PlainPill

Ashwagandha vs Magnesium Glycinate for anxiety

Short answer: For anxiety, more users report improvement with Ashwagandha — 88% of 881 reports, versus 81% of 336 for Magnesium Glycinate.

Ashwagandha has 48 meta-analyses and 59 randomized trials on PubMed; Magnesium Glycinate has 82 and 210.

Based on 2,447 reports about Ashwagandha and 1,693 about Magnesium Glycinate. Not medical advice.

Ashwagandha
Supplement
Magnesium Glycinate
Supplement
Users say it helped44%helped1,321 reports · high confidence68%helped965 reports · high confidence
Verdict
Mixed
Mostly positive
ResearchAResearch: StrongAResearch: Strong
Meta-analyses / RCTs48 / 5982 / 210
Mainly used for
Anxiety
% reporting improvement
88% (881)81% (336)
Sleep
% reporting improvement
77% (233)83% (668)
Mood
% reporting improvement
53% (446)74% (103)
Energy
% reporting improvement
53% (125)66% (56)
Libido
% reporting improvement
62% (127)53% (19)
Common side effectsanhedonia, drowsiness, fatigue, depressiondrowsiness, fatigue, vivid dreams, brain fog
Typical dose reported800-1600 mg / after dinner200 mg / occasionally
Ashwagandha
Latest review conclusion

The current systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of RCTs revealed a beneficial effect in both stress and anxiety following Ashwagandha supplementation. However, further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the plant.

Phytother Res, 2022 ↗
What a user said
“I paired it with maca and ashwaganda and it legit felt like a steroid cycle.”
Full Ashwagandha profile →
Magnesium Glycinate
Latest review conclusion

This review confirms that the quality of literature is substandard for physicians to make well-informed recommendations on usage of oral magnesium for older adults with insomnia. However, given that oral magnesium is very cheap and widely available, RCT evidence may support oral magnesium supplements (less than 1 g quantities given up to three times a day) for insomnia symptoms.

BMC Complement Med Ther, 2021 ↗
What a user said
“The brain fog started lifting. The constant low-grade anxiety that I had accepted as "normal" started to ease.”
Full Magnesium Glycinate profile →

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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate