Table 3.

Ashwagandha’s effects on hypothalamus, pituitary gland and their axis—a summary of the studies.

Authors	Characteristic of the Group	Ashwagandha Formulation Characteristics	Duration of the Observation	Results	References
Lopresti et al.	stressed healthy males and females 18–64 years old, with a HAM-A between 6 and 17	240 mg of Ashwagandha extract per day for 15–days, standarized contain 35% withanolide glycosides—approximately 84 mg withanolide; oral administraion	60 days after commencement of 15-day capsule intake	↓cortisol ↓DHEA-S ↑testosterone level in males - emotional improvement ↓anxiety measured in HAM-A score and DASS-21	[16]
Salve J et al.	60 participants (males and females), divided into three groups	one study group receiving 250 mg of Ashwagandha root extract per day; another study group receiving 600 mg of Ashwaganda extract per day; oral administraion	8 weeks	↓anxiety ↓cortisol - sleep improvement	[42]
Mahdi et al.	121 men, 25–38 years. 60 men with unexplained infertility under environmental or constant mental stress in the study group, divided into three subgroups	5 mg of Ashwagandha root powder for three months; oral administration	The patients were followed for partner’s pregnancy outcome for a period of 3 months after the treatment	↑LH ↑testosterone ↑antioxidants ↓stress ↓cortisol	[43]
Priyanka G et al.	24 healthy Kathiawari horses of either sex, 5–10 years old, divided into four groups: one control group and three experimental groups given varying dose of Ashwagandha	high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root powder, containing ≥5% of withanolides; experimental groups were given a varying dose of Ashwagandha (2.5 mg/animal, 5 mg/animal, and 10 mg/animal) with jiggery, respectively; oral administration	21 days of intake, after 14 days of intake horses were subjected to different kind of stress	↓cortisol ↓epinephrine ↑serotonine	[44]