With a growing number of studies suggesting that ashwagandha does fulfill its marketed claims of reducing stress and anxiety and improving sleep, the herb’s popularity has boomed, gaining the attention of consumers and healthcare providers alike.
Sales of the medicinal herb spiked considerably in 2020, growing by over 50% to $198 million in the United States alone at the height of the pandemic, according to the Boulder-based Nutrition Business Journal. Also known as Indian ginseng, the plant with Ayurvedic roots has infiltrated products from teas and coffee substitutes to capsules and mocktails as it goes mainstream.
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“We’ve had a huge uptick in all mental health conditions in recent years, and stress is big,” Monika Nuffer, PharmD, senior instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said of a chief reason patients are attracted to the ancient herb.
With no signs of its popularity abating, Nuffer said both patients and providers should educate themselves about ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) before turning to it as a supplemental fix. Clinical cases of liver toxicity, while rare and conflicting, have been popping up, and there are potential serious interactions with other drugs and medical conditions, Nuffer said.
Nuffer, also an integrative medicine specialist with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, offers more information on the popular herb and how to use it and all dietary and herbal products safely.