Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40280611›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Ashwagandha (

Poppy Alice Carson Mallinson, Manisha Joshi, Mahesh Mathpathi, Alexander Perkins, Tim Clayton, Anoop Sv Shah, Rohini Mathur, Nick Birk, Arandeep Dhillon, Judith Lieber and 13 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Poppy Alice Carson MallinsonDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK poppy.mallinson1@lshtm.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7591-8065
Manisha JoshiDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Mahesh MathpathiDepartment of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Alexander PerkinsCentre for Global Chronic Conditions, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Tim ClaytonDepartment of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Anoop Sv ShahCentre for Global Chronic Conditions, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Rohini MathurCentre for Primary Care and Public Health, Queen Mary University of London Wolfson Institute of Population Health, London, UK.
Nick BirkDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Arandeep DhillonDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Judith LieberDepartment of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8514-0381
Sidra S BegThe University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Lily HopkinsDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Archie KhanDepartment of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Shereen AllahamDepartment of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0275-3228
Vanessa Tw KamDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Shailen SutariaDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9455-3751
Galib RAll India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, New Delhi, India.
S RajagopalaAll India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Amarjeet BhamraAll-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences, London, UK.
Geetha Krishnan G PillaiWorld Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Kamlesh KhuntiDiabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Tanuja NesariAll India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Sanjay KinraDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLong covid describes a syndrome of persistent symptoms following COVID-19 and is responsible for substantial healthcare and economic burden. Currently, no effective treatments have been established. Ashwagandha (

methodsA randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial will be performed at participating general practice (GP) surgeries and long covid clinics across the UK. Individuals diagnosed with long covid will be screened for eligibility and then randomised 1:1 to take 1000 mg daily of Ashwagandha root extract tablets (standardised to <0.9% withanolides) or matching placebo tablets for 3 months (target, n = 2500). Monthly online surveys will be performed to collect patient-reported outcomes, and monthly safety monitoring, including liver function tests, will be conducted by clinical site teams. The primary outcome of the Post-COVID Functional Status Scale score at 3 months will be assessed by baseline-adjusted ordinal logistic regression, according to a pre-published statistical analysis plan. The secondary outcomes included validated quality of life and long covid symptom scales, work status and productivity and adverse events. The trial has been approved as a Clinical Trial of an Investigational Medicinal Produce by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority and by the NHS Research Ethics Committee and Health Research Authority. DISCUSSION: Treatments for long covid are urgently needed. This trial will robustly evaluate the safety and efficacy of a candidate treatment with a promising efficacy and safety profile. If found to be effective, the findings will likely influence treatment guidelines and improve health outcomes in those living with long covid. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial was pre-registered on 15/08/2022: ISRCTN12368131.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentPhytotherapyPlant ExtractsPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeWithaniaAdultCOVID-19Double-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSARS-CoV-2Treatment OutcomeWithanolidesAshwagandhaPlant ExtractsWithanolidesCOMPLEMENTARY MEDICINEPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromePrimary CareRandomized Controlled TrialSafety

Identifiers

PMID40280611
PMCPMC12035422

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.