CBD and Ashwagandha: Can You Take Them Together? Safety, Evidence and How to Use (UK)

Can you take CBD and ashwagandha together?

For most healthy adults, yes. They are very different substances: CBD is a non-intoxicating compound from hemp that acts on the body’s endocannabinoid system, while ashwagandha is the root of Withania somnifera, an Ayurvedic herb studied mainly for stress, cortisol and sleep. No harmful interaction between the two has been reported, and you can take them at the same time of day.

Researching CBD and pain? Our best CBD oil for pain UK guide covers strengths, spectrum and lab reports, and what the research does and does not show.

“No reported interaction” isn’t the same as “tested and proven safe”, though. Nobody has run a trial of the two together, so the sensible approach is to look at where their known effects overlap. There are three places:

• Drowsiness. Both can make some people sleepy. Taken together, or alongside other sedating supplements, the effect may add up.
• The liver. CBD at high doses can raise liver enzymes, and ashwagandha has been linked to rare cases of liver injury. Neither is common at supplement doses, but together they are a reason to avoid the combination if you have liver disease.
• Medicines. CBD is broken down by liver enzymes (mainly CYP2C19 and CYP3A4) and can change levels of some prescription medicines. Ashwagandha may add to the effect of sedatives and can affect thyroid hormone levels. If you take any regular medication, check with your GP or pharmacist first.

For the full list of medicines to ask about, see can CBD interact with medication? and the interactions section of our ashwagandha side effects guide.

CBD vs ashwagandha vs taking both

What the research says about ashwagandha

Ashwagandha has more human trials than most herbs, mostly in adults who described themselves as stressed. Here are the main ones:

Keep the caveats in mind. Most trials are small, last 8 to 10 weeks and were run in India using specific branded root extracts, so the results may not apply to every product. Ashwagandha also has no authorised health claims in Great Britain: it isn’t on the GB nutrition and health claims register, so no brand can legally say it reduces stress or improves sleep.

On safety, a 2026 review of 23 trials in 2,317 healthy adults found liver, kidney, blood and hormone markers stayed within normal ranges at 125 to 600mg a day of standardised root extract, for up to six months. Trials are too small to pick up rare reactions, though, and there is very little data beyond six months. More detail: ashwagandha and anxiety studies, ashwagandha and sleep and is ashwagandha safe?

What the research says about CBD

CBD’s best-known results come from short-term controlled studies. In one, 24 people with social anxiety disorder took a single 600mg dose of CBD or a placebo before a simulated public speaking test, and the CBD group reported less anxiety and discomfort. That is around 60 times the FSA’s 10mg a day advice, so it tells us little about everyday supplement amounts.

If you’re weighing up CBD for everyday calm, our best CBD oil for anxiety UK guide explains what to check and what the research does and doesn’t show.

At lower amounts, the evidence is weaker. In a 2019 US case series, 72 adults at a psychiatric clinic took mostly 25mg a day alongside their usual treatment. Anxiety scores fell in about four in five people in the first month, and sleep scores improved in about two in three but went up and down over time. There was no placebo group, so we can’t tell how much was down to CBD.

The honest summary: CBD isn’t a treatment for anxiety, sleep problems or any other condition, and the research on everyday doses is still early. Read the full picture in CBD and anxiety: what the research shows, CBD for sleep and CBD side effects.

CBD or ashwagandha: which should you choose?

There is no head-to-head trial, so nobody can tell you one is better. What we can compare is the evidence and the safety profile:

• On research volume, ashwagandha has more controlled trials in stressed adults, measured over weeks. CBD’s research is mostly single high doses in lab settings.
• On who can take it, CBD has fewer exclusions. Ashwagandha is off the table if you’re pregnant or have a thyroid, liver or autoimmune condition, and it is under safety review in the UK.
• On medicines, both need a check, but for different reasons: CBD for how medicines are broken down, ashwagandha for sedatives, thyroid and immune medicines.
• On routine, ashwagandha trials used daily doses for 8 weeks or more. CBD can be taken daily or only on some days.

iIf stress, low mood or poor sleep is affecting your daily life, see your GP first: neither CBD nor ashwagandha is a substitute for proper help. If you’re comparing herbs, see reishi vs ashwagandha and ashwagandha vs magnesium.

Why people combine them

The idea is that they cover different bases. Ashwagandha has been studied as a daily, weeks-long habit, while CBD is something many people take as part of a daily routine at a time that suits them. Plenty of people simply prefer one bottle to two.

That’s the theory. No study has yet tested CBD and ashwagandha together, so any extra benefit from combining them is unproven. If you try both, do it carefully, and stop if you notice anything you don’t like.

