I touch this stuff , this is a full on toxic reaction!!!!!
Thanks this is happening to me and it is my second day so i decided…… ok now i know side effects and the product will go to the trash can or better yet down the drain!
Thanks 4 your information.
I basically had all of the bad experiences you mentioned from this substance. Anhedonia, falling to sleep fast but waking up 4 hours later unable to sleep more, severe depression with suicidal thoughts, lack of motivation, low energy, no desire to enjoy life anymore… I think this substance must be approached with extreme caution. My wife took it once and said she felt like she didn’t want to be in her body, the same extreme discomfort she had when stopping nursing.
I would be interested in your thoughts on tongkat Ali; that is the new substance raved for increasing testosterone and energy. Andrew Huberman raves about it. Once I stabilize from quitting the Ashwaganda I may try it. I’m going to be careful though because I took this Ashwaganda for almost a year and I don’t think I even realized how much it was hurting me until I recently stopped and feel much better
Hi this has happened to me after taking it one day, fever of 104… I will never ever take it again
I was taking Ashwagandha for 6 days 2 gummies a day, one in the morning one in the evening. Felt great! No anxiety, reduced stress, better mental focus along with some other benefits. Yet yesterday I took my second gummie and just felt like my anxiety was bumbling at the surface but my body wouldn’t let it out if that makes sense. I later then started having minor brain fog, I went to the gym later on and felt massive fatigue and weakness, then got to the point of a panic attack and had to leave. I later calmed and went to bed and had minimal sleep. I haven’t taken any today but I have huge amounts of brain flog, lack of concentration and anxiety. Are these withdrawals? How long does this last? And how long does Ashwagandha stay in your system?
DO NOT TAKE ASHWAGANDA! I WAS SERVED PAPERS FOR AN ARREST
I TOOK THIS AT BEDTIME BECAUSE I WAS UNDER EXTREME STRESS FROM MY SON HAVING A CANCER DIAGNOSIS OF MELANOMA
I WOKE UP WITH WILD HALLUCINATIONS , I HAD THE MOST VIVID DREAM THAT HE SAID HE WAS COMING AFTER ME WITH A RIFLE. I WOKE UP IN A PANIC I WAS KNOCKING ON MY NEIGHBORS DOOR THAT HE HAD A RIFLE AND I RAN INTO HIS HOUSE SHAKING
HE HAD ME ARRESTED FOR BREAKING AND ENTERING
NOW IM GOING TO COURT AND POSSIBLY JAIL
I forgot to add I was dreaming about my boyfriend coming after me with a rifle
If you look on memorial Sloan Kettering web site under ashwaganda it states adverse side effects of this herb is hallucinogenic
Sorry but I must add this
I am 69 years old and never in my life was I ever convicted of a crime or even a dui
Never had hallucinations, until I took ashwaganda squeakie clean my entire life!
Only three days in but so far have only negative side effects. I have severe ME/CFS so I have a long list of symptoms already but it has heightened some of them. I initially wanted to try ashwagandha to lower my stress levels and help aid sleep (I have tried A LOT of sleep meds in the past but am trying to go down the more ‘natural route’)
So far:
Taking even longer to get to sleep, alert before sleep
More vivid distressing dreams
Higher HR and stress levels during the day and night (according to Garmin watch and I can feel it)
increased headaches and nausea
Increased IBS symptoms
Increased itchiness and fuzziness
Increased sneezing and congestion
Increased brain fog
Increased irritability and restlessness
Judging by a lot of these comments I’m guessing this likely isn’t for me but I was wondering if anyone persevered and saw results? As painful as it is, I don’t want to give up too quickly as I know things can take time to work, though with no positive effects at all so far it might be the only option.
I also had a really bad response. I had a couple of herbal drinks that had Ashwagandha. I had a full blown panic attack. My anxiety was so extreme. I will never take it again. Very bad experience
I took ashwagandha 3 times… because I really wanted to benefit from the results people rave about. Unfortunately, in all 3 occasions I broke into a sweat and within an hour git very sick with non stop diarrhea and vomiting. I’d really want to know why.
I’ve had a fever 104 I am praying it ends soon, I only took it once and never again
I just bought a bottle of supposedly the most potent and concentrated (Goli; whose products are honestly amazing) and let me tell you, they weren’t joking. (Everyone eats at least one extra gummy because they taste too good)
I only had the three, dosage called for two…..I just got home from the hospital.
My entire abdomen swelled so bad it was nearly breaking the skin and started to bruise even. Tender painful abdominal distention. It swoll so bad that at the emergency room they immediately ordered an ultrasound and CT scan thinking that I may have ruptured my appendix or had gallbladder stones. The Sonographer pointed out my intestines were so swollen that I had bowels “trapped” in between all the “inflammation of the likes that I have never seen” said the Dr.
it is potent and people should be let know. They had me drink pure prune juice and as much water as I could stand and eventually it gave way. The pain was relieved by lying on my back and alternating ice and heat. My lab work came back a mess. And I’m a healthy guy who had la work just two weeks ago and it was perfect.
The dr thought it was pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis and immediately they took my vitals thinking I could go into insulin shock any moment.
Never again. Good riddance.
I was bit by a tick 3 1/2 yrs ago that developed the bullseye rash. I went to the doctor the next morning as the bite woke me up in the middle of the night and the tick was still there, with the bullseye apparent. I was given serious antibiotics that destroyed my gut. As part of a detox and gut rebuilding I took ashwagandha, ginger, tumeric and others for 6 weeks. I took a break and about 6 months later decided to do it again as I was feeling pretty crappy. It almost killed me. I should have called 911 but wasnt thinking clearly. My body poured out of every opening, sweat pouring, dizzy. I laid in the tub and continued to pour out and vomit until I passed out. When I woke up, I showered in my clothes just to be able to get them off. I am autoimmune (AR) now and just found out ashwagandha is a nightshade which is a no no for autoimmune. Now Im wondering if my antibiotics werent I have alpha gal syndrome? I am allergic to many meats and 20+ other things with cross reactuvity.
The doctors have treated me so horribly over the years and yet Im still sick as a dog and can no longer even work. Hmmmm
Look into mcas
I started taking Ashwaganda a couple of weeks ago due to my anxiety (a result of grief, depression and quite difficult time I am having for almost three years).
At first it seemed Ashwaganda helped me with the anxiety and all the stress, however about 4 days ago I started feeling even more anxious, worried, depressed even though the overall situation I am in hasn’t changed.
I don’t know whether it’s the herb or I am experiencing any extra anxiety on my own. I also have less energy, fatigue and my mind is racing.
I have decided to stop using it.
Same thing happened to me.
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, I started Ashwaganda and I felt jittery and couldn’t sleep and I felt like my body was trembling and I couldn’t concentrate at all.
I took Ashwaganda for about a month at night in a supplement that mixed the Ashwaganda and Melatonin .
I developed hives on my back and sides with a few on my arms .
The hives on my back and side itched tremendously and were accompanied by redness and extremely intense itching .
I am now totally stopping the Ashwaganda supplement and will drink a lot of water on a daily basis and apply hydrocortisone cream until the hives clear up.
Notably I went on vacation for about seven days and didn’t take the Ashwaganda with me .
The hives and itching totally cleared up .Now on returning and taking the Ashwaganda for three nights the hives have almost totally returned.
More indication that the Ashwaganda is the problem!!
I dont take ashwaganda often but i have a deathly fear of doctors and dentists I tend to have panic attacks. The other day I had to get a crown and so I took two tablets, now that i do the math was about 1000 mg. I gave it time to kick in and I got so sick and could not focus. I went to the dentist got got my thing done then vomited all evening. It’s safe to say I will probably just cope with my anxiety in other ways from not on.
Women please becareful as ashwagandha increase testesterone .
Also it can messed with thyroid.
I started taking Ashwaganda about a week ago based on the positive reviews and haven’t been myself. I don’t eat like used to and have to force myself to eat so I don’t starve. The biggest issue I have is with it contributing to sexual dysfunction. I’m not sure about why but have noticed sexual issues since taking it. I’m going to stop taking it and just stick to L Theanine. I’m hoping I will get back to normal.
I’m in the same boat. I was taking every other day before a workout and it did wonders for stamina and I felt great. Also curbed my appetite as well. I was shredding weight
Side effects lots of gastrointestinal issues then ED happened. I stopped taking it 3 months ago and gastrointestinal issues cleared up but still have ED
Just took ashwa over the counter chews for the first time, can’t stop vomiting. This happened when I tried relaxaim sleep as well. Dangerous though package says all natural. Be ware!
I started taking a variety of Vitamins 1.5 weeks ago which included ashwaganda. Since then I’ve had extremely low energy, incredible brain fog, heightened anxiety, and today, a headache. Like many others commenting on here, I’m not sure Ashwaganda is the right supplement for me.
The Ashwagandha pills gave me abdominal pain for most of the day and diarrhea for a couple of days. I was also slightly dizzy. I only took one pill as I was not sure of the effect that it would have on me.
I experienced sexual dysfunction too taking Ashwaghanda for about 2 months. I had little interest in sex whereas I did before. I stopped the ashwaghanda and my sex drive came back shorty after stopping it. Then I took it one day for stress and it made my brain feel slow. I think I should just not take it. I thought it was helping with my overall stress but I’m not so sure now. Definitely causes a lack sexual interest.
I’m very surprised to see such negative reactions to ashwangandha… I’ve never heard of it doing anything like that before. I have been taking ksm66 for about a week… I must admit I feel less anxious (although not after reading this article!) And have had no gastro issues at all which I am massively prone to. BUT I can’t sleep properly for the last 4 days. I wake loads of times in the night which is very odd considering it is supposed to help with that. To be fair I don’t know it os the fault of ashwangandha… I am also premenstrual but it is very weird. I actually just took a capsule again now but maybe tomorrow I should avoid it and see how I sleep…
Wow was googling on the side effects as I had it worst!
On and off taking it for 2 months.
Within that 2 months, I had random fatigue,weakness, mild anxiety and depression that I just blame it on hormone as I already have pcos. But I did wondered as it never happened that bad before
After taking it for 2 mths, I guess it had build up to the max, thats when I felt ill and drunk and feeling I can pass out anytime. Rushed to ER, my BP was 90/60!! Thats horrible because mine always 120/70. Stop taking it straight away. BP back to normal after 3 days stopping it. Mental health and others back to normal after 8 days. While in withdrawal, I notice some breathing problems.
I also had period problems that I just relate after reading some comments!
While on Ash, I had longer and shorter crazy cycle that again I blame it on pcos and ageing but never had this crazy before.
Now my period is still
messed up, hope it will get better.
Ash is posion for me. regret it.
I took ir originally just to improve my 5 hrs sleep wish to have 8 hrs. Its ok now I take my 5 hrs sleep!
Thanks for sharing. A few times I have felt like I was going to pass out. My blood pressure is low to begin with. My appetite was affected too. Ate just because it was time to. My husband was concerned that I didn’t want to eat. I am not over weight. Again thank you for sharing.
Hi Lina.
I am on day 4 if taking Ash and decided to look into my symptoms only to fall upon this page and your comment. Although my symptoms have not been horrible I started 2 nights ago having sleeping problems, racing mind, anxiety, possibly some mild hallucinations and I want to say I may have even gained some weight as I feel…bigger. my husband has also expressed difficulty sleeping, some strange “dreams” and shortness of breath particularly night.
Anyway, besides our common side effects, the reason I am commenting specifically to you is that I fell upon Ashwaganda while looking into a herbal supplement for my daughter and her issues as she has had an adverse reaction to the birth control pill to which she was taking to help with monthly symptoms as well as hormonal acne. What I read about Ash wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for my daughter but it did sound like an option for some concerns I was having so I purchased it and continued surfing the net and investigating the options. In my search I came across 2 supplements which mentioned great success with PCOS. The first one being NAC or
N-acetyl Cysteine which has claims to have had “better improvement in clinical, biochemical and hormonal profile than Metformin in PCOS patients”, and the second one being Vitex Chaste Berry which had some good reviews on Amazon.
Anyway, by no means am I a doctor or anyone close to such, just a girl that has put in a lot of hours researching these 2 online as I am very cautious as to what I want my daughter taking.
I purchased both of these with the intention of trying the Chasteberry for her first. The NAC had many other health benefits that I plan on trying myself in the meantime and will have on hand in case the Chasteberry fails to help with her issues.
She has yet to take the Chasteberry as I want her to go another few weeks off the pill before introducing something new to her system so I’m unable to comment on any pros or cons. I just thought I would share this information in case you were at a loss and looking for new leads for relief. I suffered with endometriosis up until a recent hysterectomy. I wish I had heard of these supplements years ago as I would have given anything to find some help with my symptoms and with infertility issues.
I wish you much luck and good health.
My wife and I went out to dinner for my birthday to a popular seafood restaurant. The very next day, my wife became terribly sick. Food or water would not stay down and she had explosive diarrhea and vomiting. She could barely walk because she was so weak. We thought she had food poisoning from dinner the night before. She got slightly better after a day and a half and she was much better after about 3 or 4 days.
A few days later, she walked into my office holding a vitamin bottle and said “I don’t think I had food poisoning, I think it was this” and she handed me a bottle of Ashwagandha. Sure enough, she took another dose and became violently ill again with the exact same symptoms. My poor wife now had to battle this for a second time within a week.
This is a terrible supplement! I read the bottle and there were no warnings at all. She had a severe reaction with just one 450mg capsule. Reading through this article and comments, it seems there are many different types of reactions to this supplement from high anxiety, depression, palpitations, diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, extreme fatigue.
