How Much Ashwagandha Per Day? UK Doses, Timing and Safety

How much ashwagandha per day? What the trials used

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a shrub whose root has been used in Ayurvedic practice for centuries. In the UK it’s sold as a food supplement, and there is no official recommended daily amount, safe upper level or legal limit for it. What we do have is the amounts used in clinical trials:

• Extracts: the US National Institutes of Health summarises stress and anxiety trials as using 240 to 1,250mg of extract a day. The most common pattern is 300mg twice a day.
• Root powder: much higher amounts, because powder isn’t concentrated. One anxiety trial used 12g of root granules a day (equal to about 6g of powder), and a fertility trial in men used 5g of root powder a day for 3 months.
• Stress: a 2022 meta-analysis of 12 trials with 1,002 adults found the clearest effect on stress scores at 300 to 600mg a day. It rated the certainty of the evidence as low.
• Sleep: a 2021 meta-analysis of 5 trials with 400 adults found clearer effects at 600mg a day or more, taken for 8 weeks or longer.
• Lower doses: in one 8-week trial, stressed adults took 250mg or 600mg a day of root extract. Stress scores and cortisol fell at both doses compared with placebo, with stronger statistical results at 600mg.

So “how much ashwagandha should I take?” has an honest answer: the trials point to 250 to 600mg of a standardised root extract a day, but that range only applies to similar extracts. A 500mg capsule of plain powder is not the same as 500mg of a concentrated extract. For what ashwagandha is and what the wider research covers, see what does ashwagandha do?

What is the recommended dose of ashwagandha?

There is no recommended dose of ashwagandha in the UK: no official daily amount, safe upper level or legal limit has been set, and the FSA’s safety review is still running. Trials mostly used 240 to 600mg a day of a standardised root extract, commonly 300mg twice a day. Use one product and stay within its label dose.

For comparison, Flow CBD Oil gives 35mg ashwagandha root extract and 35mg maca root extract per half pipette, well below trial amounts, so it is a CBD oil with botanicals rather than a high-dose ashwagandha supplement. The same cautions apply: not in pregnancy or breastfeeding, and not with a thyroid, liver or autoimmune condition.

If you’re comparing options, our Flow CBD Oil blends broad spectrum CBD with ashwagandha and maca, and we make two ashwagandha-free options too:

Ashwagandha dosage by type: KSM-66, Shoden, Sensoril and powder

Labels can say ashwagandha, ashwaganda, Indian ginseng or Withania somnifera: it’s the same plant. What changes the dose is the plant part, how it was extracted and how concentrated it is. These are the forms you’ll see most in the UK:

Two practical points follow from this:

• How much ashwagandha KSM-66 per day? The KSM-66 trials mostly used 300mg twice a day. That’s the amount most KSM-66 capsules are built around.
• How many mg of ashwagandha in a teaspoon? It depends on the powder, and teaspoons vary, so use the scoop or the gram weight on the label rather than guessing. A spoonful of powder is a very different thing from a capsule of extract.

Most trial extracts were made from the root, and a branded extract’s results may not apply to another product. Our guide to ashwagandha for anxiety has a fuller buying checklist, including why root is generally preferred to leaf.

How many mg of ashwagandha per day for women, men, sleep and stress?

Trials haven’t found different doses for different people. The amounts below are what studies used, not personal advice, and each links to our full guide:

How much ashwagandha per day for females?

There is no female-specific dose: no trial has compared doses in women and men, so women use the same range as men, mostly 300 to 600mg of root extract a day. Women’s trials in perimenopause and after menopause mostly used 300mg of root extract twice a day (600mg in total) for about 8 weeks. Some women start with one dose a day to see how they feel, and there’s no evidence that more than 600mg works better. Our guide to ashwagandha for women covers what those trials looked at.

The extra cautions for women are about safety, not dose:

• Pregnant, trying for a baby or breastfeeding: don’t take it.
• Thyroid conditions: it can change thyroid blood test results, so check with your GP first, especially if you take levothyroxine.
• Liver conditions: avoid it, and stop and see a GP if you notice yellow skin or eyes, dark pee or itching.
• Autoimmune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or MS: ask your GP first.
• Regular medicines, including HRT and other hormone medicines, thyroid, diabetes, blood pressure or sleep medicines: check with your GP or pharmacist.
• Surgery coming up: stop taking it at least 2 weeks before.

