Can taking ashwagandha supplements improve health?

Some studies report benefits, but more research is needed

A pile of light brown roots of the ashwagandha plant on a white background

Herbal supplements of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) are typically made from extracts of its roots (some shown), which some say smell like a wet horse — hence its sanskrit name that means “horse smell.”

Piyush Kothari/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Practitioners of Ayurveda — a traditional Indian medicine system — have used the ashwagandha plant for thousands of years.