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Ingredient guide

Best time to take ashwagandha: morning, night, or both?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

No trial has compared morning and evening doses. Most trials split 600 mg a day into two 300 mg capsules, often taken after food with water or milk, and one gave a capsule after waking and another before bed. Ashwagandha can make some people drowsy, so see how it affects you first.1,2,3

Key facts

  • The usual trial schedule was one 300 mg capsule twice a day.1,4
  • Several trials told people to take their capsules after a meal, with water or milk.4,5
  • A 90-day trial of a sustained-release extract used a single capsule a day instead.6
  • Drowsiness is among the side effects NIH lists.3,7

How the trials timed their doses

Most trials split the daily amount into two 300 mg doses, and several told people to take each dose after food, with water or milk.1,4,5,8

One strength trial had people take one capsule shortly after waking and one shortly before bed.2

One 90-day trial used a single 300 mg capsule of a sustained-release root extract once a day.6

When people in ashwagandha trials took their doses1,2,4,5,8,9
TrialDaily amountWhen and how
Stress, 64 adults, 60 days600 mgOne capsule twice a day after food, with water
Stress, 60 adults, 8 weeks250 mg or 600 mgOne capsule twice a day after food, with milk or water
Sleep, 60 adults, 10 weeks600 mgOne capsule twice a day, with milk or water
Strength training, 57 men, 8 weeks600 mgOne capsule shortly after waking, one shortly before bed
Menopause, 60 women, 56 days600 mgOne capsule after breakfast, one after dinner
Menopause, 127 women, 24 weeks250 mg or 500 mgMorning and evening, after meals

Morning, night, or split

Because nearly every trial gave one dose earlier in the day and another later, the trials cannot tell you whether one time of day works better than another. The sleep trials used the same twice-daily schedule rather than a single bedtime dose, and they measured sleep over weeks, not on the first night.8,10

Splitting the dose is what most trials did, but it is not the only schedule tested. The 90-day trial of a sustained-release extract gave one capsule a day, so a once-daily product is not out of line with the research, as long as it is the kind of product that was tested.6

Every trial measured the effect of taking ashwagandha daily for weeks, not of any single dose. A schedule you can keep to every day is closer to what was tested than any particular hour on the clock.6

With food, water or milk

The stress trials and both menopause trials in the table told people to take their capsules after a meal. Others allowed milk or water. The 8-week training trial in men and women noted that a few people took their capsules with milk and that the study could not tell whether milk made any difference.1,9,11

No study we found compared ashwagandha taken with and without food. Taking it after a meal is simply what the trials did.

Before you pick a time

Drowsiness, upset stomach, loose stools and nausea are the side effects NIH lists as common. Because it can make some people drowsy, notice how ashwagandha affects you before you drive or use machinery.3,7

  • Ask your doctor first if you take sedatives or sleep medicines, which NIH lists among the medicines ashwagandha might interact with6,7
  • If you take a thyroid hormone medicine, ask your pharmacist before adding ashwagandha at any time of day3
  • Do not take it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding7

Questions people ask

Can I take ashwagandha at night?

Trials included evening doses. One strength trial gave a capsule shortly before bed, and the two menopause trials in the table gave one of the two daily doses in the evening. No trial tested a bedtime-only dose.2,5,9

Should I take ashwagandha on an empty stomach?

No study compared the two. Several trials told people to take each capsule after food, so that is the closest match to the research.1,5

Is once or twice a day better?

Most trials split 600 mg into two capsules, and one 90-day trial used a once-daily sustained-release extract. No trial compared the two schedules using the same extract.1,6

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Sources

  1. Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255-262. Opened 2026-10-01.
  2. Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:43. Opened 2026-10-01.
  3. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Ashwagandha: Is it helpful for stress, anxiety, or sleep? Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated December 4, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Salve J, Pate S, Debnath K, Langade D. Adaptogenic and anxiolytic effects of ashwagandha root extract in healthy adults: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study. Cureus. 2019;11(12):e6466. Opened 2026-10-01.
  5. Vani I, Muralidhar G, Rao BS. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on efficacy and safety of Ashwagandha root extract (Withania somnifera) for managing menopausal symptoms in women. Front Reprod Health. 2026;7:1647721. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Ashwagandha: Is it helpful for stress, anxiety, or sleep? Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated May 2, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ashwagandha. Last updated March 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. Langade D, Kanchi S, Salve J, Debnath K, Ambegaokar D. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Insomnia and Anxiety: A Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. 2019;11(9):e5797. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. Pingali U, Nutalapati C, Wang Y. Ashwagandha and Shatavari Extracts Dose-Dependently Reduce Menopause Symptoms, Vascular Dysfunction, and Bone Resorption in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. J Menopausal Med. 2025;31(1):21-34. Opened 2026-10-07.
  10. Kelgane SB, Salve J, Sampara P, Debnath K. Efficacy and Tolerability of Ashwagandha Root Extract in the Elderly for Improvement of General Well-being and Sleep: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study. Cureus. 2020;12(2):e7083. Opened 2026-10-07.
  11. Verma N, Gupta SK, Patil S, Tiwari S, Mishra AK. Effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) standardized root extract on physical endurance and VO2max in healthy adults performing resistance training: an eight-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. F1000Res. 2023;12:335 (revised version published April 8, 2024). Opened 2026-10-01.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.