Thorne Ashwagandha (Shoden) Review
#4 of 7 · Shoden for stress✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Oct 14, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Buy it. The sleep-trial extract at the sleep-trial dose, in one small capsule. One capsule gives the 120 mg of Shoden that improved sleep in Deshpande 2020; two give the 240 mg stress dose from Lopresti 2019.
$22.00 · 30 capsules (Amazon US, Oct 14, 2026)$0.73 per 120 mg capsule
Why It Scores 8.6 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Standardisation
30% of scoreShoden root and leaf extract. The gallery card states 35% withanolide glycosides, one of the highest standardizations sold. The Supplement Facts panel names only ashwagandha extract (root, leaf), 120 mg, without the percentage, so we score it half a point below a panel that prints it.
- Standardization
- 35% withanolide glycosides (gallery card; not on the panel)
Clinical source
25% of scoreShoden has its own trials: 120 mg a day improved sleep quality and actigraphy sleep measures in 150 adults with non-restorative sleep (Deshpande 2020), and 240 mg a day lowered anxiety scores and morning cortisol in 60 stressed adults (Lopresti 2019).
- Extract
- Shoden ashwagandha root and leaf extract
- Per capsule
- 120 mg ashwagandha extract
Lab transparency
20% of scoreThorne describes four rounds of testing per product, from raw materials to stability. This product is not on the NSF Certified for Sport list (checked Oct 14, 2026), although other Thorne products are.
- Testing
- Thorne in-house testing; not on the NSF Certified for Sport list (checked Oct 14, 2026)
Trial-dose alignment
15% of scoreOne capsule is exactly the 120 mg sleep dose from Deshpande 2020; two capsules match the 240 mg stress dose from Lopresti 2019.
Price per active mg
10% of score$22.00 for 30 capsules on Oct 14, 2026: $0.73 a day at 120 mg, $1.47 at the 240 mg stress dose. A 600 mg KSM-66 capsule costs about a third of that.
- Servings
- 30 capsules, 1 a day
- Price
- $22.00 for 30 capsules (Amazon US, Oct 14, 2026)
- Cost per day
- $0.73 at 120 mg
- More Specs
- Other ingredients
- Microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose capsule, ascorbyl palmitate
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Oct 14, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
Supports healthy stress management.
At 240 mg a day, two capsules, Shoden lowered anxiety scores and morning cortisol versus placebo in stressed adults (Lopresti 2019).
Modulates the adrenal hormones cortisol and DHEA during times of stress.
Lopresti 2019 found greater drops in morning cortisol and DHEA-S than placebo at 240 mg a day.
Supports daytime energy and mental clarity.
Better sleep may help daytime energy, and Deshpande 2020 found better quality-of-life scores. Direct trials on energy or clarity with this product are missing.
What Our Test Actually Found
Small dose, because the extract is concentrated
120 mg looks tiny next to 600 mg KSM-66 capsules. The difference is the concentration: at 35% withanolide glycosides the Shoden dose delivers about as many active compounds as a far larger capsule of a weaker extract. What matters is that the dose matches its own trial, and it does.
Best fit is sleep
In Deshpande 2020, 72% of people on Shoden reported better sleep quality against 29% on placebo, and sleep watches showed shorter time to fall asleep and longer total sleep. For stress, the trial used two capsules.
Not the certified Thorne
Many people buy Thorne because it is NSF Certified for Sport. This product is not on that list today. For drug-tested athletes that matters; for everyone else Thorne's own testing is a reasonable assurance.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (8), buy if / skip if
- 120 mg Shoden per capsule, the sleep-trial dose
- Own trials for sleep and stress
- Short ingredient list
- One capsule a day
- $0.73 a day, more than KSM-66
- 35% standardization not printed on the panel
- Not NSF Certified for Sport
- 30 capsules per bottle
- You want ashwagandha mainly for sleep and want the exact trial extract and dose
- You prefer one small capsule to two large ones
- You trust Thorne and want its testing program
- You want the lowest price: KSM-66 capsules cost a fraction per day
- You are drug-tested and need NSF Certified for Sport: Klean Ashwagandha is listed, this one is not
- You are pregnant or take thyroid medication
One capsule gives the 120 mg of Shoden that improved sleep in Deshpande 2020; two give the 240 mg stress dose from Lopresti 2019. Small dose, clear evidence, clean label. The price per day is two to three times a KSM-66 capsule.
Thorne uses Shoden, a root and leaf extract that its maker standardizes to 35% withanolide glycosides. The capsule holds 120 mg, exactly the daily dose that improved sleep quality, sleep time and time to fall asleep in a six-week trial of 150 adults (Deshpande 2020). A second trial used 240 mg a day, two capsules, against stress (Lopresti 2019). The panel itself only says ashwagandha extract, 120 mg; the 35% figure and the Shoden name are on the gallery card. Thorne Ashwagandha is not on the NSF Certified for Sport list, unlike several other Thorne products. At $22 for 30 capsules it is one of the more expensive ways to take ashwagandha.
The cleanest way to copy the sleep trial
Take one capsule in the evening for sleep, two a day if stress is the main problem. Give it six to eight weeks, the length of the trials. Rare cases of liver injury have been reported with ashwagandha; stop and see a doctor if you notice yellow skin or dark urine. Skip it in pregnancy, and ask your doctor first if you take thyroid, sedative or immune-suppressing medication.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
01Toniiq Ultra High Strength
The highest-scoring bottle on the board on raw quality, but the wrong place to START for anxiety.
03Nutricost KSM-66 600 mg
The value play for anxiety, and a genuinely good one — the cheapest legitimate KSM-66 on the consumer market at the exact anxiety-trial dose.
06Nature Made Sensoril
The low-cost way to try ashwagandha for stress.
Quick Answers
Is Thorne Ashwagandha good for sleep?
Yes, it is the best-matched product for sleep: one capsule is the 120 mg of Shoden that improved sleep in a six-week trial of 150 adults (Deshpande 2020).
What is Shoden ashwagandha?
A root and leaf extract standardized to 35% withanolide glycosides, much higher than most extracts. That is why the dose is only 120 mg.
Is Thorne Ashwagandha NSF Certified for Sport?
No. It was not on the NSF Certified for Sport list when we checked on Oct 14, 2026, although other Thorne products are.
How long does Thorne Ashwagandha take to work?
The trials ran six to eight weeks. Some people notice better sleep within two weeks, but judge it after six.
Sources & Further Reading
2 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Deshpande 2020 PMID 32540634 — A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep quality in healthy adults. 150 healthy adults with non-restorative sleep took 120 mg of Shoden or placebo for six weeks. Self-rated sleep quality rose 72% vs 29%; sleep efficiency, total sleep time, time to fall asleep and wake time after sleep onset improved on actigraphy.
- [2] Lopresti 2019 PMID 31517876 — An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. 60 stressed adults took 240 mg of Shoden or placebo for 60 days. Anxiety scores (HAM-A) fell more than on placebo, as did morning cortisol and DHEA-S; no adverse events.
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