Ingredient Library
Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that helps skin cope with daily stress while supporting a firmer, more rested look. It suits tired, stressed, and mature skin.
A natural history
Ashwagandha is one of the oldest and most treasured herbs of India, a small shrub of the nightshade family whose root has been prized for thousands of years. It belongs to a special class of rejuvenating tonics, the kind taken to rebuild strength after illness and to steady the body against stress, and it is named in the great classical compendia of Indian medicine. Its very name tells its reputation: it joins the words for horse and smell, both because the fresh root carries a horse-like scent and because it was said to lend the taker the strength and vigor of a stallion.
Traditionally the root was used in more than one way. It was taken internally as a restorative tonic, ground and stirred into milk, ghee, or honey, and it was also worked into preparations applied to the skin and to wounds, where it was valued among the herbs thought to support healing and a healthy glow.
What it does for your skin
Ashwagandha root is rich in withanolides, compounds with antioxidant and calming activity. In a 2023 randomized, double-blind study in Cureus, a lotion with standardized ashwagandha root extract improved the look of photo-aged skin along with measured hydration and elasticity more than a placebo over sixty days.[1] Laboratory work on human skin cells adds to the picture, showing that ashwagandha root extract calms markers of inflammation, which fits its long, soothing reputation.[2]
References
[1] Narra K, Naik SK, Ghatge AS. A study of efficacy and safety of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) lotion on facial skin in photoaged healthy adults. Cureus. 2023;15(3):e36168. doi.org/10.7759/cureus.36168
[2] Sikandan A, Shinomiya T, Nagahara Y. Ashwagandha root extract exerts anti-inflammatory effects in HaCaT cells by inhibiting the MAPK/NF-kB pathways and by regulating cytokines. Int J Mol Med. 2018;42(1):425-434. doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2018.3608
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
Its antioxidant withanolides help defend skin against the look of stress while calming and replenishing a tired complexion.
Yes. It is the classic adaptogen, valued for soothing and steadying skin that looks stressed and tired.
It joins the words for horse and smell, after the root's scent and its old reputation for lending the strength of a stallion.
Our Overnight Reparative Facial Balm and our 72 Herbs Muscle and Joint Relief Balm.