Ashwagandha May Help Some People with Schizophrenia

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a medicinal herb that is available without a prescription. It has anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties and has been studied as an add-on treatment for schizophrenia.

What did the study find?

In a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 68 adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, patients continued taking their regular antipsychotic medication and received either:

  • Ashwagandha extract (Sensoril®): 500 mg daily for the first week, then 1,000 mg daily for the next 11 weeks, or
  • A placebo.

Compared with placebo, patients taking ashwagandha experienced:

  • Significant improvement in negative symptoms, such as lack of motivation, reduced emotional expression, and social withdrawal.
  • Improvement in overall schizophrenia symptoms.
  • Reduced stress levels, with benefits appearing after about four weeks.
  • A trend toward improvement in positive symptoms (such as hallucinations and delusions), although this did not reach statistical significance.

Safety

Ashwagandha was generally well tolerated. Side effects were mild, temporary, and occurred at similar rates to placebo. Two participants stopped taking ashwagandha because of side effects.

What does this mean?

This study suggests that ashwagandha may be a useful adjunct (add-on) treatment for people with schizophrenia, particularly for negative symptoms, which are often difficult to treat with standard medications. It should not replace prescribed antipsychotic medication, but it may provide additional benefit under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Limitations

The study was relatively small (68 participants) and lasted only 12 weeks, so larger and longer-term studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the optimal dose.

Reference

Chengappa KNR, Brar JS, Gannon JM, Schlicht PJ. Adjunctive use of a standardized extract of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) to treat symptom exacerbation in schizophrenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2018;79(5):17m11826.