Does ashwagandha raise testosterone? What the research does and doesn't show

A 2026 meta-analysis of 20 randomized trials found a small, statistically significant rise in testosterone with ashwagandha supplementation, mostly using extracts. Individual trials tell a more mixed story: one low-dose extract raised testosterone without improving fatigue or vigor, and a placebo-controlled trial in men with psychogenic erectile difficulty found no advantage over placebo at all.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support ashwagandha as a treatment for low testosterone, a diagnosis a doctor makes with blood work, not a supplement search. It doesn't support an effect on libido or sexual performance — no trial measured that as a primary outcome, and the one trial that did test a related sexual-function scale found no difference from placebo. And the root-powder trials that exist were conducted in men already undergoing evaluation for infertility, not a general population wanting more energy or muscle.

What the trials found

The broadest data point is a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooling 20 randomized trials and 1,249 participants, looking at cognitive function, muscle strength, testosterone, body weight and body fat. It found a small but statistically significant increase in testosterone (standardized mean difference 0.33) and a larger increase in muscle strength (0.58), though the strength effect showed up mainly in people who were already physically active and not in untrained or special populations. There was no effect on body weight or body fat. Dose and form varied widely across the 20 pooled trials, which were mostly extract-based; the review doesn't isolate root powder as its own category.

A single 16-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in 57 overweight men aged 40-70 with mild fatigue tested a much lower dose: a standardized extract delivering 21 mg of withanolide glycosides a day. That group's testosterone rose 14.7% and DHEA-S rose 18% more than placebo — but fatigue, vigor, and sexual and psychological wellbeing showed no significant difference from placebo. A hormone number moved; how the men said they felt didn't.

Two root-powder trials exist, both at 5 g/day for 3 months, both in men undergoing infertility evaluation rather than a general population. One, in 60 men, found lower measured stress markers and improved semen-quality measures compared with the men's own starting point, with 14% of partners becoming pregnant during the study; there was no placebo group. A second, in 180 men, used lab metabolite analysis and found several semen chemistry markers shifted toward the levels seen in fertile controls, again with no placebo group. Both used a dose several times higher than what's printed on a typical root-powder capsule label, in a specific patient population being medically evaluated for infertility — not evidence about testosterone or fertility in men without that diagnosis.

A separate randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 86 men with a formal diagnosis of psychogenic erectile difficulty gave root powder (the exact daily amount isn't stated in the published abstract) for 60 days. Both the treatment and placebo groups improved on a standard erectile-function scale, with no significant difference between them — a genuine null result worth including precisely because a page that only reports positives would be misleading about the field.

Questions people ask

Can ashwagandha increase testosterone?

Pooled across 20 trials, a small statistically significant increase showed up. Individual trials vary — one low-dose extract raised the hormone number without changing how men reported feeling, which is a meaningfully different question from "does it work."

How much ashwagandha per day for testosterone?

There's no established dose for this specific outcome. The trials above range from 21 mg/day of a standardized withanolide extract up to 5 g/day of root powder in a disease population, with different results at each end. Nothing here supports naming a number as "the" dose.

Does ashwagandha increase libido or sex drive?

No trial above measured libido as its primary outcome, and the one trial using a broader wellbeing scale that included sexual wellbeing found no significant difference from placebo. There's no human evidence to support a libido claim in either direction.

Does ashwagandha increase testosterone in women?

The trials in this review all enrolled men. Two placebo-controlled trials in women, covered on our ashwagandha and menopause review, measured estradiol, FSH and LH — one of them measured testosterone specifically and found no significant difference from placebo.

Can ashwagandha cause erectile difficulty?

No trial reported that as an outcome. The one trial testing ashwagandha specifically for a diagnosed erectile condition found it performed no differently from placebo, neither better nor worse.

When to talk to a doctor

Low energy, low libido, or symptoms someone suspects are related to testosterone are worth a blood test and a doctor's evaluation rather than a supplement purchase — a home guess can miss another cause entirely. Infertility and erectile difficulty are diagnoses a doctor manages; ashwagandha is not a treatment for either, and nothing above supports using it as one. If you take a sedative, thyroid medication, or an immune-suppressing drug, or are trying to conceive, talk to a doctor before adding any supplement.

Related reading: what ashwagandha does for men, ashwagandha and cortisol, and ashwagandha, energy and focus.