Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha Side Effects in Men and Women: A Guide

By Rooted ActiveNov 9, 2026

Most ashwagandha side effects are mild. Think upset stomach, loose stools, drowsiness or a headache in the first week, usually fixed by taking it with food or stopping.

The rare risks are liver injury and an overactive thyroid. Women should avoid it during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it too.

Studies cover about 3 months of use. Past that, nobody really knows.

What ashwagandha actually is

Ashwagandha is a root that’s been used in Ayurvedic practice for centuries. Most people take it now for stress or sleep.

It usually comes as a capsule of root extract. Those extracts vary a lot between brands, which is part of why 2 people can have very different experiences with the same herb.

Common ashwagandha side effects

If ashwagandha bothers you, it’ll most likely be your gut or your energy levels.

Side effect	What it feels like	What usually helps
Upset stomach or nausea	Queasy within an hour or so of a dose	Take it with a meal
Loose stools	More frequent trips to the bathroom	Take it with food or ask your doctor about a lower dose
Drowsiness	Heavy and foggy, often by mid-afternoon	Move your dose to the evening
Headache	A dull ache in the first few days	Track it and pause if it lasts past a week

Less often, people report dizziness or a dry mouth.

Most of these settle within a week or 2. If they don’t, that’s your cue to stop.

Rare side effects that need a doctor

These are uncommon. You should still know the warning signs before your first capsule.

Rare cases of liver injury have been linked to ashwagandha. In the reported cases, symptoms usually appeared a few weeks in. So feeling fine on day 3 doesn’t rule it out.

Ashwagandha can also raise thyroid hormone levels. That matters if you already have an overactive thyroid or take thyroid medication.

Stop and call a doctor if you notice:

Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
Dark urine or pale stools
Pain in your upper right belly
A racing heart or feeling hot and shaky all the time
A rash, swelling or trouble breathing (that last one is urgent)

Ashwagandha side effects in women

Thyroid and autoimmune conditions are far more common in women. Both sit on ashwagandha’s “be careful” list, so the risk picture for women looks a little different.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Avoid it. There’s concern it may trigger uterine contractions. There’s also no good safety data for breastfeeding.

Thyroid medication. If you take levothyroxine, ashwagandha could push your levels too high. Tell your doctor before you start so they can recheck your blood work.

Autoimmune conditions. Ashwagandha may stimulate immune activity. Conditions like lupus or Hashimoto’s usually need the opposite.

Mood. Harvard Health notes some people feel more stimulated or anxious on it. If you started ashwagandha to calm down and now feel more on edge, believe your body over the label.

If you’re trying to conceive, talk to your doctor first.

Ashwagandha side effects in men

Several small studies found ashwagandha raised testosterone in men. That’s why it turns up in so many gym supplements.

It’s also why men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it. Both Memorial Sloan Kettering and MSD Manuals flag this.

Some small trials found better sperm quality in men with fertility issues. Small is the key word. If fertility is your reason for taking it, raise it with your doctor first.

The drowsiness hits gym-goers in a specific way. Take it in the morning and your evening workout can feel like lifting through syrup. Moving the dose to bedtime usually fixes it.

Can ashwagandha change your mood or personality?

Search this and you’ll land in Reddit threads full of people describing feeling flat or emotionally numb. Some call it anhedonia, the loss of pleasure in things you normally enjoy.

These are self-reports. Clinical trials haven’t established emotional blunting as a side effect. But most trials last 8 to 12 weeks and weren’t built to measure it.

So take it seriously if it’s happening to you. Feeling “off” for more than a week or 2 is reason enough to pause.

If you’re on any medication for mood or sleep, speak to your doctor before continuing.

Is it actually the ashwagandha? A 4-question check

You feel something strange. You started a new supplement. Your brain connects the 2 instantly. Sometimes it’s right.

Run through these honestly:

Did the symptom start after you began taking it?
Has anything else changed, like your sleep, caffeine intake or other supplements?
Is your product pure ashwagandha or a blend of several herbs?
Does the symptom ease when you pause for 3 to 5 days?

Yes to 1 and 4 with a no to 2 points at the ashwagandha.

If you’re taking a blend, you can’t know which ingredient did it. Switch to a single-ingredient product before you blame the root.

Anything from the red-flag list skips the quiz entirely. Call a doctor.

When ashwagandha side effects show up

Side effects don’t all arrive at once. Knowing the rough timing helps you tell a passing adjustment from something worth acting on.

Timeframe	What tends to happen	What to do
Days 1 to 7	Stomach upset or drowsiness	Take it with food or change the time
Weeks 2 to 4	Early effects fade. Mood changes appear if they’re going to	Check in with yourself honestly
Weeks 4 to 12	The window where rare liver cases have been reported	Watch for the red flags above
Around 3 months	The end of what most studies cover	Ask your doctor if you still need it
After stopping	Mild effects usually fade within days	Report anything that lingers

These are general patterns. Your timeline may look different.

Same herb, different bottle

2 people can both take “ashwagandha” and swallow very different things. These label details change your experience:

Plant part. Root is what traditional use and most studies rely on. Some products add leaf, which has a different chemical profile.
Extract strength. “Standardized to 5% withanolides” means the maker measures the active compounds in every batch. Without it, each bottle is a bit of a guess.
Dose. Most studies used 250 to 600 mg of root extract a day. Check where your serving falls.
Single herb or blend. Blends make it impossible to trace a reaction.
Third-party testing. A certificate of analysis shows the batch was checked for heavy metals and contaminants.

We print this information on our own label. Look for it on any bottle you buy.

Who shouldn’t take ashwagandha

Some people are better off skipping it entirely. If you see yourself on this list, have a conversation with your doctor before buying a bottle.

Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding
People with liver disease or a history of liver problems
People with thyroid conditions, unless their doctor approves
People with autoimmune conditions
Anyone with a hormone-sensitive cancer, including prostate cancer
Anyone with surgery in the next 2 weeks
Children, unless a doctor recommends it

Medicines that don’t mix well with ashwagandha

Medicine	What can happen
Sleep aids and sedatives	Extra drowsiness
Thyroid medicine	Hormone levels climbing too high
Diabetes medicine	Blood sugar dropping too low
Blood pressure medicine	Blood pressure dropping too low
Immunosuppressants	Your medicine working less well

On any of these? Talk to your doctor before you start.

Why some doctors are cautious

Doctors usually hesitate for practical reasons. Studies rarely run past 3 months. Supplements aren’t regulated like medicines, so what’s inside the bottle can vary.

Some European regulators, Denmark among them, have restricted ashwagandha over safety concerns. For most healthy adults on short courses, the data looks reassuring. A doctor asking you to slow down is still being sensible. [Verify current regulatory status before publishing.]

FAQs

Are ashwagandha side effects different for men and women?

The common ones are the same. Women need extra care around pregnancy and thyroid conditions, while men with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer should avoid it completely.

Is ashwagandha safe for your kidneys?

There’s very little research on ashwagandha and kidney health. If you have kidney disease, check with your doctor first, because the evidence can’t answer this yet.

Can you take ashwagandha every day?

Most studies used it daily for 8 to 12 weeks without serious problems. Long-term daily use hasn’t been studied well, so review it with your doctor around 3 months.