How much ashwagandha per day for males?

Trials in males mostly used 300 to 600mg of standardised ashwagandha root extract per day, often 300mg twice a day, for 8 to 12 weeks. There is no male-specific dose and no official UK dose, and no trial has shown that more than 600mg a day works better. Start low, follow one product’s label and don’t exceed it.

Trials haven’t tested different amounts for men and women, and the FSA says no safe level has been set. The KSM-66 trials in men mostly used 300mg twice a day and the Sensoril trial used 500mg; a fertility trial used 5g of root powder a day. The same cautions apply to men: avoid it with a liver condition, check first if you have a thyroid condition or take regular medicines, and men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it (see who should avoid ashwagandha). More in ashwagandha for men.

How much ashwagandha per day to lower cortisol?

Trials that measured cortisol used 240mg a day of Shoden, 300mg twice a day of KSM-66, and 250 or 600mg a day of another root extract, for about 8 weeks. Cortisol fell in all three small trials. That’s a research finding, not a promise. Our guide on how to lower cortisol naturally covers sleep, exercise and the signs that need a GP.

How much ashwagandha is too much? 1,000mg, 2,000mg and 3,000mg

There is no agreed maximum. Here’s what the evidence shows at different amounts:

• 600mg a day: the best-tested amount. In an 8-week trial of 1,002 adults with stress and anxiety, side effects were no more common than on placebo, and liver and kidney blood tests didn’t change. An earlier 8-week trial in 80 healthy adults, at 300mg twice a day, found no changes in blood tests, including thyroid hormones.
• Is 1,000mg of ashwagandha a day too much? It’s above the usual trial range but within the 240 to 1,250mg of extract that stress and anxiety trials have used. There’s little reason to go this high, and no evidence that it works better.
• 2,000mg a day: one 12-week study gave 145 healthy adults 2,000mg of root extract daily and reported no clinically significant changes in blood tests. It had no placebo group and came from the same research group as several of the trials above, so it’s weak evidence of safety.
• 3,000mg or more of extract: we found no trials. Don’t take this much.

The rare serious problems don’t appear to need huge doses. In a case series from Iceland and the US, five people developed liver injury after taking supplements containing 450 to 1,350mg of ashwagandha a day, with symptoms starting 2 to 12 weeks in. A case of an overactive thyroid involved 1,950mg a day for over 2 months. Stop taking it and see a GP if you notice yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, itching, a racing heart or unusual tiredness. Our guide to ashwagandha side effects covers the common and rare effects in full.

When should I take ashwagandha? Morning, night and with food

There’s no proven best time. Many trials split the dose into two (morning and evening), and the Shoden trial gave one capsule after dinner. Taking it with food is a sensible default if it upsets your stomach, and keeping the same time each day matters more than the clock. Our guide on when to take ashwagandha goes through morning, evening and split doses by goal.

Can you take ashwagandha at night or before bed?

Yes. Drowsiness is one of its more common side effects, so many people prefer it in the evening, and it’s the obvious choice if sleep is your goal. If it leaves you groggy the next morning, try taking it earlier in the evening or lowering the amount. Don’t combine it with sleeping tablets or other sedatives without checking with a pharmacist. For how it compares with other options, see ashwagandha vs magnesium.

How long should you take ashwagandha, and do you need breaks?

• Trial length: most trials lasted 6 to 12 weeks. The sleep meta-analysis found clearer results after 8 weeks or more, so a few days isn’t a fair test.
• Long-term use: the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says ashwagandha may be safe in the short term, up to 3 months, and that there isn’t enough information to judge long-term safety.
• Cycling: no trial has tested an on-and-off schedule, so there’s no evidence-based break pattern. A sensible approach is to review it after 8 to 12 weeks: if you can’t tell it’s making a difference, stop.

Keep a simple note of how you sleep and feel each week before and while you take it, so you can judge it honestly. If you’re choosing between herbs, our guide to ashwagandha vs rhodiola compares the evidence.

Ashwagandha tinctures and drops: how much should you take?

Tinctures and liquid extracts haven’t been tested in clinical trials, so there’s no trial dose to copy. Things to know before you buy:

• Ratios aren’t milligrams. A label like 1:2 or 1:5 tells you how much dried herb went into the liquid, not how much ashwagandha is in each dose. Look for an amount per serving.
• Many tinctures are made with alcohol. That matters if you avoid alcohol, and a few drops is a very different amount from a 300mg capsule.
• “Mother tincture” is a term from homeopathy. These products aren’t standardised to the extracts used in research.
• Tincture or capsule? If you want to match the research, a capsule of a named, standardised root extract is the closest you’ll get. Drops suit people who prefer a liquid, but you can’t compare them with the trials.

