Promising New Herbal Help for Kids with ADHD
ADHD is surprisingly common, and it can be very disruptive to your child’s life. A just published study has discovered promising new herbal help.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically starts in childhood. Kids with ADHD struggle with inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It can make school difficult and make social and family life challenging.
Amazingly, 7-8% of children aged 3-12 and 5-6% of adolescents have ADHD. That’s a lot of kids potentially on a lot of medication. A safe, natural alternative would be very welcome.
There is tons of research on the herb ashwagandha for adults, including for stress, anxiety insomnia and more. But there has not yet been a lot of research on ashwagandha for kids, including kids with ADHD. This new study set out to address that.
The double-blind study included 58 children between the ages of 6 and 12 who had mild ADHD. Half of the kids were given a placebo; half were given 150mg of ashwagandha root extract standardized to approximately 5% withanolides twice a day. The study lasted for 8 weeks.
Ashwagandha’s results were impressive. On the ADHD Rating Scale, scores for inattention failed to improve at all on placebo while they improved significantly on ashwagandha. The difference between the results was significant. The same was true for scores of hyperactivity. Scores improved only in the ashwagandha group and were significant. Total ADHD scores were significantly more improved in the ashwagandha group.
Next the researchers looked at the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 (BRIEF-2) scale. Many of the behavioural features of ADHD, including inattention, impulsiveness, memory deficits and difficulty at school are related to executive function. They found that behaviour regulation improved only in the ashwagandha group and that the difference was significant. Emotion regulation also improved significantly in the ashwagandha group and not at all on the placebo, and, once again, the difference was significant.
Finally, sleep disturbances and anxiety both improved significantly more with ashwagandha. On the PROMIS scale total score, which, in addition to sleep and anxiety, includes quality of life, improvement with ashwagandha was significantly better.
Importantly when considering treatments for children, the ashwagandha was safe. The ashwagandha was as safe as the placebo: there were no clinically relevant hematological or biochemical changes or changes in laboratory markers, including liver, renal, hematological, and lipid status.
This study shows that ashwagandha safely and significantly improves ADHD symptoms, executive function, sleep, anxiety and quality of life in children with mild ADHD.
J Med Life. 2026 Jun;19(6):456–466.
For the latest research to keep you and your family healthy, get The Natural Path delivered to your inbox each month for only $29.99 a year: Subscribe!
For much more on preventing and treating ADHD naturally, see our book The Family Naturopathic Encyclopedia.
For comprehensive natural help with your health and your children’s health, including ADHD, make an appointment to see Linda Woolven now. Linda’s clinic is now open for in person and virtual appointments.
The Natural Path is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. For health problems, consult a qualified health practitioner for a comprehensive program.
Ask your health food store for The Natural Path Newsletter