She is finally sleeping now, but if there is no improvement in a few hours we will be visiting the ER since she is so dehydrated and weak after battling this twice in a week. You can see in her face how she instantly went from very healthy to gaunt, weak, and sickly. The diarrhea and vomiting comes on so fast she doesn’t even have time to roll over and get out of bed. She is so fatigued she can barely walk. Water passes straight through her almost instantly as if she is pouring it on the floor.
I never even heard of this supplement until now. Based on what I am reading here, this supplement is an additive to many types of shakes, health drinks and teas. It is quite scary that people can have this type of a reaction to a supplement and there seems to be zero awareness that there is a potential for very serious and dangerous side effects. Not only that, most people are taking this thinking they are improving their health.
Be very careful if you are researching this supplement and are thinking about trying it. Based on my quick research, this is not isolated and a measurable number of people experience severe side effects.
This is exactly what happened to me
I have struggled with stress and insomnia for years due to work and being a caregiver.
Only the work related stress is an issue now, but it was causing me to get little to no sleep and that definitely impacted my performance, mood, etc…
After learning about stress and it’s relation to cortisol levels, I found out about Ashwagondha and did some research.
I was diagnosed with IBS about 12 years ago, but it’s been fairly controlled, with attacks being tamped down with Hyoscyamine taken in sublingual form.
Usually I can eat pretty much whatever I want as long as I eat slowly.
My IBS attacks seem to be triggered mostly by stress.
I began taking Ashwagondha from a reputable source and it took about four weeks to notice the changes.
What I noticed first was I felt calmer, more collected and I was finally able to get a glorious night’s sleep, complete with dreams and recall.
I even noticed I could wake up to use the bathroom, go back to bed and instead of laying there for the next 3 hours tossing, turning and worrying, I was off to sleep within 5 to 10 minutes, dreaming, with recall. For the first time in years, I felt wonderful, then came the day that the diarrhea and IBS attacks began. I would say this was about 7 weeks in.
I noticed that the Ashwagondha seemed to increase my sensitivity to high FODMAP foods that I don’t usually have to avoid.
After a month of severe attacks, I relented and stopped using it. The attacks subsided and finally the insomnia is returning.
Is there no way to buffer, or better tolerate this stuff? My ability to sleep and therefore my quality of life stand in the balance.
Mild stomach discomfort is a thing and I recommend drinking milk or a protein shake with ashwagandha (I believe it’s common in India as well). I wouldn’t recommend ashwagandha to anyone suffering from a pre-existing gut problem. There’s a feeling of lethargy with continued use, which is why I recommend only taking ashwagandha on occasion, as you would alcohol. I find in moments where I crave a drink, it feels great if I swap it for ashwagandha instead. On a final note, I’d recommend sticking to ashwagandha supplements that show a ratio of withanolides on the back, so you at least know the seller is knowledgeable.
I’ve been taking ashwaghanda for 5 months now, but only just recently started with upper ab pain or heartburn ? I’m not sure, anyone else ?
I’ve played with 700mg of ashwagandha on and off for years and haven’t experienced any extreme downsides (male, 32, athletic, no conditions). That said, mild stomach discomfort is a thing and I recommend drinking milk or a protein shake with ashwagandha (I believe it’s common in India as well). I wouldn’t recommend ashwagandha to anyone suffering from a pre-existing gut problem. There’s a feeling of lethargy with continued use, which is why I recommend only taking ashwagandha on occasion, as you would alcohol. I find in moments where I crave a drink, it feels great if I swap it for ashwagandha instead. On a final note, I’d recommend sticking to ashwagandha supplements that show a ratio of withanolides on the back, so you at least know the seller is knowledgeable.
I am Hyperthyroid (Graves) and have spent the past year in hell. I developed PVC’s, early menopause, and a bunch of other issues. My thyroid meds have been tapered off to nothing as my numbers are “normal”
But the depression and anxiety are getting to me. I went to an ND, and she gave me 3 bottles of supplements to take. One of them that I take 3 pills in the morning has Ashwagandha. In the past week since taking them, my anxiety has gone through the roof, serious depression, cognitive issues, and a 10-pound weight gain!
My mental issues only started after the Graves started (after my Pfizer shot) Normally I do well in high-stress situations (I’m a lifeguard) but now I turn into a blubbering idiot for stupid stuff like I can’t find my pen.
Should I just accept this new neurotic and depressed me and try and come up with strategies to deal with this?
I’m a veteran and have had multiple mental health issues since I got out in ’08. Also have trouble sleeping bc of nightmares mostly and zero energy. There’s only been a couple of things that have helped over the years with anxiety and sleep and stuff but due to some bureaucratic bs I can’t take them. I started taking Ashwagandha a little over a week ago and immediately I noticed that I had energy during the day (but not jittery energy like with lots of caffeine) and was much more calm overall. And like magic around 10 or 11 every night I was tired and ready for bed. Still had nightmares but the sleep I got felt deeper and I felt better in the morning. But about 3 days ago I suddenly started itching all over. Especially my feet. The bottom of my feet itch like crazy. But it’s literally all over my body I itch like I’ve never itched before. No hives or rashes or anything like that. Just an intense itching all over. It’s been 2 days now since I’ve taken anymore Ashwagandha and the itching isn’t as intense as it was but it’s still bad. I’ve tried taking some antihistamines (allergy pills) creams for itching both steroidal and non-steroidal as well as well as straight steroid cream. Some help take a bit of the edge off but nothing takes the itching away. I’m going insane. Has anyone ever dealt with this before and if so then how long before this is out of my system?? I’m so desperate for help with my anxiety and depression that I’m trying anything at this point but if one of my desperate attempts drives me to killing myself anyways I feel like the last string of hope I’m holding on to is snapped and I should just give up… anyways, if anyone could please let me know when this itching will end that will be great. Thank you.
You are having a side-effect that can occur with Aswaganda, which is an allergic reaction that manifests as itching. It will go away. It is hard to say when, but it will definitely go away in time after you stop taking ashwaganda. You can reach out to a holistic doctor to see if they may know if something else might be causing the allergic reaction to ashwaganda, like perhaps a gut infection. I hope you find relief and keep reaching out until you find someone with knowledge on this. There are endless people out there who can help. Don’t give up!
After taking it on and off for about two weeks I stopped it and have been having blurred vision in both eyes and feeling lightheaded for about a week. Not sure what is going on with me now.
I started taking it for the first time about a month ago. I suffer from RA, and since traditional medicine has done very little for me I’ve been looking at alternatives for a long time. I started taking two 500mg pills divided between lunch and dinner. Ion the very first day I started getting really dizzy and nauseated which is really unusual. I read online that one needed to “build tolerance” for this herb so I continued taking it. I had serious stomach issues within couple of days like diarrhea and cramps. On day 3 I developed hives on my face and upper torso. I lowered the dose to just one 500mg pull a day but the symptoms continued in and out. Around the second week, I ended up at the ER after suddenly passing out at home. Doctors told me I had a 68 mg/dL sugar reading which is extremely low (again totally unusual for me because I always had borderline pre-diabetic high readings). They said that if I didn’t come to the ER I was probably not going to make it. They immediately asked me to stop taking Ashwagandha. The head doctor said that he’s seen a lot of cases recently of people ending up in the ER after taking this supplement and some of them dying. He compared it to the “ephedrine” crisis back in the 90’s where the substance wasn’t banned until a few people died. Hope this story helps someone..
Hey there. How long did it take for your symptoms to go away? I took ash for about 3 1/2 days starting this past Saturday. By Wednesday, I was in the ER after suffering heart palpitations. It’s Friday now, and my average heart rate has been 72 bpm which is practically great. However, tightness in my chest and throat with feelings of lightheadedness have not gone away. It’s really starting to worry me again.
How long did it take your heart palpitations to stop? I’ve had them about 3 days now
Hey Simone. I’m replying to myself in order for you to see this because the API of this website doesn’t allow to reply to the 3rd comment of a thread. My palpitations ceased after about 3 weeks. I started to experience other symptoms though: symptoms of hypothyroidism. Extreme pulmonary fatigue, low heart rate, and swelling of my thyroid. Now the pulmonary fatigue and low heart rate are basically gone, so I’m really happy. But the lump in my throat is still there. My thyroid is incredibly inflamed, and when I compare it to older pictures of myself, it’s definitely noticeable. Hope you come back and are able to see this message.
I bought ashwagandha about a year ago and used it for about 4 days. On day four, I was so dizzy that I could not get out of bed. wasn’t sure what was causing it but discontinued the ashwagandha since that was the only thing I was doing differently. I had no more problems with dizziness. Recently I started taking a different brand of collagen from the one I had been using. After using it for a several days, I woke up one morning and as I turned over in bed I was extremely dizzy and spinning. I had nausea and a slight headache along with it. This has gone on for four days. Just now looked at the label and realized that it has ashwagandha in it so I will discontinue and see if the dizziness, headache and stomach upset go away. I have not found anywhere that dizziness is a side effect but it definitely is for me.
Hi there, how long did it take for all of this to go away after you stopped taking?
Iv suffered insomnia for 30 years and after taking Ash iv never slept better but wat I did notice was tht I had extremely heavy menses a month later, it was abnormal amount (sorry fr tmi) which left me anaemic and iv never been anaemic before either. So I’m not sure if it’s related but I’m getting tests now to check my endometrium.
yes ashwagandha increase testerone so it ruin female hormone
I’ve been taking a supplement for a little over a week now and didn’t think anything of the ashwaganda triggering my heightened anxiety, but between the racing heart/mind, very high anxiety levels, panic, insomnia, etc. it’s all starting to make sense as to why out of the blue I started feeling my anxiety get worse and worse.
I took Ashwagandha for about three weeks and it made me anxious and I couldn’t sleep. It did the opposite of what it said it was supposed to do for me.
I’ve been takeing ashwagandah gummies for about 2 1/2 weeks I’ve been haveing problems urinateing now I can’t urinate at all hardly I’m backing up with fluid retention and I can’t urinate what can I do??????!
Please help I’m so swollen and I hurt soo bad?!!!!
I started taking Ash. over a month ago, started out it worked well for sleep, but now a month later after 6 hrs sleep, I wake in a panic attack mode and can’t get back to sleep. Also I’ve been a little snappy with love ones, thinking it’s not for me!
Ashwaganda makes my face break out in a rosacea type redness and rash. I took a few different combination supplements for adrenals/stress and it took a few different times for me to figure out it was the culprit.
I started taking this supplement a week ago and had to stop taking it because I woke up with puffy eyes and swollen and numb face. My neck is red and itchy. I wasn’t sure if it was a side effect of ashwaghanda or my new facial cleanser. but reading all of these side effects and comments makes it very clear to me …
I really thought it would be a great product as so many girls are taking it!
Thankyou for this article. I was looking for information on negative side affects as I noticed I felt irritated a few hours after taking Ashwagandha. So I experimented with random days and found it happened every time. I also wonder if it was a poor quality product. Threw the rest away.
Again, great article.
I saw tiktoks discussing ashwagandha so I added to my daily supplements, I’ve been diagnosed with depression and anxiety I can 100% confirm that I can barely get out of bed in the morning anymore. My mental health has only gotten worse, and I’ve felt a lot more numb emotionally as of late. Ashwagandha is definitely not for everyone so just hope people keep that in mind 🙂 .
I started ash about a week ago. N day 5 I wasn’t feeling real good. Day 7 my heart is pounding. Upset stomach, headache, can’t sleep, breathing issues. I took this for long covid but it’s made it very much worse. I hope the side effects leave soon. It should be banned
Hey there,
Have you recovered from the breathing issues yet?
Best
Hi Levi,
Try researching NAC (N-acetylcysteine) for breathing issues…amongst many other health benefits.
Hope this helps.
hey there. its been about 3 months since you posted… about 2 months for me. just wanted to check in. for me the breathing problems continued until today. try belly breathing.
Not sure if you’re still struggling but maybe look into NAC (N-acetylcysteine). Claims to be good for COVID, long COVID, breathing issues amongst others.
I have a history of anxiety and depression had stoped Paxil 6 months ago but have been very stressed due to financial and work stress. I started taking Asgwanda and L Theanine for the past 3 days twice a day.. felt calmer at first but I totally lost it today and had a mental breakdown. I’ve taken a Xanax and am now calmer but stopping it immediately. Didn’t see that coming..
I became deathly ill and had to be rushed to the hospital 4 times. I had every test in the book. Nobody could figure out what was wrong. They thought I might have mersa but did not. Finally I began to research what I had injested each time. It was a tea that had the herb in it and enzymes a dictor had suggested. Since then I have not taken it and it’s been about 6 years now with no more incidents. The last time I tooknit I was in the hospital for 4 days. I check all labels now.
Hello,
Thanks for asking! Yes, my experience was bad.
1. Hot! Was burning up at night and waking up red in the face, blotches, and drenched in sweat.
2. I did sleep, but fitfully and not restfully.
3. Itching. I itched so bad I thought I would go crazy.
4. Headache. A sick headache that just seemed to encompass my whole body. Ick! I couldn’t function with the headache.
I stopped taking it after 10 days and within 24 hours woke up feeling the demonic alien had left my body.
By the way, I suffer from hypothyroidism, hypertension, some autoimmune disorder (not yet diagnosed, but my sister has lupus), and prediabetes. Please also worn that taking Ash with Baclofen (muscle relaxant) causes breast cancer in women. I was shocked to find this out. I take Baclofen regularly. I googled how Ash would interact with each of my medicines and was shocked about Baclofen. I’m going to stop taking Baclofen all together.
