Ashwagandha and multi-herb formula both reduced stress in 60-day trial

A 60-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in Trials in February 2026 found that two plant-based adaptogen formulas, a full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract (VL-G-E12) and a multi-herb blend containing Rhodiola, holy basil, Schisandra chinensis, and ashwagandha (VL-G-A57), each reduced perceived stress compared to placebo. The ashwagandha-only formula delivered the larger effect (Cohen’s d = 0.94, p < 0.0001). The multi-herb blend was close behind (d = 0.71, p < 0.0001). Both were dosed at 700 mg per day.

This is among the first randomized trials to pit a multi-herb adaptogen formula against a single-ingredient ashwagandha extract using the same protocol, population, and endpoints. “No prior studies have reported such a direct comparison, making this among the first investigations of its kind,” write the authors, a team led by Erin McKinney and Jeremy Stewart of Gaia Herbs (the study sponsor) and corresponding author Sonal Singh of Vedic Lifesciences in Mumbai.

How the study was designed

The trial enrolled 186 adults aged 18 to 65 with BMIs between 18 and 29.9 kg/m² who scored 27 to 40 on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the range for high stress. Participants also had to score 50 or below on the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire, Weekly version (RSQ-W). The cohort was 67 percent female, mean age 37, mean BMI 25.3.

Randomization used a computer-generated block sequence (block size 6), produced by an independent statistician. A double-dummy design kept all three arms blinded: every capsule matched in size, shape, color, and texture regardless of whether it contained active ingredient or placebo.

The multi-herb formula (VL-G-A57) delivered 260 mg of a proprietary hydroethanol extract blend per serving, standardized to 4 to 6 mg eugenol from holy basil and 6 mg total rosavins from Rhodiola rosea root, plus milky oat seed and Schisandra chinensis berry. The ashwagandha formula (VL-G-E12) provided 175 mg of a hydroethanolic root extract plus powdered root extract, standardized to at least 2.5 mg withanolides per serving. Both products were taken with food. The five clinical sites were all in Mumbai, India, and the study ran from December 2022 to July 2023.

What the results showed

At day 60, the primary endpoint, stress reduction on the PSS, was clear. The multi-herb group dropped by a mean of 7.84 points (SD 4.09) compared to 4.39 points (SD 5.52) in the placebo group (p < 0.0001). The ashwagandha group dropped by 8.95 points (SD 4.03, p < 0.0001). In clinical terms: 85.2 percent of the multi-herb group and 89.3 percent of the ashwagandha group moved from high-stress to moderate-stress by day 60. Only 56.1 percent of the placebo group did the same.

Sleep quality, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), improved in both active arms (multi-herb: p = 0.0008; ashwagandha: p < 0.0001). Sleep latency separated from placebo in both groups (p < 0.0001). Other PSQI components, including sleep duration and efficiency, did not reach statistical significance. Restorative sleep (RSQ-W) showed roughly a twofold improvement over placebo in both groups (p < 0.0001).

The two formulas diverged on mood. Anxiety improved in both groups (multi-herb: p = 0.0004; ashwagandha: p = 0.0015). The DASS-21 stress subscale showed large effects for both versus placebo (p < 0.0001). Depression, however, improved only in the multi-herb group (p = 0.0454). The ashwagandha group did not separate from placebo on depressive symptoms (p = 0.3476). Fatigue declined in both groups (multi-herb: p = 0.0003; ashwagandha: p = 0.0010), with responder rates roughly twice those in the placebo arm.

Mental alertness did not change. No group differed from any other at day 60 (p = 0.1240). This null result is useful: people who worry that adaptogens cause drowsiness alongside stress reduction can take some reassurance from it.

Eleven adverse events were recorded (headaches, coughs and colds, a hand burn, a knife cut). Investigators assessed all as mild and unrelated to the intervention. No serious adverse events occurred. No participant discontinued due to side effects. Vital signs stayed within normal limits.

Where this fits in the evidence

Ashwagandha has a substantial stress literature already. A 2021 systematic review by Lopresti and Smith covering 41 human trials found stress and anxiety reduction was the strongest-evidenced application, though the authors noted the studies were mostly small and conducted in India. A 2021 review by Speers and colleagues in Current Neuropharmacology documented ashwagandha’s effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and proposed GABAergic and serotonergic pathways as likely mechanisms. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis by Toth-Meszaros and colleagues in the Journal of Functional Foods extended the signal to multiple adaptogenic plants including ashwagandha and Rhodiola.

The McKinney et al. trial adds two things. At 186 participants it is larger than most prior ashwagandha trials. And the direct comparison between a single-herb extract and a multi-herb formula, run under one protocol, has not been done before. The pattern that emerged (ashwagandha stronger on stress and sleep, the multi-herb blend reaching further into depressive symptoms) gives clinicians and consumers something to work with when choosing between products normally lumped together as “adaptogens.”

What the study cannot tell us

The trial ran entirely in India. The sample was 67 percent female. The findings do not automatically extend to other populations. No physiological stress biomarkers were measured, so the HPA axis mechanism claims remain inferential. The investigators flag this gap.

Gaia Herbs, the manufacturer of both products, funded the study. The authors state the sponsor “had no role in the study design, data collection, data management, statistical analysis, or interpretation.” The study was pre-registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05602389) and the Clinical Trials Registry, India (CTRI/2022/11/047635).

Sixty days is enough to show the effect but not enough to say whether it lasts or whether tolerance develops. The formulas are proprietary, so the findings do not transfer to other ashwagandha or Rhodiola products with different extractions, standardization, or dosing.

Bottom line

This trial provides the clearest head-to-head data yet that a full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract and a multi-herb Rhodiola-holy basil-Schisandra blend each reduce perceived stress, improve sleep quality, and lower anxiety over 60 days in adults with high baseline stress. The ashwagandha formula had larger effects on stress and sleep. The multi-herb blend reached depressive symptoms the ashwagandha alone did not. Both were well tolerated. These were investigational products with standardized extracts and specific doses. Do not assume the findings carry over to other products on the shelf.

Consult your doctor before starting any supplement.

References

1. McKinney E, Stewart J, Kewalramani R, et al. Effects of multi-herb and ashwagandha root formulas on stress modulation: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Trials 27. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-026-09495-9
2. Toth-Meszaros A, Garmaa G, Hegyi P, et al. The effect of adaptogenic plants on stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Functional Foods. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105695
3. Speers AB, Cabey K, Soumyanath A, et al. Effects of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) on Stress and the Stress-Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia. Current Neuropharmacology 19(9):1468-1495. 2021. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X19666210712151556