Slowly but surely, I noticed that the mental buzzing I was used to experiencingâthe cacophony of replaying conversations from the day while catastrophizing about the next, running through to-do lists, the sense of tensionâbegan to ease.
The shift was so nuanced that it took me a few weeks to notice it, until one eveningâafter a particularly stressful day involving a blocked drain, a delayed train, and a meltdown from my 22-month-old about not having enough rubber ducks in the bathâI found myself sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of mint tea, and staring at the wall. If it had been a scene in a film it would have been entirely boring, but for meâsomeone who just 14 days ago would have been frantically switching between doomscrolling, sending voice notes that never reached their conclusion, and reading back through emails from the day and reevaluating my responsesâjust being was a big deal.
It wasnât a forced stillness, like the ones Iâd often found myself in during a yoga class, but a genuine settling, like the dust of the day was finally clearing up. It was a small victory, but it felt monumental. Over time, I started to swap out âstaring at a wallâ for reading, something I hadnât been able to do in a long whileâso loud was my mind, that Iâd previously end up reading the same cluster of sentences over and over before giving up entirely. But now, I could focus a bit better, relax the internal chatter enough to really take in what I was reading, and crucially, actually enjoy it.
Beyond the mental quieting, I also started to notice a profound difference in my physical state. My shoulders, which Iâd carried around my neck as though they were a collar, began to relax. That constant underlying hum of physical tension that Iâd almost accepted as normal started to dissipate. I realized more and more that I wasnât clenching my jaw or holding my breath every other minute. There was a newfound ease in my movements, a feeling of my muscles being less tightly wound. It was as if ashwagandha was gently coaxing my body out of a perpetual state of fight-or-flight.
Itâs important to note here that ashwagandha isnât a magic eraser for stress. Life still happens. Deadlines still loom. Annoying emails still land in my inbox. But what has changed is my capacity to meet these challenges without feeling completely derailed. Iâm more able to weather the storms without being permanently flooded.
Ashwagandha benefits
Curious to know whether my own experience was synonymous with the science, I asked Clarissa Lenherr, a registered nutritional-therapy practitioner and a certified member of the British Association of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, what her take was on it all.
âThe primary benefit of ashwagandha is its potential to support the bodyâs stress response. Research suggests it may help improve resilience to stress and enhance quality of life. For example, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults found that high-concentration, full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract significantly improved stress resistance and well-being,â she explains. âAshwagandha may also support better sleep. Although research is still limited, some small studies have found it could be helpful for people experiencing insomnia.â
She adds, âFrom my clinical experience, Iâve found that ashwagandha can be genuinely helpful for some people, particularly when it comes to managing stress. Many of my clients who struggle with chronic stress or feel wired but tired find they feel calmer after consistently using a high-quality ashwagandha supplement.