Dude, this herb has royally screwed up my system! I was taking it for a little over a month before finding out all of this ^ stuff. It has made my anxiety and insomnia HORRIBLE. Also lead to some weird muscle cramping and twitching, like every day.
I stopped taking it two days ago. Still waking up with panic, early, early in the morning, and still have trouble sleeping / staying calm through the day.
When will this stuff leave my system? I eat 100 percent clean, exercise regularly, drink a bunch of water. Get it outta me!!!
Very interesting article this! I’m on day 4 of taking 700mg split into two doses. Have bipolar disorder and had been having big anxiety so thought I’d give it a whirl. So as far as anxiety goes, a definite reduction. However, I can’t sleep. I lie there perfectly happy but just cannot go to sleep. I eventually do but I only get a couple of hours and it doesn’t feel restful. This morning I also noticed nausea for the first time. One weird side effect has been over salivating. Strange taste in mouth.
After reading this I’m going to stop taking it I think.
Yes! Insomnia!! Like worst ever!!
Hey Natalie, I hope you’re feeling better! I had similar reactions to Ash and started researching how long it would take to leave the system. I read it’s 2-3 days for the water soluble elements to leave and up to a month for the fat soluble. I started doing pressure point massages at night for the adrenals and with water and exercise it seems to help it move out faster. Hope this helps you or someone else!
Hi Natalie! This is exactly my experience! Insomnia (which I never had) and anxiety (which I did have mildly) has gone through the roof and am in a constant state of panic. I only took it three days and stopped Monday night (it’s not Wednesday). How long before you felt it was out of your system with this approach? So glad you’re feeling better!
I have had 2 violent episodes of nausea , vomiting and diarrhoea and almost lost consciousness as a result. Was taken to a medical center and was put on the drip for several hours because I lost so much fluid. I took the ash for less than 2 weeks but the side effects were unbearable and dangerous. I have never had such a traumatic reaction to a supplement in my life. I also take medication for my thyroid problem but my Ayurvedic doctor didn’t take this into account when he prescribed ash. I decided to stop using it.
I’m thinking the same for me. First time I had violent vomiting and diahorrea, like it was food poisoning. That’s what I thought initially. I couldn’t get off the bathroom floor. I was dragging myself to the door to call for help and an ambulance. I didn’t go to hospital but came so close. Next few days I felt so dreadfully ill with extreme dehydration. I have Hashimoto’s and tonight, after taking one Ashwagandha, I am up clutching the porcelain bowl again. I’ve only had it a few times. Last two times have been awful. Never again. Ever.
I took Ashwaghanda yesterday morning and it made me feel ‘wired’ – heightened anxiety (moderately severe – felt like ‘jumping out of my skin!). It also kept me awake all night(gut felt like it was churning all night, and colicky pain in the afternoon and early evening. Conversely, I spite of the heightened anxiety, I also felt severely fatigued, and needed to have coffee to get any energy to get jobs done- very bad reaction! I have pyrroles, low zinc, high copper, histamine imbalance (?methylation issues?), and anxiety (occasional mild depression issues). Wish I’d read your blog first – wouldn’t have taken it! It’s helpful to know this going forward, though🥴…
This same thing
Happened to me too. I could
Not sit/lay down for 24 hours.
I did not know that this herb boost the immune system. I took it for several weeks and have an awful response. It caused my scleroderma to flare (my tight skin increased many fold in my feet and legs and I could hardly walk. It has subsided a little after a week but still bad. Caused me to leave notes in my home in case I died suddenly.
Has caused severe nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Diarrhea lasts several days. Did not realize it was the powder the first time around. Tried it in my shake about 3 weeks later and realized it was what was causing me to get so sick. Has happened twice. I wouldn’t tell anyone to take this.
Same experience. Never taking it again.
Anytime I take ashwaghanda I get overly emotional, sad, generally depressed and reactive. I will cry for seemingly no reason. And I only figured out it was the ashwaghanda because my mom said it made her feel sad and I finally put it together. I bought a probiotic recently and didn’t realize it also had ashwaghanda in it and was a wreck for several days before I noticed. I’m glad there are people spreading ALL the possible effects instead of talking about how wonderful this herb is for everyone. My mom and I have two completely different personalities and our brain chemistry is polar opposite. I have problems with depression, low motivation, procrastination and love stimulants. She can’t drink a cup of coffee without feeling jittery. So the fact that it made both of us react in the same way is quite astonishing and I’m willing to bet there are just as many people out there who experience negative effects as there are people who benefit and feel better from it.
My husband has anxiety issues. I picked him up some Ashwaganda and thought it could help. I mean, they sell it at Sprouts so, why not? He has been in a MAJOR depressive episode with heart racing for about a week and a half now. Like suicidal depression. Did some research and found Ashwaganda could be causing it. 😞. I feel terrible and had him stop taking it immediately.
I took 1 pill/day of this through a whole box (that’s half the recommended dose. DHM Sleepful Unique Brain Sleep Enhancer – it contains ashwagandha. I was fine until half way through the second box. Then I thought I had a stomach virus for six days. I stopped taking these and suddenly no problems. Not realizing the culprit, I had trouble sleeping and took another one around 8pm. I woke at 4am vomiting. That continued a while. For the rest of thebday I had diarrhea. I stopped taking these pills and no more problems.
I have taken Ashwagandha, in different forms and different doses on three occasions and had terrible reactions each time. The first time, I took in capsule form, but didn’t immediately associate what happened to me with it. Severe nausea, throwing up, and severe diarrhea and my husband almost took me to the hospital. The second time was in a collagen drink that had some. I thought, small dose, should be fine. And wasnt sure that the first time was really related to Ashwagandha. Again, nausea, diarrhea and sick for most of a day. Took me a couple days for my bowels to recover. Third time, had a new protein/vitamin drink. I was so excited about this product. All in one stop for vitamins and protein! Yay. Didn’t look close enough at the ingredients. I should have…but didn’t. Wound up most of the day feeling nauseous and had terrible diarrhea that took days to resolve. Looked at the label a little closer, and found it contained Ashwagandha!!! Apparently, after three incident, I have learned I do not tolerate it well. My question, is can you build a tolerance to it? It is worth trying? I have two bags of otherwise good product that I would love to take if I can figure out how to tolerate it.
I took it yesterday for the first time. I have no known conditions that I thought would make me have a bad reaction. I’ve been feeling awful. I regularly have general anxiety so I thought it would help. Since I took it, I’ve had extreme stress, tension headaches, jaw tightness, inability to focus (where it impairs my driving), stomach issues, insomnia/nightmares, jitters, and irritability. No panic attacks, but I’m anxious for it to leave my system. It’s almost 24 hours and I still feel terrible. Glad to know I’m not alone.
Every time I take it I have horrible nightmares, some of those even involving things I’m afraid of and phobias. I’m really curious as to why I don’t see any benefit (only nightmares) even when I’m following the directions on dosage.
Had severe anaphylaxis reaction to this herb when it was added to smoothie at a health juice bar. Hospital. Almost died. Be careful with unknown substances. Just because it’s not regulated does not mean it will agree with your body.
I have a sensitive stomach and my body usually reacts to supplements and adaptogens very quickly so results are quick to be seen. After taking half a pill (around 200mg) of Ashwagandha, I feel that my stomach is bloated. I lost my appetite for the whole day and had pretty bad stomach pain as well and had to go to the washroom a couple of times. My stomach feels weird for 2 days after taking it. My sleep has not improved as they claim although my energy level is elevated noticeably. Due to the gastrointestinal discomfort it gives me, I do not think I will take it again anymore.
So, it was very interesting to read all your comments here. I am deciding to quit on the Ashwagandha today!
I have been struggling with some anxiety and depression over the last few years. My friend suggested I try Ashwagandha as it works to take the edge of anxiety and depression for him.
I’m a teacher and started taking at the start of the long summer holiday. For the first few weeks, it seemed okay. I’ve taken it most days for about 5 weeks. To be honest, I haven’t felt right nearly the whole holiday -but couldn’t understand why. I actually thought that my stress and anxiety levels must have been worse than I originally thought. I have had stomach aches and side muscle cramps and serious gastric bloating especially around the diaphragm area. I’ve been lethargic, exhausted and yawning throughout the days. I’ve had some of the worse anxiety/ panic attacks -where I thought I was actually losing it. I’ve been anxious about having anxiety and highly stressed over the smallest things. I’ve also felt hot and cold at times and have had crazy ‘hot’ tension headaches for several days, especially mornings and sleep times. Your site was an excellent read as it covered nearly all of these symptoms. I’ve read many articles this summer, on the benefits of the herb, but this one was a good balance. I’ve wanted the Ashwagandha to work -because I don’t want to have to take medication (hence why I kept on taking it), but on summary, my wife who has had to put up with me all holiday, has just agreed that i’ve never been this anxious or complaining about not feeling well ever!! Time to stop taking it. Thank you. (I only took a daily 450mg capsule from a recognised brand.)
My wife started using it as it was recommended by several friends to help with the symptoms of menopause.
She suggested I try it as I work in a high stress environment.
My reaction was very bad, I had no idea what was going on. I felt I had lost control of my emotions which is out of character for me as I’m usually everyone’s rock. I was anxious, tearful, had heart pulpertation, butterflies in my stomach and felt foggy. Generally overwhelming unhappiness, I just wanted it to stop. Thankfully we looked up this article and after several days I have begun to feel myself, still a little anxious, but definitely better.
I tried it because this social anxiety is beating my asz and immediately i had muscle spasms and my right feet the thing is I started taking this and vit c at the same time so I eliminated the vit c and only kept using this the pain persisted so than I stopped taking this and the feet spasm stopped as well.
I really wanted this to work I don’t know what to do about this anxiety
I have been taking Ashwaghanda about 1,200mg a day for about a year. I started taking it for my OCD, PTSD and anxiety symptoms after a friend recommended it and told me this dosage did wonders for his panic attacks. It was working extremely well for keeping my nervous system manageable, and I was taking breaks, but the last few months I did not take any breaks due to some life stressors. Now it’s resulted in even more intense anxiety symptoms and panic that won’t go away. Its much worse if I miss a dose. I cant find much online that explains what I’m experiencing, but Im starting the process of detoxing now that I have awareness. Hoping to set up a session with a local herbalist soon because googling supplements and taking them blindly was foolish and I am fully aware that I am responsible for my current condition. I wanted to share my experience in case anyone has advice or has had a similar experience with this herb.
I took Ashwagandha in the form of gummies sold in WalMart , after reading the write up on the benefits of its use.
The first day nothing, the second day I was tired and kind of disoriented, so I went to bed. The next morning when I got up I was dizzy to the point of almost fainting, I had to lay back down and once everything stopped spinning I got up, this has NEVER happened before and I was a bit worried, I did not associate it with the Ashwagandha and talked to my daughter, we went through what has changed and what if any medications I had taken and I told her the usual multivitamins, and minerals and the Ashwagandha, she suggested just stop taking it and see if the problem goes away, so I did, and everything was back to normal. Not sure if it was a fluke a week later I took it again and on the second day again the tiredness and dizziness was back especially when trying to get out of bed. So that was it. This medication or supplement does not work for me. I would suggest anyone trying to use it be VERY careful. Anything that two doses can make you faint is not something you should try to use.
I have a lot of seasonal pollen allergies and that may be why I cannot tolerate ashwagahnda. It made me violently ill with vomiting and diarrhea. I had to discontinue taking the supplement.
I stumbled on this site doing research on possible reasons that can explain why I have a very high level of copper in my blood. Ashwaganda was recommended to me by a family member as possibly helpful in addressing some extreme stress. As far as I know I don’t have adrenal fatigue and I’ve never heard of it before. Can you help me understand – can ashwaganda be the culprit for my high copper levels?
I am glad to hear I am not alone! Ashwaghanda is causing me insomnia, lightheadedness, and hormonal acne along my chin.
I have been taking Ashwagandha for about 4 weeks. It has caused my insomnia to be so much worse. It has caused severe anxiety and stomach upset. I have been waking up with a headache recently and I don’t often have headaches. Tonight it has made me feel just crazy with anxiety like I could run around the house 100 times. I thought if I continued taking it things might get better but have gotten worse. I don’t sleep at all hardly. No more for me.
Dear Becky, how have you been since ? The same happened to me. Had mild PPD with anxiety and poor sleep. 2 days in and started sleeping much better but was a lot more fatigued and was not really willing to get out of bed (didn’t experience that before despite insomnia). I thought it was an ok price to pay for some restful sleep. But the anxiety got gradually a lot worse, along with major insomnia, crying spells and demotivation. Bottom line it made symptoms a lot worse within 8-14 days. Or at least both events are correlated. I’m in contact with my therapist but really hoping for the acute symptoms to subside. I’ll stop taking it from tonight and hope for the best as this is hellish.
Help, I am experiencing anxiety attacks, mood swings and severe depression. I have been taking ashwaganda on and off but more on for the last eight months. These symptoms have come out of no where in the last two weeks and no other changes to my supplements or routine.
My situation is odd and doesn’t make a lot of sense.
My brain never responded well to most anxiety meds prescription wise and I have always enjoyed herbs, so was giving this a try.
I was taking at night and it was helping immensely — lower stress, good mood, and weight loss (I had been stuck at my weight loss goal for two years!! ) — however, every night I took it my insomnia has grown worse and worse until I wasn’t functioning/missing work due to lack of sleep.
So, I switched to daytime. Unfortunately for some VERY odd reason if I take during the day I tend to get irritable and stressed, the weight loss stopped, and all the benefits stopped. The insomnia disappeared, however.
I will say I wasn’t taking it consistently during the day so I am going to give it one more go for a few weeks daily, I LOVED the benefits when taking it out night but could not keep up with the extreme insomnia side effect.
