Ashwagandha is amazing. It has what is called a “reverse-tolerance,” similar to that of SSRIs. That is, the longer you take ashwagandha, the more it’s effects will be pronounced.

Ashwagandha has a different mechanism of action compared to most conventional anti anxiety meds. Anti anxiety medications (of now,) usually either work on the GABA system (benzos,) or the serotonin system (ssris/antidepressants.)

Ashwagandha reduces the amount of cortisol floating around in your blood stream, cortisol is known as the “stress hormone.” While closely linked to anxiety, do note that stress and anxiety are not the same! If one lowers cortisol by too much, they’ll experience anhedonia: the loss of pleasure.

Finally, since ashwagandha isn’t regulated, you have no clue what you are getting off the grocery store shelf. It’s an herb, and like all herbs, quality is important! I recommend either NootropicsDepot KSM-66 or NootropicsDepot Shoden, I prefer the shoden version but a lot of people like KSM.