How to take CBD and ashwagandha together

• Start one at a time if you’re new to both, so you know how each affects you. Or start with a combined oil at the lowest amount.
• Pick your time of day. Most people take them in the morning or at lunch. If either makes you drowsy, switch to the evening, and don’t drive until you know how they affect you.
• Take them with food or water, at the same time each day. In the trials, ashwagandha was taken once or twice a day, with milk or water in one insomnia study. See when to take ashwagandha.
• Start low with CBD, around 10mg a day, and increase slowly if needed. See CBD dosage and when to take CBD oil.
• Don’t double up on ashwagandha. If your CBD oil already contains it, don’t add a separate ashwagandha capsule on top.
• Take breaks from ashwagandha. Most trials lasted 8 to 12 weeks, and there’s little data on longer use, so many people take a few weeks off after that.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

Many people use Flow by day and our Sleep CBD Oil or Magnesium Sleep Complex in the evening. If you combine several products, add up the CBD from each.

Side effects and who should avoid them

Possible side effects of either include drowsiness, an upset stomach, diarrhoea and changes in appetite. In an FDA trial, 5.6% of healthy adults taking about 5mg of CBD per kg of body weight a day (around 350mg for a 70kg adult) had raised liver enzymes, which is far more than a typical supplement. Rarely, ashwagandha has been linked to liver injury and thyroid changes: in one case series it appeared after 2 to 12 weeks of use and cleared after stopping, but in another, people with existing liver disease had serious outcomes.

iAvoid the combination, or speak to your GP first, if you:

• are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding (see ashwagandha and breastfeeding and CBD in pregnancy)
• are under 18
• have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication
• have liver disease, or an autoimmune condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or MS
• have hormone-sensitive prostate cancer
• take sedatives, sleeping tablets, anti-seizure medicines, antidepressants or anti-anxiety medicines
• take blood thinners, immunosuppressants, or medicines for diabetes or blood pressure
• take any medicine with a grapefruit warning
• have surgery planned within two weeks

We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and all our products are for adults (18+) only.

CBD and ashwagandha rules in the UK

Ashwagandha is legal to sell as a food supplement in the UK. The FSA asked its Committee on Toxicity (COT) to review its safety, including effects on thyroid hormones, blood sugar and the liver. The COT discussed a third draft statement in private in September 2026, and nothing has been published yet. Denmark banned ashwagandha in food supplements in 2023, and the Netherlands has advised consumers against using it. For the full timeline, see where the UK ashwagandha safety review stands.

For CBD, see the FSA’s first CBD approvals explained and what the FSA’s 10mg advice really means. All Evopure CBD products are broad spectrum with 0% THC and are on the FSA public list, linked to validated applications.

Related guides

• What does ashwagandha do?
• Full spectrum vs broad spectrum vs isolate CBD
• Taking CBD with other supplements? See CBD and turmeric: safety and medicines to check.
• Curious about the research in men specifically? Read ashwagandha for men.
• On its own, ashwagandha trials used set amounts: see how much ashwagandha per day.
• Buying on the high street? See Holland and Barrett ashwagandha: KSM-66, strengths and UK safety.
• Grass and Co CALM, a CBD oil made with ashwagandha, chamomile and mint.
• If you’re comparing ashwagandha products, see Wild Nutrition ashwagandha too.
• If you’re comparing ashwagandha extracts, our KSM-66 ashwagandha guide covers root-only extracts, trial doses and UK safety.
• Comparing an oil with gummies or capsules? See liquid ashwagandha vs gummies, capsules and powder.
• Ashwagandha trials measured changes over weeks, not hours: see how long ashwagandha takes to work.
• Taking Flow with your first coffee? See CBD coffee for what the evidence says on CBD and caffeine.
• Buying ashwagandha on the high street? See what Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Asda sell.
• Planning ahead? Our Black Friday CBD oil deals run from 27 to 30 November 2026, with up to 40% off.

What’s in Flow CBD Oil

Our Flow CBD Oil is a daytime CBD oil that puts both in one bottle. It contains:

• Broad spectrum CBD from hemp, with 0% THC
• Ashwagandha root extract
• Maca root extract (read about maca root)
• Coconut MCT oil as the carrier
• Our Energise terpene blend of citral, phellandrene, terpineol and beta ocimene, which gives it a citrus taste (see what are terpenes?)

It comes in 10ml bottles of 500mg (5%) or 1000mg (10%) CBD, which works out at about 2.5mg or 5mg of CBD per drop. It is vegan, UK-made and third-party lab tested, with reports on our lab testing page. Because it contains ashwagandha, everything in the safety section above applies to it, and we make no health claims for it.