You’d think I would get the same benefits during the day but apparently not. My brain is so odd.
Only side effect i have from ashwaganda is too much blood in stool. I stopped taking after
I had a protein drink that had ashwagandha in it. I took a few sips abd was feeling like I was voing to pass smoith out. At first, I didn’t realize ut was the drink. I was at work (an office job) and just started drinking a lot of water. I drank about a quart of water and then took a couple more sips of the protein drink. Again, started feeling like Ivwas going to pass out, and drank another quart of water. By this time I was actualky hungry, so I took a couple if gulps of the protein shake, which had the same effect, and thus time I realized it must be the shake. Ashwagandha was the only ingredientin it that I didn’t recognize as something my body is okay with.
I bought a bottle of Ashwaganda and took just 1 capsule of 400 mg. That night I had terrible diarrhea which lasted 6 days. I am not sure it was the Ashwaganda but I am afraid to try it again.
Ashwagandha gave me terrible breathing problems. I was literally gasping for air as I was falling asleep. Not exaggerating. It also made me feel weak in general, but the breathing was the worst part. It was in a pre workout supplement that I bought because my usual one was sold out. I used as directed, though I can’t remember the dose. Got progressively worse as I was taking regularly until my breathing was, like I mentioned, as if I was gasping for breath (again, important to note this is not an exaggeration). When I stopped taking it, it stopped. It was during lockdown, so I tried taking it again to test it, thinking maybe I had had Covid and didn’t know. But again, I had extreme breathing problems that would start up a few hours after consuming. It was the only thing I had changed/newly introduced into my diet. I immediately stopped again and threw away the remaining product. I now make sure any supplements I purchase are ashwagandha-free. Be careful people!
Yes! This is happening to me after being on ashwagandha chewables since Feb 3, 2023. I noticed my throat swelling up and I’ve been waking up gasping for air. It’s as if my body Is forgetting to breathe. I thought I was developing sleep apnea until I finally put the pieces together and realized it was the ashwagandha. I’m throwing these away and steering clear. I too had crazy dreams, brain fog, frontal headache, and tiredness. Stay away from this stuff!!! I’m hoping the side effects go away soon.
I have Ulcerative Colitis, I have only taken it for one day but it has given me an extreme gas reaction. It smells horrible, my ulcers flared and I became very bloated. I was in the bed all day and did not want to be active at all, but weirdly I didn’t feel anxious or depressed like normal. Lol I was confused
It has to be taken in very small quantities ( 1 very small coffee spoon ) per day. And 2 wks then rest 1….
I ve learned with experience in the last years or so.
Each time I’ve tried it, same results. Extreme fatigue. But it seems to interfere with my cognitive abilities. My focus was altered and I would have strange lapses where simple words would disappear. Not a good reaction but I tend to be super sensitive to supplements.
My experience with ashwagandha (liquid form) has been very inconsistent in intensity, but here seems to be one common experience in common: its energizing, but comes with anxiety. I started using it periodically when a therapist recommended it when i shared about constant fatigue and fogginess. I was taking an SSRI at that time and i def felt it increase my energy, i became even hyper. While it was a welcomed change from the intense fatigue, it did make me feel like i was racing in everything i did, so anxiety inducing for sure. However, the intensity varied, and sometimes it did absolutely nothing for me.
I stopped using it for a while as i found no benefits after a while, and re-started on occasion about a year later. At this time i was on an SNRI and i dont remember noticible effects, except a bit of anxiety-which could have also been the SNRI because i was getting used to it and it also elevated my heart rate.
Several months later, I decided to try it again since i had a lot of work to complete and little energy. I took it as usual, with water and some food in the morning and i have been crawling out of my skin since. It was an intense feeling of restlessness and anxiety, extra sweaty and scattered brained, which was the opposite of what i needed on an extra busy day! I attributed it to my regular anxiety the SNRI and the new adderrall prescription i have been trying (XL, 20mg), but honestly who knows which one is the culprit. All i know is that i dont think it mixes well with SNRI and Stimulants.
If anyone else has experienced similar with similar medication combos, please reply!
I started taking ashwagandha in nov 2021 and began experiencing extremely dry and itchy skin about a month later. I thought it was winter weather causing it and didn’t give it much thought. My skin continued to deteriorate and it began to hive. I thought it was just a really bad eczema flare up, or a new allergy. Lotions I used for years (like aveeno, cetaphil) would also give me rashes. I did an elimination diet and nothing seemed to be the cause. I finally made the connection in May 2022 (and also found some reviews on amazon for ashwagandha stating that it caused severe itching for people) and stopped taking it. Even though I’d stopped taking it my skin continued to be dry, itchy, and red. The only difference is that it stopped hiving. This past week was the worst of my body recovering from it. I had chills, but would cold sweat if I had the covers on, my skin was still red and rough and fragile. I would wake up essentially every hour. last night was the first time I’ve been able to sleep through the night and today is the first day that my skin texture resembles anything normal. I think the recovery being this long is because of how long I was taking ashwagandha beforehand.
Long story (sorry in advance) i had honestly a horrible reaction to this Awhile back my mom heard that this was suppose to help anxiety, insomnia. (I have really bad panic attacks, anxiety all the time, and I also have insomnia) So my mom and I decided to try it. We both ended up having the same reaction, My whole body was shaking. Sometimes before bed I have this weird thing that happened to where my blood feels like it’s shaking. It’s super strange so that was happening but the worst I had ever felt it. I felt so much anxiety, and weird dizziness. My heart was racing, I was having chest pains. I laid there wide eyed and the next morning she told me she felt the exact way. I just laid in bed and couldn’t sleep all night. I also have heart issues and my adrenal glands over produce adrenaline. Of course at the time of trying this out I did not know I had these health issues. I don’t recommend anyone takes this.
Hey Shelly, How are you feeling now?
Omg! Same here. As I’m writing this, I’m in day 2 of a sleepless, terrifying night. The heart palpitations, body tremors, racing mind, and surging anxiety are a lot to deal with. Then my skin looks like a slice of pepperoni pizza, and I feel like I can fall asleep standing up, but these symptoms won’t let me rest.
I had a very negative reaction, it seems to make me feel very aggressive. It also seems to make me feel fatigued and just mean…. I was hoping it would help with my OCD, which is actually surprisingly enough seems to clear my head in lieu of the other negative effects, but not worth e aggressive feelings. I am already not a mild personality:).
Took two pills
One on Monday and one on Tuesday
Now I’ve been in and out of the ER because of anxiety attacks from constantly feeling light headed or like I’m going to faint.
Did blood tests and everything came back normal same with ECGs etc.
can’t wait for this feeling to go away because it’s awful.
I’ve been taking ashwagandha stress gummies and the chocolate calm ashwagandha gummies. I thought initially, or perhaps just “hoping” that it was helping with my severe panic attacks, but this week I’ve noticed my heart racing constantly, (which it does with panic attacks but has seemed even worse)and my anxiety seems worse. Anyone else had this happen?
I started taking it about a week ago and the same thing is happening to me. I finally stopped it about 2 to 3 days ago and this crazy anxiety/ heart racing feeling hasn’t gone away. I do not know when it will get better. Did it get better for you?
Being on Ashwagandha has anyone experienced blader problems?
I deal with anxiety and depression. Anxiety is more uncomfortable. If I had to choose, I would take depression. That said, I have high cortisol levels shown in the Dutch Test. I woke this morning feeling very anxious. This does not happen every day. I decided to try Ash this morning for the fist time in over a year. I took it on an empty stomach. Initially, I was pleased as it calmed me down. However, now it seems to have continued to take me down. I don’t want to get out of bed, but can’t sleep either. Insomnia sucks! I will continue to monitor my feelings today. Not sure this is for me.
could Ash be the cause of muscle twitches in legs? Been taking it for awhile in serval different supplements and teas and didn’t realize how much I was getting from the different sources. I have hypothyroidism. I was feeling better, but recently I have been experiencing a lot of fatigue and haven’t changed anything else.
I took 1/4 teaspoon of a liquid form and it made me so sick! That afternoon I felt dizzy weak sick and then right eye pain started that evening! Woke up in the middle of the night with ears ringing racing heart and head pressure! 1/4 teaspoon!!! Didn’t take any more …It’s been a week and I still have eye pain! I pray this resolves! If not what do I do about that? Anyone else get eye pain??!!
Omg that stuff is dangerous
I have taken Ashwagandha for one year with no ill effects at all. In fact this herb has helped me immensely…I immediately felt calmness, focus of mind, better sleep, less hot flashes or night sweats which is significant as I am now post menopausal.
I have no health conditions at age 51 and absolutely do not take any pharmaceuticals, this could possibly be the reason for my good experience with Ashwagandha.
This article is indeed correct; it is most definitely not one size fits all…therefore only you as the patient or consumer can make the best decision on what makes YOUR body feel good.
I would like to mention that the herb I use is from Gaia Organic Ashwagandha that are 250 mg with active withanolides at 2.5 mg.
I have the same – horrible taste in the mouth; vaping or smoking anything nicotine or not makes me nauseous. I took it for 3 days, so far 2 days off and it’s still happening. How long will this last for??
I took 1/2 dose for one day and one week later I still have pain in my eye and ears ringing from it.
Did your side effects resolve? How long did it take for you?
I have certainly found a link between taking Ashwagandha and then becoming really irritable and not coping well with daily things that require my patience and endurance (2 young children, home schooling, general housework and a 2-day job, which I enjoy).
These were things that I would normally find moderately challenging but not overwhelming, however after taking this herb to help me switch off and sleep through the night, I noticed I was becoming extremely irritable and completely overwhelmed the following days. Those symptoms, and feeling so unusually tired. I found when I stopped taking it, I was able to cope with everything better.
It was only through a couple years of stopping and starting that I started to notice the connection. I am fairly convinced that this herb is somehow messing with me, and will be more cautious about different fads and trends that are out there.
I’m sure it works for some, but after looking deeper into it, it seems this herb needs to be more cautiously administered and is not for everyone.
I’ve used Ashwaghanda 3 times and it’s made me violently sick, vomiting bile and feeling very unwell.
I think I took a dose of 1300 ( equivalent to 19.500 mg of Ashwaganda) from Toniq since FEB 23 and by last week I was sick : nausea, vomiting, hot flashes, crippling diarrhea , my heart was racing. I figured I ate something bad and didnt think of Ashwaganda to make me this sick. I stopped it for 1 week then yesterday i took a pill in the morning. 3 hrs later same exact symptoms only much worst. I puked probably food that I had in my system from a week ago then yellow liquid , hot flashes then cold , dizzy and boiling stomatch with bad diarrhea. I am 100 % sure its from Ashwaganda . Thank God for my mom who sent me pills for this just in case , life savior. While i was taking it, I felt better but my anxiety went through the roof I was blaming my job but i think Ashwaganda enhanced my symptoms in everything.
I have been prescribed Ashwagandha a number of times and it has taken me years to discover the profound effect Ashwangandha has had on me.
I begin with extreme agitation and irritation and anger outbursts, brain fog and inability to focus. Days later I experience feelings of helplessness, depression and suicidal thoughts. 💔
Can totally relate! It’s certainly connected, and definitely time to get this out of the house. Stay strong. x
I didn’t realize this drug was in my probiotics AND my protein powder. I’ve been using these products off and on for years because they really did make me feel great. I should’ve check out all the things in it more. I just trusted it blindly. I was using the protein powder for about 6 months 4-5 times a week. I would use it after the gym. At this time I wasn’t taking the probiotic that had ashwagandha in it too but I had gone through multiple bottles of it in the past. It was like a mood probiotic I got from natural grocers. I didn’t realize what the drug was going to do to me. Anyway. I stoped taking the protein powder when I got an injury at the gym for about two weeks. I started to feel depressed and very anxious, I was also planning for a big trip to Florida and that made me anxious. Then one day I woke up throwing up bile and with the worst stomach cramps and racing heart beat and nausea. This lasted a few days (and I wasn’t taking any of the ashwagandha for about 2 weeks at this point which makes me wonder if some of this was withdraw?) and I decided I should go get probiotics right? Because my tummy hurt and I thought that would help so I got the same mood ones that I always get. I started taking those every day and had continued terrible heart racing and tummy pains in the mornings. I got lab work and it showed hyperthyroidism. I still didn’t realize it was the ashwaganda at this point! So I decided it would help to have a protein shake and take it with my probiotics. That was this morning. I’m just now finding all this information on it. I’m only 22 and I’m worried I may have permanently damaged my thyroid. I wish these brands that put this drug into all of their products would warn customers about the possible side effects. I had no clue and not knowing what was wrong with me caused me so much time pain and money.
Caused brutal insomnia with 1st 650 mg dose. Hope it resolves this evening. Possibly it’s also interacted with Krill Oil and L-Tryptophan supplements I’ve been taking. Interested in alternative medicine, but this reinforces how dangerous a crpshoot some can be. Never taking it again.
I started taking ashwaganda with Melatonin and lavender, and I did fine, I couldn’t find the same stuff after a couple weeks of not having it, so I bought another kind. Holy crap- literally. I woke to horrible cramps and nausea and in 3 hours, I’ve went 10 times with complete water poo. My whole intestinal tract is a cramping mess, and I’m nauseous still. There’s nothing out there for information about relief, so if there is any, it would be nice to have it attached in all the articles I have read this morning about the nasty side effects of this.
I seen this article because I googled reactions to ashwaganda. since taking it I’ve experienced terrible dreams, and increased anxiety and depression. I’m saddened because i thought it would help me with those things but only made them worse.
One key piece missing from comments is DOSAGE. How much are y’all taking daily?