Whatever the form, use one ashwagandha product at a time and don’t go above its label dose.

Who should avoid ashwagandha, and is it safe in the UK?

iDon’t take ashwagandha, or speak to your GP or pharmacist first, if any of these apply:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: avoid it. See ashwagandha and breastfeeding. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Liver conditions: avoid it, and stop if you get signs of liver problems.
• Thyroid conditions: in an 8-week trial, 600mg a day changed thyroid blood test results, so check first, especially if you take levothyroxine.
• Autoimmune conditions, or surgery coming up.
• Medicines: diabetes and blood pressure medicines, immunosuppressants, sedatives, anti-seizure medicines and thyroid hormones.
• Under 18s: there’s no good evidence on dosing in children. Our products are for adults only.

The UK position (checked November 2026): ashwagandha is legal to sell as a food supplement. The Food Standards Agency asked its Committee on Toxicity to review its safety, ran a call for evidence in 2024, and says a risk assessment will be published; none had been published by 9 November 2026. While the review continues, the FSA told Which? in June 2026 that it would advise people with pre-existing liver conditions and pregnant women to avoid ashwagandha supplements. Denmark banned ashwagandha in food supplements in 2023, and France’s food safety agency advised certain groups, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, against it in 2024. Our UK ashwagandha safety review tracks every step.

Ashwagandha and alcohol

We found no human studies on ashwagandha and alcohol together. The caution comes from what each does on its own: ashwagandha can make some people drowsy, alcohol is a sedative, and both have links to liver problems. Keep drinks light while you take it, don’t take it to help you sleep after a heavy night, and skip it altogether if you have a liver condition. Alcohol also disrupts sleep in its own right: see alcohol and sleep.

Ashwagandha in Evopure products

Our Flow CBD Oil combines broad spectrum CBD (0% THC) with ashwagandha root extract, maca root extract and our Energise terpene blend in MCT oil. It comes in 500mg and 1,000mg strengths in a 10ml bottle and is designed as a daytime oil. 10mg of CBD is about 0.2ml of the 500mg or about 0.1ml of the 1,000mg. The FSA advises healthy adults to take no more than 10mg of CBD a day; this is precautionary advice while research continues, not a legal limit, so if you want to stay within it, use about 0.2ml on the 500mg or 0.1ml on the 1,000mg. Each half pipette contains 35mg ashwagandha root extract and 35mg maca root extract, far below the 250 to 600mg a day used in trials, so it isn’t a replacement for an ashwagandha capsule. Don’t stack it with a separate ashwagandha supplement without checking the total with a pharmacist. CBD isn’t a treatment for anxiety or any condition, and we don’t claim Flow treats or prevents anything. Read more in our guides to CBD and ashwagandha and CBD dosage.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

If you’d rather skip ashwagandha, our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex contains none. It’s an evening drink with magnesium bisglycinate and citrate, glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, passionflower, hops and oat straw. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function.

Our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a hot chocolate powder made with cocoa, reishi mushroom, maca, cinnamon and coconut sugar, with no ashwagandha. The cacao contains a little natural caffeine, so it suits earlier in the day. All our products are vegan, made in the UK and for adults only.

Related guides

• What Home Bargains ashwagandha labels say.
• Buying on the high street? See Holland and Barrett ashwagandha: KSM-66, strengths and UK safety.
• For a worked label example, see Vitabiotics ashwagandha: 600mg extract, 42mg withanolides.
• For a real label example, Wild Nutrition ashwagandha gives 600mg of KSM-66 root extract in two capsules.
• For what KSM-66 is and how it compares with Sensoril and Shoden, see our KSM-66 ashwagandha guide.
• For what each form actually contains per serving, see ashwagandha gummies, tinctures, capsules and powder compared.
• Dose is only half of it: how long ashwagandha takes to kick in explains why most trials ran for 6 to 10 weeks.
• To compare these doses with shop labels, see the ashwagandha label maths for Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Asda.
• Our guide to cortisol supplements compares ashwagandha with the other options people try.
• Ashwagandha and weight gain: what trials at these doses found.