Quick answer

Shatavari is the root of an Ayurvedic herb, Asparagus racemosus. Small trials, mostly of 100 to 1,000 mg a day, looked at discomforts around menopause and at muscle strength, and the evidence for each is graded early. Most trials were funded or supplied by extract makers, and one menopause trial was retracted in 2026.^1,2,3

Key facts

Shatavari is a different plant from the asparagus eaten as a vegetable.⁴
Its root contains phytoestrogens, plant compounds that can bind estrogen receptors.^2,4
Recent trials most often used one 300 mg capsule of extract a day for 8 weeks.^1,5
Few trials lasted longer than 8 weeks, so longer use is unstudied.^1,2

What shatavari is

Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is a different plant from the asparagus eaten as a vegetable (Asparagus officinalis).⁴

In India, shatavari has a long history of use by nursing mothers, and it is listed for that use in the official Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia.⁴

The root contains steroidal saponins called shatavarins and other plant compounds. Some of them are phytoestrogens, plant compounds that can bind the body's estrogen receptors.^2,4

In Ayurvedic practice it is used mainly for women's health, yet controlled research in people is recent: researchers in 2021 described the evidence as lacking, and most of the randomized trials we found were published from 2020 onward.^1,2

What the evidence shows

All four shatavari benefits below are graded early. The trials are small and short, most were paid for or supplied by the makers of the extracts tested, and each tested a different product, so a result for one extract may not apply to another.^1,2,6

May ease self-rated discomforts of the menopause transition, such as hot flashes*^1,3,5,6,7

Early evidence

Small randomized trials in India from 2024 to 2026, with 60 to 135 women each, gave 100 to 500 mg a day of one of several commercial root extracts for 8 weeks. They reported lower menopause rating scores than placebo, including fewer hot flashes. Most used an extract supplied or paid for by its maker, one was written by the maker's own staff, and a similar trial was retracted in October 2026, so the findings need independent confirmation.

Amount studied: 100 to 500 mg a day of standardized root extracts, for 8 weeks

May support muscle strength and training workload*^2,8,9

Early evidence

Three small randomized trials, all funded by herbal supplement companies, point the same way with mixed results. In 20 women after menopause, 1,000 mg a day of root powder for 6 weeks raised grip strength slightly (0.7 kg, against a 0.4 kg fall on placebo) but not leg strength. In 18 young men doing 8 weeks of bench press training, 500 mg a day of an extract gave a larger rise in one-rep max (14% against 8%). In 39 women doing 8 weeks of leg training, 1,000 mg a day let the older women lift more over the program, but strength at the end did not differ from placebo.

Amount studied: 500 to 1,000 mg a day of root extract or powder, for 6 to 8 weeks

On October 1, 2026, a journal retracted a 2025 randomized trial of a shatavari extract in women around menopause.³

What shatavari does to hormones

Trials that measured hormones disagree. In one 8-week trial, estradiol, FSH and the thyroid hormone T3 rose on 300 mg a day of extract; in another, hormone levels stayed within the normal range.^1,5

So the fair answer is that shatavari might shift some hormones and the trials do not agree. If hormones matter for your health, read the cautions further down before taking it.^1,5

Other effects measured in the body

In muscle samples from women after menopause, 6 weeks of shatavari raised a chemical marker linked to stronger contraction of the muscle protein myosin.²

In 20 women after menopause, 6 weeks of shatavari did not change blood markers of bone turnover.²

In 8 healthy men, a dose of shatavari shortened the time the stomach took to empty by about a third, about as much as a prescription drug used for that purpose.¹⁰

We found no trial of shatavari taken by mouth for skin or for gaining weight. In men, the only trials we found were the bench press study and the stomach emptying study.^8,10

How much people take

Recent trials of standardized root extracts used 100 to 600 mg a day, most often one 300 mg capsule a day for 8 weeks.^1,5,6,11

Two UK trials gave 1,000 mg of root powder a day, as two 500 mg capsules, for 6 to 8 weeks.^2,9

Extracts and powders are not equal gram for gram. The extract used in three of the trials was about 13 times as concentrated as dried root, so the dosage guide explains how to compare a label with a trial.¹

What's in ours

What’s in ours

Ashwagandha Complex: Shatavari Powder, 50 mg per serving, from the label

Ashwagandha Complex lists 50 mg of shatavari root powder per serving, a small fraction of the 300 to 1,000 mg a day used in trials, so we make no shatavari claim for it.^1,2

Ashwagandha Complex is not for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, because of the ashwagandha it contains.

Side effects, and who should ask first

Mild stomach effects such as nausea were the side effects most often reported in trials, at rates similar to placebo.^5,6

Trials of up to 8 weeks reported no serious side effects, and liver and kidney blood tests did not change in the trials that checked them.^1,5

No safe upper amount has been set for shatavari, and LactMed notes that its safety has not been rigorously studied. Trials have used 100 to 600 mg a day of extract or 1,000 mg a day of root powder, mostly for 8 weeks or less. One older trial in nursing mothers gave 60 mg of root powder per kg a day for 30 days.^2,4,11,12

LactMed says the safety of shatavari while breastfeeding has not been rigorously studied, although small trials found no adverse effects in mothers or their babies.⁴

Ask your doctor first if you are pregnant: shatavari's safety in pregnancy is unknown
Talk to a doctor or lactation consultant before using it while breastfeeding⁴
Ask first if you have a hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, endometriosis or uterine fibroids, because shatavari contains plant estrogens²
Ask first if you take thyroid medicine, hormonal birth control or hormone therapy¹

None of the official sources we checked, including LiverTox, MedlinePlus and drug labels, names a medicine that interacts with shatavari, and LiverTox has no chapter on it at all. That is a gap in the evidence, not proof of safety: ask your pharmacist before combining it with a prescription medicine.¹³

Questions people ask

What does shatavari do for men?

Very little has been tested in men. In one small trial, 18 young men taking 500 mg a day during 8 weeks of bench press training gained more strength than men on placebo, and a 1990 study in 8 men found it sped up stomach emptying.^8,10

Does shatavari help with weight gain?

We found no trial that tested it for weight gain. Its traditional use in India is for women's health and for nursing mothers.^2,4

Is shatavari good for skin?

We found no trial of shatavari taken by mouth for skin, so there is no evidence either way.

Is shatavari safe while breastfeeding?

Its safety while breastfeeding has not been rigorously studied, although small trials found no harm to mothers or babies. Talk to your doctor or a lactation consultant first, and check any product for other herbs.⁴

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Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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