I’m taking 100mg daily in capsule form with zero negative side effects. I have a pretty low libido, and the one positive effect this is having for me, is my heightened interest in sex again. Not to a ridiculous degree, but I’m interested in it on a more consistent basis now instead of once a week.
Hi Cat – that dosage may work for some people, but for many others, even very low doses of 25-50mg can be problematic depending on chemistry and inflammatory factors such as gut dysbiosis.
I’ve been taking naps for garden for years the only thing I do is rotate it out every other day and use something else like complete Amino I even take some of it out of the capsule and I get the same effect I haven’t had any problems
jumping in to give my experience, ashwagandha gave me the closest thing to actual depression i’ve ever experienced. i was taking it for its muscle building properties as i lift weights, but found it gave me a very, very dark and depressing outlook on life. all i could think about was death and how all of this is pointless, and we are all going to be gone forever one day, was a very difficult feeling to shake, i stopped taking ashwagandha and within a few days was back to normal again. i’m sure this herb can be very helpful for those experiencing depression and anxiety anyway, but for me it gave me those things
Goodness I’m glad I came across this article. Thank you. I was beginning to feel it was something I was doing wrong. Everything Ashwagahnda was offering I thought was exactly what I needed. I brought a good organic brand with KSM-66 and have been taking it in the evening to use it to settle my body as I suffer with restlessness. I haven’t suffered as much as some of the other people who have commented but I do get a headache from it, it doesn’t seem to help me sleep at all and now I think about it I’ve been feeling quite panicky and anxious too. I have to be careful with fibro/RA too and yes I’ve been feeling quite fatigued. That’s a real shame I thought it would really be helpful.
I have been taking this herb supplement to cope with anxiety and while it does help calm me down I have noticed feeling very down as the day goes on. I looked up to see if this could be due to supplement and it seems to be the cause as I Am not taking any other supplements
I will stop taking for now and see if I experience any other symptoms
I drank a cup of Kava tea (Yogi brand) with 2 full droppers of Ashwaganda extract. The recommended dose was 1 dropper, but the dropper wouldn’t get more than about 3/4 full, so I did two dropper fulls. Recently, I ended a relationship and have been dealing with heavy emotions and the pain of being alone. After drinking the tea, after already being upset, I spent the next two hours crying. My mind and my emotions were in utter chaos: depressed, anxious, ragefull, incredibly sad. Exhausted at the end of the night, I went to sleep. Today, I woke up feeling some what hung over and totally exhausted. I will not be using the extract any more. I feel crazy.
Less than two weeks and I have a pressure headache and am super tired all the time! After reading this I won’t be taking it anymore !
Became very nauseous after one pill……vomiting and diarrhea for several hours. Like an idiot I thought I’d try it one more time a few months later. I thought possibly my being sick could have been from something else. What a nightmare. The second experience was even worse. Couldn’t stop the vomiting and diarrhea and ended up in the hospital. Chills were awful. After a few hours I felt a little better but they wanted me to spend the night there. My white blood count was way, way off and the doctor wanted me to spend the night and get rechecked in the morning. I felt much better then and my count was back to normal. All I know is I will NEVER take it again .
I’ve had a terrible reaction to Ashwagahnda on my face in the form of small very red blemishes (almost looks like a rash). My face also looks a bit puffy which makes sense due to the assumed allergic reaction… I just had a small amount in a supplement but will stop taking immediately as the reaction on my face is horrible. 🙁 If anyone has any advice on what to do if you’ve had this reaction (foods to help, treatments), I would appreciate it.
I have had a bad experience. I am a 44 year old exercise nut that doesn’t take any medications. I do have some anxiety issues, but have never been medicated for it. I am a nurse. My brother suggested I take ashwa for my mild anxiety. He had been using it and loved it. So I took it for two weeks. Started getting nausea and some mild GI issues. The major side effect I noticed was acne under my jawline. I mean horrible cystic acne which I have never had in my life. So I stopped taking it for a week and the acne improved. Started taking it again and the acne flared by up along with the nausea. I totally stopped taking it. Acne is better but not gone. My period is over 10 days late. I am like clockwork, usually very regular. Wonder what this herb has done to my hormones at this point. If it decreases FSH, I am wondering if it has paused my ovulation cycle for a month. Will never touch this stuff again. Too strong for me. I was only taking half the recommended dose in the bottle. Also, I may also have a nightshade sensitivity. I cannot handle eating peppers at all, they give my bad digestive issues. So for the people that are having stomach issues this could also be the problem since ashwa is in the nightshades family of plants. I have cut all night shade plants from my diet and have zero gut issues now. Now I just need to figure out how to purge the hormonal effects of the ashwa from my body. So annoyed.
Hi Katie. So glad you shared your experiences. I’ve been taking Ash for about a month now (2 x 500mg capsules) and was very worried to end up not ovulating this cycle. I have been searching online for the impacts of Ash on FSH and think your theory may be true! Did your body manage to balance out after stopping? Best wishes
I started taking ashwaganhda recommended from a friend who told me It helped with her stress anxiety and obsessive thoughts almost immediately. I struggle with anxiety so I ordered a bottle and took the recommended serving doses and for the first couple days I took them ( at night) I noticed I was less restless and better able to fall asleep. Weirdly enough when I started to take them throughout my day I started feeling extremely anxious & not able to concentrate.
For anyone on this thread who believe they have adrenal exhaustion….this is often the result of long term cortisol production….the adrenals literally shrink as they deplete….learn to meditate …employ breathing exercises …
One plant that restores adrenals very quickly is nettle…particularly the seeds…
Research youtube…becareful…only need about half a teaspoon a day…it is better than ashwagandha….no side effects.
I took Ashwangdha for six months and the lost so much hair that I stopped taking it and for the first time I had a bout of anxiety due to it has decreased my blood sugars and then month later went into depression. It has had an profound effect.
Hi ,
I’ve been taking Goli ashwagandha gummies for 2 days now . And have developed a upset stomach . Also had burning & sore backside ??. Anyone else had this ? .🤔
Took this yesterday for the first time… took two pills.
Like Mugatu on Zoolander… I thought I was taking crazy pills…
My mind was all over the place, I was having Deja Vu all evening,
couldn’t control my thoughts, mind was racing, high anxiety.
I was scared I was losing it.
Nothing else changed in my diet… I was very concerned. None of the other issues
with stomach etc. Just messed with my head.
I ingested Ashwagandha tea from a trustworthy brand and after 4 uses it had seemingly stimulated my Immune System to the point I was responding negatively to peanut butter and other odd commonly encountered things. I eat Peanut butter nearly everyday. I have gone over the 3.5 day period last weekend a thousand times and it’s the only newly introduced thing I’ve been “exposed” to also I literally have the shape of a tea bag on my palm right now. My Lymphatic system is still rebalancing. I’m having to still use Rx Prednisone, 40mg at 1st for 2 days, 125mgs of Benadryl daily, and 1250mgs of Tylenol. Drs orders. I’m 4 days into Treatment and 5 since last ingestion and not at Homeostasis but definitely better. It seems like my immune system was in good shape and the tea overstimulated it. This substance NEEDS to be better studied, regulated, and dosed. I’m not trying to shit on a clearly medically beneficial plant but like any substance moderation is key.
Be careful folks.
I have IBD and struggle with microbial overgrowth. Ashwaganda seems to cause die off, or a herxheimer reaction, for me. I have sweats, brain fog, and irritability. That being said, my inflammation is way down, and (maybe TMI, but) I passed almost a teaspoon of mucus following my bowel movement this morning. It’s my hypothesis that this is similar to mucus drainage following a sinus infection, and I actually consider it a sign the infection is over and my body is flushing out dead microbes and their by-products. My conclusion is that a three day course of ashwaganda tea (not supplements — way too strong!) has helped my body remove infection from my colon. I treat my herxheimer symptoms with detox baths (Epsom salts, vinegar, and Dead Sea salt in rotation) and lots of rest. I feel great.
I believe strongly the dose makes the medicine. If you had a reaction to ashwaganda, you took too much. I recommend *weak* tea on an empty stomach and a detox bath before bed. Do not take ashwaganda for a prolonged period of time. Another option would be to make a vibropathic essense from the plant. Remember health is individual, and plants are powerful allies for healing… sometimes too powerful! 🙂
May you heal, grow, and harmonize. <3
The first time I tried it I had a bad headache. I thought it was because I didn’t get any sleep the night before, but I waited a few weeks and took two gummies as prescriped on the bottle and once again had a terrible headache.
I am so glad that I found your page, I’ve been taking ashwagandha on n off for years, I have really bad insomnia generalised anxiety, I’ve also in the past diagnosed with gastritis, which now I’m thinking could it have been caused by the ashwagandha? 4 weeks ago my anxiety was through the roof so thought id go back on my ashwagandha I still couldn’t sleep wide awake with anxiety then over the days I started getting stabbing pains in my chest and hot sweats and feeling breathless when I was talking, and light headed this went on for over a couple of weeks and 2 days ago I ended up seeing my GP as I thought their was something wrong with my heart, the worry made my anxiety worse, I just needed him to tell me the symptoms were all related to my anxiety, he did my blood pressure oxygen etc all good and ECG tests on my heart which was also good, and has took bloods which I’m waiting for results, I haven’t taken the ashwaghanda for 3 nights and noticed past 2 days my hot sweats haven’t been as bad and I’m not breathless when I talk and my anxiety has come down so thought all the symptoms was connected to my anxiety, until last night I took another ashwaghanda capsule to help me sleep, the ones I take are mixed with pepperine within half an hour my chest pain started and then felt a weird burning sensation in my throat and a fluttering sensation and pains and stiffness up the sides of my neck which I have experienced in the past
And thought I had pulled a muscle, then the sweating started on and off all night, I couldn’t relax I was wide awake agitated my anxiety was back, then it hit me all these symptoms have been when I’ve taken ashwagandha and never crossed my mind it could be down to that. So that’s how I found your page I am so glad I did as reading others comments having same reaction as me. I will be putting the ashwagandha straight in the bin and trying a cup of hot milk tonight with my magnesium zinc and taurine suppliments. Hopfully these hot sweats and anxiety will start to calm down again, and fingers crossed my bloods come back ok.
Hi there,
I also had a horrible experience with taking Ashwagahnda as well. It took me some time to figure out what was happening the first time I thought I had food poisoning at work. It was awful, puking, diarrhea, weakness, heart palpitations, full body sweat. The second time (also at work) I was puking with diarrhea once again. It happened again a 3rd and 4th time then I was able to relate it to taking the supplement. A tough lesson to learn. I stopped taking it immediately and it hasn’t happened since. I really don’t understand why I had such an extreme response to this herb.
I ate two ashwagandha gummies last night, my first time using it, and within an hour I had horrible diarrhea. A couple of hours later I couldn’t keep my eyes open and my heart was racing (even more so than normal as I have a naturally high heart rate). This morning I was extremely foggy headed and fatigued to the point that I was struggling to function. I’m a stay at home mom with two small children and it made it extremely tough to care for them. I also had zero motivation. I would just look at a dirty dish and get anxious, like “there’s no way I can clean up right now.” It felt horrible. I told my husband that it felt like I was trying to function while extremely drunk or sedated. I’m just glad I know what caused it. My stomach is still upset, but the rest appears to be getting better. I’ll be returning or throwing away the rest of the bottle. To my knowledge I have no copper toxicity or the other thing mentioned, but just curious, how does one acquire a copper toxicity?
Thank you for this article. I have extreme sensitivity to ashwagandha (and 5-htp. I’m trying to find a connection.). I had a terrible night a few nights ago with restlessness, anxiety, racing heart… same thing that happens when I tried 5-htp. Turns out my new multi vitamin and also the turmeric golden milk drink I had that day both had ashwagandha in it! I didn’t think to check for that.
Took a capsule of this substance today following a late breakfast. About 2 hours later, started feeling woozy and nauseous. About a half hour later I was throwing up. Bought a bottle a couple of months ago and have only taken one or two over that time period as a potential sleep aid. About a month ago, I woke up around midnight and threw up a few hours after taking my evening Crestor and perhaps a non-script sleep aid; it’s the first time in 30 years as my belly is very resistant to upset. Did I take one that night? Maybe so, I wish I knew. The only different thing than usual I ingested today was one of these caps, by mistake. I meant to take a different supplement, similar size and shape; that’s on me. Am I suspicious? Certainly so.
I took ashwagandha a couple of times several weeks ago. I became very dizzy. Since I’m extremely prone to bouts of vertigo (r/t hormones, anxiety and stress, allergies, etc.) I wasn’t 100% sure it was the ashwagandha. I took it again at the beginning of this week, and I was dizzy until about 24 hours after my last dose. I also experienced some nasty nausea after the second dose. I was still pretty worn out for about 48-72 hours after my last dose.
I’m glad it’s helpful for some people, but it’s not for me.
The benefits of this supplement sound good so I tried it a few years ago and was violently sick within hours so didn’t take any more. After a few years I thought I would try it again in the hope that it had been something else that caused the vomiting, but exactly the same again.
I will never touch it again.
