Why Ashwagandha Isn’t Good for Everyone

Written By Kassandra Sorokach

The “Adaptogen” That Might Be Making You More Anxious, Not Less

Ashwagandha has become the darling of the wellness world — hailed as the ultimate natural stress reliever, hormone balancer, and energy booster. You’ll find it in supplements, smoothies, and even skincare. But here’s the truth: Ashwagandha isn’t good for everyone.

In fact, for some people, it can do more harm than good.

Let’s break down why — through both the lens of Chinese medicine and functional medicine.

🌱 The Chinese Medicine Perspective

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), herbs aren’t classified by what they do biochemically — they’re understood by their temperature, taste, and energetic direction.

Ashwagandha is considered warm, yang-tonifying, and qi-moving. Think of it as adding fire to your system — it stokes metabolism, builds energy, and restores vitality.

That’s wonderful if you’re the type who:
🔥 Feels cold often
🥱 Lacks motivation or energy
💤 Has low libido
🧊 Has a slow metabolism or underactive thyroid

But if you already run hot, tense, or restless, Ashwagandha can tip your system out of balance.

🚫 It can worsen symptoms for those with:

  • Yin deficiency: night sweats, insomnia, dry mouth, restlessness

  • Liver fire or stress heat: irritability, acne, headaches, anxiety

  • Spleen dampness: bloating, mucus, heaviness, cystic acne

In these cases, it’s like “pouring gas on a fire” — stimulating the body when what it really needs is to cool down and restore fluids.

⚗️ The Functional Medicine Perspective

From a modern lens, Ashwagandha is known as an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body adapt to stress. But what most people don’t realize is that it does this by stimulating the HPA axis (the brain–adrenal communication system).

That’s why it can be a game-changer for people with low cortisol, fatigue, or burnout — it wakes up the adrenals.

But for people whose nervous systems are already running hot, it can backfire.

⚠️ You might want to skip Ashwagandha if you have:

  • High cortisol or chronic anxiety: it can heighten alertness and make sleep worse

  • Hyperthyroidism or Hashimoto’s: it can overstimulate thyroid hormone production

  • Autoimmune conditions: it may increase immune activity

  • PCOS or elevated androgens: it can raise testosterone, worsening acne or hair loss

💥 Common “Mismatch” Side Effects

If your body type or constitution doesn’t align with Ashwagandha, you may notice:

  • Racing heart or palpitations

  • Night sweats or heat surges

  • Insomnia or restless sleep

  • Skin breakouts or oiliness

  • Digestive upset or nausea

  • Irregular menstrual cycles

These are all signs your body is saying, “This isn’t the adaptogen I need.”

🌸 The Bottom Line

Ashwagandha is powerful — but it’s not universal. It’s like adding firewood to your internal flame: life-giving for those who are cold and burned out, but depleting for those already overheated or inflamed.

In both Chinese and functional medicine, healing is never one-size-fits-all. The goal is to support your unique constitution — not follow the latest wellness trend.

Before reaching for any adaptogen or hormone-balancing supplement, it’s always best to get personalized guidance from a practitioner who can read your body’s patterns and balance your Qi accordingly.

🪷 Want to know what your body actually needs?

Book an Integrative Wellness Consult with me to get a personalized Chinese + Functional Medicine plan that supports your hormones, stress, and vitality — the right way.

👉 divine–acupuncture.com

Kassandra Sorokach