Table 5.

Sleep-promoting effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, WS) in animal studies.

Nature of Extract, Standardization	Dosage	Model	Behavioral Effects	Refs.
Hydroalcoholic root extract, ≥2.5% withanolides	1 mg/ml added to fly food, given from two days after eclosion until the end of the experiment	Drosophila (sleep deprivation)	▲total sleep ▼sleep latency	[123]
Alcoholic leaf extract and aqueous leaf extracts	Alcoholic extract: 200 mg/kg p.o. prior to sleep Aqueous extract and cyclodextrin-assisted aqueous extract: 30 mg/mouse p.o. prior to sleep Triethylene glycol: 10, 20, and 30 mg/mouse p.o. prior to sleep	Mouse (sleep induction)	Water extracts and triethylene glycol ▲NREM sleep	[124]
Root extract, NR	100 mg/kg i.p., 30 mins before assessment	Rat (sleep deprivation)	▼sleep latency ▲duration of slow wave sleep ▲total sleep time ▼total waking	[103]

▲ – Increased; ▼ – Decreased; NR = Not reported; NREM = Non-rapid eye movement.