Ashwaghanda makes me violently sick. Banging headache and projectile vomiting, aswell as diarrhoea, it comes on quite quick aswell, id say about an hour or so after taking. At first i thought i had a stomach bug, i was not 100 percent sure it was the ashwaghanda capsules. I stopped the capsules anyway because it was the newest thing i introduced to my diet. Procces of illumination kinda thing. But what made me 100 percent sure it was the Ashwaghanda that made me sick. It was when i bought super greens to add to my protein shakes. The stuff made me violently sick. I checked the ingredients and there it was in amongst all the other ingredients…Ashwaghanda! It’s not coincidental because iam not someone that is a sickly person. I rarely get sick and when i am unwell it’s normally due to things like food poisoning, stomach bugs and hangovers. Been off the booze for over a year, so don’t get many of them anymore lol. And for colds and chest infections etc they’re rare, last time i had cold symptoms was 2019. I’am confident in saying it was the Ashwaghanda that made me sick. Also it was the exact same feeling i had when taking the capsules as i got when unknowingly taking Ashwaghanda again that was added to the super greens powdered supplement i bought.
I started taking 500mg KSM66 Ashwaghanda in August once a day for roughly 4-5 weeks. Besides Ashwaghanda I was taking zinc supplements, magnesium from time to time, fish oil and vitamins.
First 4 weeks or so were great, general anxiety was reduced, good mood and increased libido. Then things changed in early September, when one day I was laying in bed midday with my girlfriend and suddenly felt the temperature of my body shift cooler, heart was racing to the point of mild soreness, and anxiety, if I can even call it that, through the roof. I felt detached and emotionally flat when minutes prior I was feeling great and full of joy. The experience passed and I felt better but physically tired.
I stopped Ashwaghanda (along with drinking and cannabis, both of which were moderate and never caused a reaction like this) and experienced the heart racing, detached and unmotivated feeling for days afterwards. It comes and goes, but when it hits I suddenly feel less joy in my hobbies and relationships paired with a sense of impending doom. All of this comes from seemingly no specific trigger – it can be when Im alone or with family or friends, crowded environments or my own living room.
It has now been a solid month or so with no ash, with the odd drink/toke here and there approx once per week (for context). I no longer get the racing heart, however the detached anxious feeling still comes daily but with definitely less intensity and frequency. I’ve read similar accounts in relation to ash, has anyone experienced this and how long until you felt regular? Im feeling significantly better but not 100% yet.
For context, I’ve dealt with social anxiety and mild depression for around 10 years but very mild and manageable without meds, and never before experienced a detached sensation like this. Anxiety/depression always had a triggering event for me as well.
Some emotional reactions right now are hard to measure due to the chaos in the world around us.
You might also check if the ingredients in anything else you are taking might have changed. I hope you feel better soon.
Hello, just wanna follow up l know its been a while since you posted this but how are you feeling? Im in the same boat and your answer resonated with me the most :/
I read all the wonderful things about ashwagandha and decided to try it, I got a good brand. First my face turned scarlet red and had bumps and lots of itchiness and woke up at night hot and itchy. Cut back on my dose to half and sleep itchiness and redness continued-also felt anxiety and tiredness during the day-could not get my ambition going-didn’t want to do anything. Finally decided it was not going to work for me, after the worse heart burn ever-thought I was having a heart attack. Stopped and in2 days felt normal.
Thank you for this article. I took ashwaganda in capsule form for the first time last night. I took the recommended dosage which was two capsules. I fell asleep quickly and when I woke up the next day I felt great. I went to work as usual and I did not eat anything until lunch time. (I am a teacher) after I ate lunch, about an hour later, I started getting a throbbing head ache. I drank some water and then one of my students looked at me and said “you’re face is like really red” all of a sudden I got a terrible stomach ache.
I asked the teacher next door to watch my class and ran to the bathroom. When I came out, two people looked at me and asked if I was okay. I mean my face was beet red. Then I got dizzy and my mouth was dry. Someone took my blood pressure and said it was high. I laid down and tried to relax but my head ache and stomach ache got worse. Then someone took my blood pressure again and it was extremely low. It took about two hours for my face to go back down to a normal color and the other side effects to subside. (Besides the stomach ache and bathroom trips.) it’s now been five hours since the reaction first started and I still have an upset stomach. I’ve been trying to find out if maybe I just had an allergic reaction or what.
Please *anyone* on this article or post, if you know more about allergic reactions from ashwaganda PLEASE let me know.
TIA
has anyone experienced trouble becasue of ash with human interaction? either on it or withdrawing from it, -terrible!
Ashwagandha after only 2 days has made me feel like I need to vomit.. does this go away and does it actually increase a mans available testosterone??? I’ve read so many good things and bad things about it.. I’m in the dark on what’s fact and not like most things you want info.on and you turn to the internet..
no,it doesnt go away.there are other things for tesosterone. see a parctitioner of traditional chinese medicine.
i have been using ashwaghanda for 8 months with mixed relults.before, i tried it 7 years ago as a powder,but i felt nothing.now for the past month i have added a very purified and concentrated version,GOLI.it is helping me lose belly fat.but i seem to be having some hormonal problems.im glad i found your article.thank you.when i took 1 with the other it was fine,but i ran out of nature’s truth (safeway brand).im finding i have some positive possibly ‘testosterone’ stuff along with some negative.i have become very achievement oriented.i am also very upset at having my ‘authority’ undermined.
when i went off of the first kind, i didn’t realize my symptoms were related to hormonal withdrawal.but i felt like i was going through menopause and was easily upset with people.when i went back on,these symptoms dissapeared.
as i first took A for insomnia,i continued.but i am trained in chinese herbal medicine.it was hard to get to a store during covid and i found a company i could work with online.they however have definite drawbacks,but A is sold at every grocery and pharmacy!
it was hard to find anything negative about A as it is so strongly marketed,especially Goli.i plan to taper off once i reach my desired weight;and like i said im going to cut the Goli down tonight as i am under significant stress;yet instead of helping me handle it,i feel on the edge of some kind of breakdown,which could have significant consequences on my finances and house.so thank you again for validating what i am experiencing;i dont feel like there is something wrong with me!
I have been taking Ashwagandha in tablet form from a well established brand and did my research prior to taking it.
My initial feelings after taking were that I did feel less anxious during the day, the ‘butterfly anxious flutters’ were less present, however I have also noticed for the last 2 weeks that I have been feeling really groggy in the morning, finding it hard to get my head of the pillow and up for the day which is not like me at all, I am very much a morning person, this comes with a slight headache and my stomach has been more sensitive and have had some diarrhoea. I have been trying to work out what it might be, and have just realised the timings of these feelings coincide with my taking of Ashwagandha so unfortunately I do not think it is for me.
I have been taking ash for 2 weeks. I’ve been feeling more down in the dumps and withdrawn from the world. I am physically restless, antsy. I have now developed nausea n diarrhea. I didn’t want to think it’s the ash cuz I was so hopeful it would help me feel better, but possibly could be making me feel worse. Guess I shud stop taking it
I’ve been taking two capsules of the KSM-55 standardized Ashwagandha extract and It seems to give me a mild case of insomnia. It makes it so that I have trouble falling asleep and then only sleep 5 hours or so, and don’t feel refreshed the next day. I know for a fact this is what is causing it because I have repeated cycles of going on it and going off it and notice the disturbances in sleep every time, which abates when I discontinue it. I just read recently that it increases T3 and T4 thyroid hormone which the person who wrote about it postulating that it was over-stimulating the thyroid gland. Here is a reference of a human study shwoing this, and there are a few animal based studies as well. Gannon JM, Forrest PE, Roy Chengappa KN. Subtle changes in thyroid indices during a placebo-controlled study of an extract of Withania somnifera in persons with bipolar disorder. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2014 Oct-Dec;5(4):241-5. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.146566. PMID: 25624699; PMCID: PMC4296437.
I do have hyperthyroid that runs in my family. The irony of this causing insomnia is that it is known to increase GABA and the species part of its botanical name, Withania somnifera implies sleep inducing! I’m sure it does help people who do not have thyroid problems. As for the copper or effects on methylation that the author on this page has postulated, I would like to see references to that before just believing it.
Tried it twice. Both times just one capsule made me violently sick. Thought it might have been something else the first time, so risked it again with same reaction.
I will never touch it again!
I have lupus and am an undermethylater, although I’m working on it. My copper levels are fine. I started a supplement that contains Ashwaghanda in June, and while I was doing really well before, in remission and feeling great, I’ve progressively gone downhill since.. now I’m seriousy wondering if its the Ashwaghanda. Needless to say I’m stopping it immediately. How do I undo the damage?!
I got to this site by a Google search “can agenda cause anxiety”. I started taking it about a week ago because a friend recommended it. I don’t have anxiety, but she described it as very calming, and who doesn’t want that? Well now that I’ve been taking it I have had some shortness of breath, some heart racing-not much, but the main thing is that I went from no anxiety to being BESIDE MYSELF with anxiety. It’s awful. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one. I won’t be taking it anymore.
Hi JJ,
Are you feeling better? I am going through a very rough time after taking ashwaghanda. Seems like it’s getting better and then anxiety hit again.
Hi JJ,
Are you getting better? How is your anxiety now? I only took it twice, last time 6 days ago and still have episodes of anxiety and brain fog.
I have just tried it and twice now within 2 hours I have been unbelievably ill. Sickness, diarrhea and dizzy.
I will not use again.
I have taken ashwagandha for 4 months (KSM-66, 660mg at evening) to improve my sleep. It worked very well at the beginning: better sleep, mood improvement, lot of energy and motivation. After two months of use i noticed very mild symptoms: irratibility, ear rings, racing thoughts before sleep, tension. The good sleep and good mood stayed, so i didnt suspect ashwagandha. When i tired to stop it, my sleep was disturbed, so i kept takeing it. After few months it stopped working, on a very good thay but the night was hell: i cant sleep just 3 hours because of the twitches in my body. Next day everything changed: anxiety, gasping for air, forget to breath sometimes, pressure above my temple, forehead tingling. I stopped it immediately and i noticed another symptoms: loss of appetite, lightsensivity twitches during daytime in my whole body, problems with concentracion. Magnesium, vitamins didnt helped. My labtestes were OK. I started to take Valeriana, and it helped, but it stopped to work after 2 months, and my anxiety is higher than before, and my other symptoms is back as well. Is there anybody who had recovered already? Is known any treatment? I dont want to takeing benzos.
Not sure where my post went but iv been taking it for about 3 weeks n have developed a cough but more like having trouble breathing cough. Cuz at night my chest seems to feel heavy. Just want to know if anyone has had this before
Just would like to know if anyone has experienced this or something like it
Hi iv been taken it for about 3 weeks now and noticed I developed a cough like cough but not a cough more like a bother in my throat that makes me need to cough and my chest feels heavy at night . Im assuming is the ash only thing iv changed in my life so im going to stop n see what happens.
Oh my goodness I am so glad I cam across this! I started taking a pre-menstrual complex a couple of months ago and it contains 300g of ashwahgandha. For the first several weeks it was great, i certainly felt like like my PMS was alot better and my mood had levelled out. But then came the anxiety…. And I mean awful, it has gotten worse and worse!! I suffered once from anxiety many years ago after a family trauma but have been fine for the last 15yrs or so. My anxiety cam back with a vengeance so it seemed, extremely on edge, anxiety attacks, dry mouth, irregular heartrate. Really scary if I’m honest. There was no other reason I could think of for having this anxiety enter my life again apart from these new herbal pills i was taking. However when I tried to do some research online all I could find out was how helpful the herb was to everyone when it comes to anxiety and stress. After last night and having the worst anxiety attack yet, I am over the moon to have found this article, immensely relieved!! I have immediately stopped taking the pills from today and seriously hope I won’t suffer these effects for too much longer. Can anyone help with informing me on how long this herb will take to get out of my system? I was on 300mg per day for the last 3mths. Thank you!
Ashwagandha is not recommended for people with Hashimoto’s hypothyroid autoimmune
disease.
Yes, this is correct. Thank you for your input.
I tried ashwaganda one day at a health food restaurant. They had the highest quality stuff around. Cold pressed green drinks, ginger shots and house made nut cheesecakes to name a few delights.
I know my body is sensitive, so I’m particular. I kept hear about ashwaganda & these people pumped it up, so I thought, why not. Plus, it was in an organic blueberry and almond butter shake. How could I resist?!
I generally eat organic whole foods, but I’m not veg or vegan. I don’t have any diagnosed medical or mental issues. I was in my late 30s when I tried ashwaganda. I exercise and I meditate regularly. So I’m above average health & no known illness. I share bc many people seem to be attributing the negative reaction to previous use of meds, health, etc.
About 10 minutes and a quarter way through the 14 ounce smoothie I started having blurred vision & feeling dizzy. I was driving so this naturally gave me a little anxiety. I also felt floaty. The side affect for me was a bit like being high without the THC affect. As soon as I started having the symptoms I stopped drinking the fancy smoothie. The side affects lasted about an hour or two. I can’t eat fresh turmeric either. It also makes me feel dizzy & have blurred vision. A bit different, but still odd that so many people swear by these things, yet others have a very different experience. This is why I tell people not to follow fad diets. It may not be right for you
To all those who believe they may have methylation issues (from the MTHFR gene mutation or from environmental stress), or heavy metal toxicity, I watched a very informative YouTube video on solutions for all of this! I’ve had very similar experiences to some of the people commenting here, where supplements that require methyl groups to work properly (not just ashwagandha) stop working after 2 weeks. It appears that’s how long it takes to drain my body’s methyl group supply. I’m starting to turn the dials on my own under-methylation, based on the video’s recommendations, and it is working. (I started by adding l-methylfolate, B12, and am now adding TMG, all of which can help with undermethylation. And I just ordered NAC to help my body dissipate a build-up of heavy metals.). The supplement industry is not well regulated, so please make sure you only take supplements from companies with Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP sticker, or google the company to see if it has been granted this designation). Oh, and beware of folic acid if you think you have undermethylation – it’s in multivitamins and even the flour of a few countries! Please don’t give up. Your health is worth it!
