Can Ashwagandha gummies help kids focus better?

By Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D.Reviewed by Lauren HardakerMar 16 2026

A randomized placebo-controlled trial suggests that Ashwagandha gummies could help boost processing speed and sleep quality in children with attention and memory concerns, offering early evidence for a potential herbal approach to supporting cognitive development. 

Study: A clinical assessment of the therapeutic effects of Ashwagandha root extract on cognitive performance, sleep, and fatigue in children aged 6–12 years. Image credit: Indian Food Images/Shutterstock.com

An eight-week clinical study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that Ashwagandha root extract supplementation is safe for children aged 6–12 and may significantly improve aspects of cognitive performance, enhance sleep quality, and reduce fatigue over time, although fatigue reductions did not differ significantly from placebo.

Cognitive impairment and therapeutic interventions

Cognition is the process of acquiring and understanding knowledge. It involves activities like thinking, learning, memory, problem-solving, language, and perception. A considerable proportion of children exhibit poor working memory, manifesting as inattentiveness, distractibility, and difficulty completing tasks requiring sustained focus. Broader cognitive deficits, including reduced IQ and impaired executive functions, are also observed. Limited working memory capacity is likely a significant contributing factor to these difficulties.

Early cognitive assessment is crucial for identifying developmental difficulties and mitigating long-term adverse outcomes. Therapeutic interventions should be selected with caution to minimize potential adverse effects, as interventions implemented during early life may have enduring consequences.

Stimulant medications, such as dexamphetamine, are commonly used to treat attentional difficulties in children. However, many medications can cause adverse effects, including sleep issues, appetite loss, gastrointestinal problems, and headaches. This has led to interest in herbal remedies with potentially lower toxicity.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine and widely studied for potential stress-reducing and cognitive-supporting effects, and is an Ayurvedic Medhya Rasayana, traditionally used to boost cognitive abilities and memory.

Multiple studies have shown that Ashwagandha root extract (ARE) contains active compounds, such as withanolides, alkaloids, and flavonoids, that can influence neurotransmitter activity, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, neuroendocrine function, and oxidative stress. Although ARE has been shown to safely improve cognition, energy, and mood in adults, its effects in children remain largely unstudied.

Assessing the safety and efficacy of ARE in improving cognitive performance in children

An eight-week placebo-controlled trial assessed the safety and cognitive effects of ARE supplementation in children aged 6 to 12 using computer-based tasks and parent questionnaires. This trial was conducted at two sites: India and Australia.

Eligible children were healthy, had a body mass index (BMI) of 18–30 kg/m², attended mainstream school, and had parent-reported attention or memory concerns, rather than diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD. Any participant with chronic medical illnesses, use of drugs affecting behavior, recent psychiatric or learning disorder diagnoses, significant family stress, or use of nutraceutical supplements was excluded.

A total of 85 children (48 males, 37 females) were recruited and were randomized to receive ARE (n=42) or placebo (n=43). The intervention used KSM-66 Ashwagandha (standardized root extract) supplied as gummies (150 mg per gummy). Placebo gummies matched in appearance. Participants took one gummy twice daily with meals.

Participants attended visits at baseline, week 4, and week eight. All measures were collected at each visit. The parents completed various questionnaires, including the SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) for emotional and behavioral assessments, and the SDSC (Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children) for sleep disturbance measurements.

ARE supplementation may improve processing speed, certain memory tasks, and sleep quality

While a few participants in each group reported minor side effects, such as mild discomfort and dislike of the supplement. Overall, recruitment and adherence were strong, supporting the reliability of the subsequent findings.

After eight-weeks, participants receiving ARE supplementation demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive performance relative to the placebo group, especially in speed of processing and choice reaction time. Additionally, the ARE group made meaningful progress on tasks related to verbal memory recall and executive function.

However, both groups performed similarly on measures of overall attention accuracy and episodic memory accuracy. These findings suggest that the benefits of ARE are more pronounced in speed and efficiency than in accuracy. These outcomes indicate that ARE supplementation could selectively boost specific aspects of cognitive functioning.

Although the difference in SDQ scores between the two groups was not statistically significant, only the ARE group showed a significant reduction from baseline to week eight. This implies that ARE supplementation may have a favorable effect on behavioral health over time, even if the effect was not strong enough to show a clear advantage over the placebo group in this study.

The ARE group showed a significantly greater reduction in SDSC than the placebo group over eight weeks. This improvement suggests that ARE supplementation may help enhance sleep quality, with participants experiencing better, less disrupted sleep as a result of the intervention. Fatigue levels decreased in both the ARE and placebo groups across the study period. While the ARE group showed a greater reduction in fatigue, the difference between the groups did not reach statistical significance.

Assessments of executive function revealed significant improvements within the ARE group from baseline to week eight, while the placebo group showed minimal change. Although the between-group difference was not significant, the within-group progress suggests that ARE supplementation could support executive functioning abilities, such as problem-solving and self-regulation, over time.

Both ARE and placebo supplements were generally safe and well-tolerated by participants throughout the eight-week study. Only mild, short-lived side effects were reported, with no serious adverse events or safety concerns emerging.

Conclusions

An eight-week course of ARE gummies improved specific cognitive tasks and parent-reported sleep quality in healthy children. These findings suggest that ARE is well-tolerated and safe and may serve as a potential complementary herbal option to support cognitive development and overall well-being.

However, the study was exploratory, involved a relatively small sample size, and analyzed outcomes primarily among participants who completed the trial. In addition, multiple cognitive endpoints were assessed without formal adjustment for multiple comparisons, meaning the findings should be interpreted cautiously.

Continued research with larger populations will be essential to confirm its role as a dietary supplement for enhancing cognitive performance and sleep in children alongside standard interventions.

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