What can you say about ashwagandha in your ads and on your site?

The library supports 3 wordings for ashwagandha; the strongest is “Used in herbal medicine as an adaptogen: helps the body build resistance to stress and supports energy over time, for example when stress leaves you mentally and physically tired” (moderate, 2.5-6.5 g dried root or whole plant (or extract equivalent) a day). Avoid wording that names or implies a disease, a drug or a treatment, such as “Treats anxiety or depression”.

Also called: Withania somnifera, Withania, Asgandh, Asvagandha, Winter cherry

Reviewed 14 October 2026

Not legal advice. This guide shows the wording that published evidence supports at a daily dose, from the sources linked below; it is not a ruling on any claim. Your own product, its form and dose, and your own evidence still need to match the wording you use.

Supported wordings

What you can say.

Moderate evidenceWording 1

Claims Facts

“Used in herbal medicine as an adaptogen: helps the body build resistance to stress and supports energy over time, for example when stress leaves you mentally and physically tired.”

Daily dose	2.5-6.5 g dried root or whole plant (or extract equivalent) a day
Support	Health Canada lists it, and ODS reports trials in which ashwagandha lowered stress and anxiety scores, but the two describe different forms and doses.
Dose details	Adults 18 and older, per Health Canada. The trials ODS describes used 240-1,250 mg of extract a day, a different measure.
Form	Dried, powdered or ethanolic extract of root or whole plant
Sources	Health Canada monograph: Ashwagandha NIH ODS fact sheet: Ashwagandha (health professional)

Limited evidenceWording 2

Claims Facts

“Traditionally used in Ayurveda to ease restlessness and nervousness, which helps support sleep.”

Daily dose	2-6 g dried root (or extract equivalent) a day
Support	Traditional use only in Health Canada’s monograph; ODS reports some trials with better sleep quality in stressed adults, using different extracts and doses.
Dose details	Adults 18 and older. The claim names the tradition (Ayurveda).
Form	Dried or powdered root, or ethanol and/or water extracts
Sources	Health Canada monograph: Ashwagandha NIH ODS fact sheet: Ashwagandha (health professional)

Limited evidenceWording 3

Claims Facts

“Traditionally used in Ayurveda as a rejuvenating tonic and to support memory.”

Daily dose	2-6 g dried root (or extract equivalent) a day
Support	Traditional use only, per Health Canada.
Dose details	Adults 18 and older. The claim names the tradition (Ayurveda).
Form	Dried or powdered root, or ethanol and/or water extracts
Source	Health Canada monograph: Ashwagandha

How strong the evidence is

Strong evidence: At least two listed sources support it independently at a comparable dose and form, and none disagrees.
Moderate evidence: One listed source supports it as an evidence-based use at that dose, and no listed source disagrees.
Limited evidence: The only support is traditional use, the sources disagree, or the source itself calls the evidence weak.

Wordings to avoid

What to leave out.

Claims Facts

Ingredient: Ashwagandha

Wording to avoid	Reason
“Treats anxiety or depression”Names mental health disorders; the supported wording is about resistance to everyday stress.	Disease
“Cures insomnia”Names a sleep disorder and promises a cure.	Treatment
“Works like an antidepressant or anti-anxiety drug”Compares the product to a drug class.	Drug
“Raises low testosterone, or treats low T”Low testosterone as a diagnosis is a medical condition; no listed source supports a testosterone claim.	Disease
“Supports thyroid health in hypothyroidism”Names a disease; ODS flags thyroid effects as a safety concern, not a benefit.	Disease

Disease: names or implies a disease. Drug: names a drug or presents the product as one. Treatment: promises to treat, cure or prevent a condition.

Sources

Where this comes from.

All ingredient guides

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