Actually, methylfolate is contraindicated in undermethylation. It donates some methyl outside the nucleus of the cell but strips 10 times more than it provides inside the nucleus. This is a major problem because this is the homebase of our DNA. MTHFR is only a backup pathway and not viable for treatment purposes. Listen to this podcast episode I recorded with Dr. Albert Mensah, MD for more information.
I think ashwaghanda is the cause of my current issues.
Crazy heart palpitations, light headedness to the point where my head feels like it’s completely made of air, wide awake (TOO awake), can not calm down. Worse than any anxiety attack I have ever had. I don’t know if I have some sort of underlying condition that is causing this interaction but I will not be taking it anymore. It feels like I’ve been drugged.
Tabitha, your 11.19.2020 comment, you said “chopped it up” but the correct way to express it is to say “chalked it up”.
I feel lousy. I’m thinking it may be because I changed my probiotic to one that included ashwagandha. I’m also taking an antibiotic to fight a bacterial infection after surgery. I’m just looking for some good information that may help.
I took 6 tablets in total in a week and I suddenly started getting dizziness low blood pressure palpitations and just general feeling of unwell feel like I’m about to have a stroke or summin at times. It’s been almost a week since I took it and I still feel unwell. What should I do to get out of this feeling? Just can’t seem to snap out of it. Any help would be very much appreciated. Anyone?
Yes, please be careful with this supplement. I’m just getting over a very scary experience of liver toxicity due to me accidentally taking too much Ashwagandha. I was taking 450mgs three times for the past two years and purchased a different brand that was twice the amount per capsule and did not catch it (amount noted was for 2 caps previously bc 1 cap on the new bottle). It took two days for all-over itching to start, but my blood test after three days only showed slightly elevated bilirubin. Fast forward two weeks to me continuing the supplement at the incorrect dose and my ALT levels were to 650. It’s taken a month for my liver enzymes to get back to normal. ALT was as high as 1650 at one point… it should be lower than 50. Now the liver drs tell me I can never have any supplements again. This herb ruined so many things for me. YES, please be careful.
I’m so grateful for this comment section and other similar forums! It saved me a doc’s appointment. I experienced many of these symptoms (lightheadedness, weak, irritability, etc.). But in addition to that, I had extreme hunger. At the peak of my symptoms, I went a day with eating like a maniac because I couldn’t get full. That same night, I skipped my dosage of ashwa because something within me said it was the cause, and miraculously, my symptoms disappeared the next day. But the weird part, even though I ate a ton, I was 2 pounds lighter the following day! I’m not diabetic, and I’m usually a light eater – I can skip breakfast with a late lunch and have no issues. I’m wondering if it had an extreme affect on my metabolism. I may try lowering my dosage because it did cure my occasional insomnia. I was taking 600mg in gummies.
My chest have been hurting pretty bad after taking too much of the ashwagandha gummies at once . I am a smoker as well and one pull did it for me. I am in pain and I really want to go see a doctor but I’m afraid they may turn me away. Any idea on how to at least soothe it until it goes away?
Good Day. I have a terrible allergic reaction to Ashwagandha and I have experienced this four time now. My most recent reaction was two days ago. I had 220mg and it just about sent me to the hospital. I had blurred vision which turned into double vision, vomiting, watery diarrhea, muscle cramps, a blood pressure dropped and I could not walk or talk due to weakness.This lasted for six hours straight. Muscle cramps in my legs came after the vomiting and diarrhea stopped. I know it is Ashwagandha because this has happen to me four times over a ten year period. This recent episode I took a supplement for adrenal stress and did not look to see what was in it. Within a hour I realized something was wrong. I recognized the symptoms. Please understand that this might be used by millions of people with no bad effects, but if anyone else has experienced what I do, it is good to let people know. Now after reading this article, I am going to go back to my GP and get some tests done, I also have a reaction to tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant but nothing like the effects from Ashwagandha.
Please, anybody who has had issues with ashwagandha, consider getting tested for heavy metals.
Heavy metals compromises the cns amongst other stuff.
I used Doctorsdata,
(1) packed red blood cells toxic metals and essential elements
(2) urine (24hr) toxic metals and essential elements
If metals do not show up then it doesn’t mean they are not the problem, if the issue is sufficiently bad then detox, methylation and as a result excretion is impaired. So use both tests to determine the elements.
Supplement to support natural detox, B complex, zinc, selenium, boron, iodine, magnesium, also consider TRS from coseva, but be aware if ou do have a heavy metals issue then all of these supplements can increase symptoms until your body has been able to get used to them so don’t think if they increase symptoms then stop, but just go much slower, much smaller dose etc.
Also mega dose vitamin c is beneficial
A staple of traditional Indian medicine, Ashwagandha has been prescribed for hundreds of years to treat the symptoms of stress, anxiety, inflammation, infertility and high blood sugar.
What kinds of ashwaghanda is causing the problem? Sensoril, Ksm 66? I’ve been taking Mercolas ashwaghanda 400 mg twice a day….just started to empty out half the capsule to 200 mg…..I think I was taking too much..it really helps me sleep though my anxiety remains high during the day. I’m ordering some Life Extension Sensoril ashwaghanda to see if it affects me differently….Mercola says his is neither Sensoril or Ksm66…I am using ashwaghanda to help me get off of a beta blocker I was using and is causing me to have a lot of anxious times…
It caused me a very, very strange side effects!! 🙁 🙁
In my sexual life, And my period. After when i take this pills, i noticed my orgasm stops in a second. It begins and ends a second later, as if something was blocking it . Very scared me! The other side effect: I shortened my 28-day period to 21 days. Has anyone else experienced this?? If yes, please answer me. I takes a Tyroid Support vitamin and contains Ashwaganda. I’m not sure these causing my new problem. I’m copying what is contains:
Vitamin B-12 (as methylcobalamin), Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Molybdenum, L-Tyrosine, Schizandra, Coleus Forskohlii, Kelp, Ashwagandha Root, Bladderwrack, Cayenne Pepper,
Anni – I take the Thyroid Support as well and am questioning its side effects. My primary care said it would be rare…but….
I noticed headaches and fatigue the two weeks I was taking it. I’m also on Armour Thyroid and pre-menopausal. I have the MTHFR gene and a known issue with b12 and folate. By coincidence, I went to the eye doctor for a routine check up and he said my optic nerve was swollen! Now I’m down the path of extensive testing for optic/brain issues. That started me thinking about the timing of the supplements and headaches and led me to a path of this potentially being dangerous if you are being treated for thyroid. I stopped taking the supplement and my headaches are no longer every single day and not as bad and I am not tired. I’m wondering if it’s possible this supplement could do this! The timing is very curious. I have not taken one of the supplements for nearly a week and yesterday was the first day I was headache free.
my menstruation was longer after taking ashwagandha morning and. evening that was recommended by the brand
Been taking Ashwaganda in a T booster and Sleeping pills with no issue. Felt like I was reaping the rewards of it with no side affects. Decided to start taking it on its own so I bought the KSM66 version.
Not sure what it was about the KSM66 but soon after sleeping, I felt my self waking up with some slight difficulty breathing. Eventually got up and felt dizzy to the point I was going to pass out. Heart was racing tried to calm myself down. Don’t think I’m going to take this anymore after this plus reading another’s experience
Has anyone had any hormone imbalance or irregular bleeding while taking ashwaghanda?
These are some great ashwagandha dangerous repercussions that you have discussed here. I really loved it and thank you very much for sharing this with us. You have a great visualization and you have really presented this content in a really good manner.
I started taking this supplement in Sept 2. 2020 for anxiety. Around three week later I started having severe panic/anxiety attacks that I had never experienced before. My heart rate was extremely high and I thought I was going to die. I started having paranoia thought’s to the point that I thought I was going crazy and knew I was having a mental break down. I scared myself and my family because we did not know what was going on with me. I prayed and prayed cause I thought I was going to die or lose my mind. And a voice told me. ” it’s the pill your taking” ( I know it was God). Then I googled and found this site and started reading other people with almost or the same side effects. Herbs are very dangerous because they do not have to be approved by the FDA. I suggest you be very careful taking this supplement
Hello, I had a similar experience. My doc said things will settle down a few days after stopping the supplement. Did your heart go back to normal? Thanks for the post.
Yes it did, but I still have nightmares about the experience.
I believe you!
Hello, how have you felt since this post? How long did it take for you to feel like yourself again?
I started taking two supplements that contained ash at the advice of my doctor who uses Ayurvedic herbs. These were to help with my anxiety. Have taken them for about 2 weeks and the lightbulb just went on today that they have been the cause of my terrible mood and irritation and sadness. I’m pretty sure I am an undermethylator and have high copper toxicity. So this is not the herb for me. I hope I won’t have side effects stopping these supplements.
Ashwagandha made me feel the most anxious I’ve ever felt in my life. I thought I had lost my mind. Suicidal thoughts, horrible thoughts constantly. I took it for 3 days didn’t really feel a difference. The 4th day I took it thoughts would creep into my mind, irritation, abnormal pessimistic thoughts. The 5th day my chest felt tight, my breathing was fast, I had thoughts of killing myself. I had several panic attacks in one day which is something I’ve never experienced. I felt like I was drugged and it made me feel very fatigued yet I could not sleep. It was like my mind was harassing me with constantly fast negative dialogue. I couldn’t get a full breath in for days, just quick breathing, like I was sprinting. I just got past my period 2 weeks prior to taking this and I started bleeding again, spotting, which is something I’ve never experienced. After 11 days of feeling this way I finally researched side effects of Ashwagandha and read reviews of other people feeling this way I finally stopped. I took me 2 weeks to feel okay again. I was really concerned for myself. It’s been 2 months since this happened to me and I think about it everyday. Just thinking about what happened to me makes tears swell in my eyes. I just want it to be a distant memory. It makes me feel so much better to see people that have a similar experience to me. Please don’t take this.
Hi Ciarra,
I have had a very similar experience with Ashwaghanda. I took it twice – first time a few weeks ago, it was one of the herbs in a supplement that was supposed to help with mood. My supplement had 125 mg of Sensoril, which is the most potent ash extract (lucky me!). So the first time I took it in the evening and haven’t had an immediate reaction because I fell asleep shortly after. Next several days I felt anxious/shaky and spaced out, very foggy brain, like I was detached from reality. My muscles were also twitching and I felt depressed. I didn’t realize it was a supplement and last Thursday I took it again after breakfast. Within one hour I had a horrible panic/anxiety attach. I was shaky, had suicidal thoughts and felt like someone switched off a light in me. It was the most horrible feeling, I never experienced anything like that. At that time I realized that all my symptoms were because of the supplement. It has been 6 days and I still feel anxious. Internal tremors are mostly gone, but that weird feeling of foggy brain is still there. My mood changes frequently, I feel very short-tempered and like I cannot focus and/or enjoy life.
You mentioned that your symptoms lasted a few weeks, do you remember if they were gradually getting better or if one day it all just stopped? Did you have any residual side effects? What symptoms did you have for two week when you were recovering?
Thank you
Hey Julia, how are you feeling now? It’s over a year later, so I hope everyting is okay.
Thank you for this. I tried Ashwagandha after numerous clients and colleagues swore by it and was referred to a brand on Instagram. Promises of help with stress and anxiety, thyroid help, and balance were all things I wanted. Instead even with a teeny tiny dose I experienced anxiety attacks lasting for hours, sweating, heart palpitations, nervousness, diarrhea, sleeplessness. I felt like I was hallucinating or on some kind of drug. It was horrifying. I reached out to the company and they were no help. The hadn’t heard of such a reaction and “weren’t herbalists” so couldn’t give me any advice. Not herbalists but selling herbs online, huh?! Anyhow I was searching for other people’s adverse reactions and came up empty handed. I have no idea why I had such a hard time with it, but happy to know I’m not alone. Goes to show what works for some does not work for all❤️
Never ever take Ashwagandha in your life, it gave me complete loss of sleep and I am still suffering from it for last 2 years with no sleep at all. Even benzodiazepines are not working for me to get sleep. I am awake like 24 hrs for 2 years. I fucked up my life. I cry everyday that why I took this herb.
I stopped a month ago and I know what you mean! Can’t get any sleep , highly anxious, palpitations, and when I do I sleep, I wake with severe anxiety and doom!!! I hope it it does not take 2+ years to get better! I am sorry you are still going through this! This supplement is awful!
Hey Jody,
How are your symptoms now, as of November 28, 2022?
Best,
Levi
Hi Abhishek,
I had similar terrible side effect taking ashwaganda from Amazon retailer. I am not sure if they had laced the pill with some crazy things .. initially I was having the symptoms of panic attack on a daily basis and anxiety and depression .. funny thing is I did not have any anxiety issues. Just tried the medicine thiinking I had thyroid issues.. completely ruined my life. Also came to understand that the pill was causing the issue very late. I am on lot of medications now but unable to get out of it.. still have issues sleeping. Mood swings, suicidal thoughts, ear ringing, unable to focus or work.. let me know if something worked for you.. I just need to be normal. I wish I could sleep like I used to.. please help
Sorry but that seems pretty extreme. It has messed up my sleep too I think but once it is out of your system there is no way it would still be being caused by the supplement.
Can ashwaganda tea cause the side effects? I am experiencing crazy heart palpitations that I kept checking my wrist pulse, breathing feels interrupted whenever heart goes out of rhythm. I googled this tea and heart palps and found this thread. This tea is advertised as a stress reliever, doesn’t come with a warning. Definitely not drinking this tea again but am wondering if a weak form like ash tea could cause this unpleasant and scary side effects.
how long did these symptoms last? im currently experiencing the same
Im one week into it and still feeling unwell are you better now? How long did it take to feel normal? Kind regards
Ashwagandha has helped me. I felt as if it controlled my anxiety and calmed me. I was also on Cymbalta 20mg while taking the Gaia brand Ash. One time I could not find any Gaia and didn’t want to go to another store to find it and tried a different brand. It made me sick. I don’t know why?? Maybe it was more potent? I pretty much never took a break from it though as it is suggested. I recently ran out and am now taking a break. I am feeling fine. I don’t know if I will go back on it. I am now tapered off the Cymbalta. It took 2.5 years to get off the lowest dose. These drugs are really, really awful!!! Best of luck to you all. If you have had a bad experience with Ash and still want to try it, I do recommend the Gaia brand. It never gave me a problem as far as I can tell!
I’m 48 and started taking 400mg of Ashwagandha in September 2019 to help me focus in the gym. I felt great for the first two months. I’m an extrovert – life of the party, so to speak. But by Christmas, I didn’t care about anything at all. So I upped my dosage to 800mg from 400mg. I see now how ignorant that was. By January, I started having suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Horrible, horrible thoughts. No motivation, no pleasure in anything, just completed discouraged about everything. Hated everyone, including myself. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and not wake up and actually prayed to God for it. That is not who I am.
I finally started researching side effects and realized that it most likely was what has been causing these issues, as that has been the only thing I take other than a daily multivitamin. I have been off it now for a few days and realize that this is going to take time to get out of my system so my brain can rewire what was disconnected. I am in a horrible place, but realize that it’s going to take time. Ashwagandha may work for many, but it’s definitely not a wide painted brush. Be cautious or you could end up in a place like me….and it’s not a good place to be.
I tried Ashwagandha for my social anxiety and fatigue. I started having MS symptoms , stopped and my neurologist recommended Lexapro, first 2-3 weeks were rough but I wish I would of been on Lexapro 25 years ago….. I’m 40. It has made such a big difference in my life. I suffered so long b/c I thought meds were bad…. I tried herbs , change of diet and self coping books on anxiety Which didn’t really help in the end. Please don’t be afraid to try a medication like Lexapro. For anyone wondering, I take it around 8-9:30 pm at night. 10mg. I do not recommend Ashwagandha, night shades are not good for your health. Do your research. This is a well written article, thank you.
I took Lexipro for years and it ruined my life.
I stopped the drug 2 years ago and I still have persistent symptoms.
I won’t go through the list but I now have cognition issues and my vision is blurry.
I was also “fine” on it for years so the whole everybody is different argument is a load of bs. These drugs are like Russian roulette and one day your luck might run out. Also getting of an SSRI can be really hard and sometimes people can’t do it. Those that do can end up with persistent side effects that last for years or indefinitely.
Also any perceived effect of an SSRI is usually a combo of the placebo effect and the numbing effect inhibiting serotonin has, this is often perceived as working, or correcting the problem but it’s not true.
People need to research head meds before taking them, most doctors are noting more than prescribers so of course their science sounds right.
If anyone wants to read the truth about such meds, look up the Risxk site run by Dr David Healy
Again I was fine on an SSRI for years but I had no idea what it was doing to me all along. I would gladly just have my anxiety back than the issues I have now. Remember, these issues did not start until years later.
I’m a 43 year old male, I eat relatively well and exercise regularly. I take no medications, and have atypical plaque psoriasis. I began taking Ashwagandha 4 days ago after hearing about its testosterone boosting ability. I naively went straight to taking the max dosage recommended on the bottle (450mg 3x daily). The first day I noticed nothing except some acid reflux however, when I woke on the second day I was extremely itchy. Both of these symptoms continue to increase in intensity. Going into the 4th day now the itching is almost intolerable and now I’m noticing more frequent urination and a mild burning when urinating. I do feel more relaxed overall. I hope lowering my dose will alleviate these negative side effects.
I started taking ashwagandha ksm66 a few weeks ago and got severe cystic acne, Fungal acne and a face rash, that is still here, heart palipitations, anxiety upon waking and insomnia. I did tons of research saying it’s so good for depression and anxiety, and a bunch of other benefits. I have been fine taking Nootropics and L-Theanine for anxiety, but I believe this herb is messing me up. I thought it was cuz of the zeolite, charcoal, broccoli sprout, wild yucca root, humic and fulvic acid blend I was taking or maybe the alpha GPC… I stopped the detox blend and alpha gpc 5 days ago and am stopping the ashwagandha tomorrow…
This is a really informative article. I have histimine issues so I knew taking this herb might cause problems because it’s a nightshade but my reactions are always nervous system related; pulse, bp etc. But this herb caused me major dirreah within an hour of taking on every occasion i tried it. It also made me tired yet disturbed my sleep. It should be used with great caution as all but the most benign herbs should be. Ive read it doesn’t clear the body for 72 hours so a bad reaction could last 3 days…
Thank you for the most interesting article! Most of what you see on line say herbs have virtually no side effects becouse they are trying to SELL them. Its refreshing to read knowledge and experience based articles.
Thank you for your feedback, Jeff. I am glad my article was helpful to you.
I have many chronic ongoing health problems, some questionably iatrogenic, many which are relevant to this discussion. Initially I was trying to figure out if Ashwagandha Sensoril can cause diarrhea. After reading your article and further discussion, can you please tell me the best way to test for copper toxicity? Among all kinds of other things, I took 2 different desiccated adrenal supplements as directed by my doctor for many years and take armour throid. I would also like to know if a similar reliable test can be done to check for toxicity of other heavy metals so I can request this from my PCP or find a reliable testing facility if what you recommend is not covered by most insurances. Thanks
I’ve gone through menopause. I am on Keppra. I have a terrible memory. I can’t take a multi vitamin. My system does not digest it well, causes pain. I think it is because of the added calcium. I have had multiple kidney stones. I have to take individual vitamin supplements, excluding calcium. My gallbladder has been removed and I just had hernia surgery. My hair is thinning and my scalp is dry and sometimes itchy. I am sensitive to the sun and have extreme insomnia now.My nails do not grow and have horizontal ridges in them. What should I do?
I took very little Ashwagandha( one single pepper size quantity) and I regretted after 2 hours. My heart started pounding and I knew that it was due to this Ashwagandha. I think it lowered my blood pressure way too low, and the heart tried to push it up hard and so I had that palpitations. It was gone after 4 days. So, please be cautious when taking Ashwagandha. It is dangerous if you know nothing about it.
It has been 24 hour since I made the mistake of taking it and I am still feeling so weak and fatigued. I thought it will help me with anxiety, but I was wrong. How are you feeling now sudhakar? I am scared it will never leave my body. I was feeling so much better with just my Magnesium supplement.
Hey Artemis,
Are you feeling better now? Any permanent effects?
This has been an eye opener. I had been experiencing Adrenaline fatigue, early morning fight/ flight attacks, anxiety. It happened 3 years ago and started again few months ago. Recently tried Ashwagandha but after 2 weeks I realized it increases my morning nervousness. Stopped it. Now, reading the article and comments I can see why. The some goes for the adrenavive supplement which I started 4 days ago during which I had 2 morning episodes of nausea and nervousness. Obviously will stop this supplement.
So given my reaction and reading your article I suspect copper and methylation (the possibility was already raised by my Dr, but then I shouldn’t have been recommended these supplements).
I am waiting for blood test results. But it really makes sense. Next step is finding how to deal with these issues.
This herb saved my life. When added to my antidepressant, I no longer feel like the cloud is hanging over my head. I no longer feel like there’s no hope. I no longer feel like I can’t get out of bed. It literally saved my life and yes we are all different, but I’ve lived with depression for half of my life and nothing has helped me like this. I haven’t had any side effects at all. I take it in the morning with my antidepressant and B12 and vitamin E. When I first got it I was taking it at night and I had trouble sleeping. Once I started taking it in the morning I noticed a difference rather quickly. It’s hard to explain how it makes me feel because it’s not like I feel energy or manic. I simply feel like a whole person again. I enjoy things now and I can laugh and even plan. I actually took it because I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and I am sick and tired of being stuffed with prescription medicine so I sought another way. The fact that it accidentally helped my chronic depression is just a happy miracle. I do have low thyroid as well so this article scares me a little bit, but to be really honest I would much rather live with whatever side effects it has for thyroid then to go back into the hell of my depression.
T3 (CLIA) 357
T4 (CLIA) 26.7
TSH (CLIA) is less than 0.01 and testosterone above 1500
In the previous comment, I used greater than/less than symbols and something went wrong.
I was using the following Aswaganda supplements for last 2 years,
Ajaswagandhadi lehyam – 1 tea spoon – 2 times daily
Aswagandharishtam (15ml ) + dasamoolarishtam(15ml) + 30ml water – 2 times daily
Rejuveda Tablet – 2 times daily
My recent blood test results ,
T3 (CLIA) 357
T4 (CLIA) 26.7
TSH (CLIA) 1500
Following are my problems,
Low body weight
High appetite
Weak body
Rapid heat beat
chest pain
Hand tremor etc
Aswagandha can cause all these problems? I stopped having these medicines recently.
I was using the following Aswaganda supplements for last 2 years,
Ajaswagandhadi lehyam – 1 tea spoon – 2 times daily
Aswagandharishtam (15ml ) + dasamoolarishtam(15ml) + 30ml water – 2 times daily
Rejuveda Tablet – 2 times daily
My recent blood test results ,
T3 (CLIA) 357
T4 (CLIA) 26.7
TSH (CLIA) 1500
Following are my problems,
Low body weight
High appetite
Weak body
Rapid heat beat
chest pain
Hand tremor etc
Aswagandha can cause all these problems? I stopped having these medicines recently.
Ashwagandha by Organic India has helped calm my sister’s anxiety tremendously. She has been taking it regularly with noticeable improvements not only with anxiety but also with calming her Essential Tremors. It has proven to be powerful at calming anxiety and tension not only for her but for other family members that have tried it as well, without any side affects whatsoever.
I started taking ashwaganda to help me concentrate. I had just started a new position at my work and was having trouble being nervous and concentrating. I had read alot of good reviews about ashwaganda and thought why not….So I took it for a few months and I felt like a million bucks…I was calm, relaxed, sleeping good and was able to stay focused alot better than what I was. Then one day it was like a light switch flipped and I felt awful…I all of sudden couldnt sleep, I felt like I had drank 5 cups of coffee and so jittery and then I started having panic attacks for no reason. I felt like I had a lump in my throat. It felt like my throat muscles were very tight especially at the back of my neck. It felt like I had a weight in my chest and it was difficult for me to take deep breaths. I was absolutely miserable.At first I thought maybe I have a lung disease or emphysema but then I just knew the ashwaganda had caused something in my body to change. I stopped taking it and my symptoms were even worse. I went to my doctor, I told them I had been taking Ashwaganda and I felt like it did something to me……Im the type of person that I dont normally take any medicines or supplements unless I really have to, and I dont go to the doctor unless Im extremely sick….. Anywho my doctor said she had never heard of ashwaganda and told me I was just having anxiety and prescribed me zoloft. I was so tempted to take the medicine just to give me some relief but I read all the side effects and I thought, no I am not putting anymore substances in my body. With Gods help I am going to get through this…. Every few days after stopping the medicine I continued to have panic attacks out of the blue and extreme anxiety for no reason. But every week that it was out of my system I felt better and better and now I am feeling 100percent back to my norm. I certainly learned my lesson about playing around with herbal supplements. All I can say is never again and thank you Jesus for getting me through it.
Are you better now? I feel like been short of breath for about a month and havent been able to take deep breaths. How log did it take for you to recover?
I stopped taking it a month ago and still having a lot of issues. I don’t know when I am going to get better! How are you now?
Hi Rachel
Can you recall how long it took you too feel “normal” again?
I’m desperate. I’ve been to the ER, my Dr, and now today the paramedics came to my house. All my vitals come back normal, but I’m undoubtedly struggling with effects from Ashwaghanda in a blend with other adaptogens and sadly no one is experienced enough in that field to help. I’m relying on anything I can research because I feel helpless, I wish so bad to have my life back and that I NEVER touched this stuff.
Hi Tabitha,
How are you feeling? How long did it take for you to go back to normal?
I was wondering if you can comment about a persons genetic makeup and ashwaganda. My child has the comt++ gene polymorphism. I’ve read that Rhodiola isn’t good as it uses up comt. All I know is ashwaganda made my child extremely emotional and aggressive.
Sammi: Great article and feed. I read all the comments and find it interesting those who love the supplement and therefore so defending of it, completely missing the point you are making. Unlike most folks who have chimed in here, I’m pretty healthy and really have no issues. As an athlete, it’s been suggested to me that I should take Ashwagandha and Rhodiola to help my body deal with stress overload. I tried both last night and ended up having an evening of diarrhea and vomiting. I haven’t heard anyone else mention this reaction, so I don’t know for sure if the supplement(s) were the cause. But I did experience a similar reaction when I tried LifeVantage Protandim which also contains Ashwagandha. I’m curious what you think about the advantages/disadvantages of Rhodiola. At this point, since I really don’t have any health issues like adrenal fatigue, there probably is no reason for me to be subjecting my body to experimental herbs.
Thank you, Michelle, for sharing with our community. I’ve worked with clients that have experienced diarrhea and vomited after taking Ashwagandha, too. I wish more people understood the power of herbs and that they are not for everyone. I will add an article about Rhodiola to my list. 😉
I’ve tried ashwagandha root extract twice – capsule & powder form and had pretty bad diarrhea both times. I’m also very athletic and have no other allergies or health issues. Just wanted to use it to see if it can improve my mental & cognitive function.