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Head-to-head evidence comparison — which supplement is right for you?
Ashwagandha vs Melatonin: Melatonin has the stronger overall evidence (8.5 vs 7.5/10); they're alternatives for fix sleep schedule / jet lag — the best pick depends on your goals. Take the 60-second quiz for a pick tailored to your goals.
Melatonin wins 3 of 3 categories. Both are solid choices — the best pick depends on your specific goals.
Verdict
Likely helps
4 of 4 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
Verdict
Likely helps
7 of 9 studies with measurable effects showed benefit.
Top outcomes
300-600mg daily (standardized extract)
Morning for daytime stress, Evening for sleep support
KSM-66 or Sensoril standardized extract
0.5-1mg (a typical label dose, not the dose used in the cited trials)
30-60 minutes before bed
Immediate-release tablet or sublingual
and 6 more not shown
2-4 weeks
2-4 weeks
2-4 weeks
First week
Same night
1-3 days
Next morning
First week
Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) on stress and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Explore (NY) (2024) · Meta analysis · n=558
Significant effect on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (MD = -4.72, 95 % CI = [-8.45 to -0.99]).
Effects of Withania somnifera Extract in Chronically Stressed Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Nutrients (2024) · Rct · n=131
8-week double-blind RCT in adults with self-reported high stress comparing an aqueous root and leaf extract at 125, 250 and 500 mg a day with placebo (131 enrolled, 98 analysed).
Plant-derived nootropics and human cognition: A systematic review
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition (2023) · Systematic review
Bacopa monnieri improves language, learning and memory.
Melatonin in cancer treatment
The Cochrane database of systematic reviews (2025) · Meta analysis · n=5093
30 RCTs with 5093 adults with cancer. Two were at low risk of bias, 28 at high risk.
Comparative Efficacy, Tolerability, and Acceptability of Donanemab, Lecanemab, Aducanumab, Melatonin, and Aerobic Exercise for a Short Time on Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD (2024) · Meta analysis · n=4599
Melatonin may be a better potential disease-modifying treatment for cognitive decline in mild AD and MCI.
Melatonin for sleep disorders in people with autism: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry (2023) · Meta analysis
15 interventional studies (from 595 references). The abstract gives no participant total.
The points come from one 8-week dose-comparison RCT of an aqueous root and leaf extract at 125, 250 or 500 mg a day against placebo in adults with self-reported high stress (PMID 38732539, 131 enrolled, 98 analysed). All three doses reduced perceived stress and were reported as safe, and the authors describe the effect as dose-dependent. The abstract gives no per-dose effect sizes, so the curve shows only that ordering, not how large each step is. It also does not show whether doses above 500 mg add more. Trials of other extracts (root-only extract at 600 mg a day, PMID 23439798, and a 240 mg extract, PMID 31517876) are not on this axis because milligrams of different extracts are not equivalent.
The rising shape follows three cited sources. A dose-response meta-analysis of 26 randomised trials found melatonin gradually shortens sleep onset and lengthens sleep, peaking at 4 mg a day, and suggests 4 mg taken 3 hours before bed may beat the common 2 mg taken 30 minutes before (PMID 38888087). A meta-analysis of 19 trials found a modest average 7-minute faster sleep onset, with larger effects at higher doses and longer use (PMID 23691095). The Cochrane jet lag review found 0.5 to 5 mg similarly effective overall, but people fell asleep faster and slept better on 5 mg than 0.5 mg, with doses above 5 mg no more effective (PMID 12076414). At 0.3 mg, a crossover trial in 24 older adults found only a trend in sleep efficiency, while 5 mg improved it (PMID 35436355). No single optimal dose is set, because the 4 mg peak is a modelled value, not a tested dose.
AI-estimated from published studies. Interpret as directional guidance.
Melatonin has a higher evidence score (8.5/10 vs 7.5/10) and wins in 3 of 3 categories.
For fix sleep schedule / jet lag, Melatonin has a higher relevance score (98 vs 60).
No documented interaction was found in the data searched. This does not establish that this exact combination is safe.
The honest tier list — proven staples vs situational vs mostly marketing. The hub the other guides feed into.
Selenium helps; iodine can WORSEN Hashimoto’s. The honest take on "thyroid support".
CoQ10, zinc, selenium, carnitine modestly help sperm parameters — but live-birth evidence is weak.
Ashwagandha, L-theanine, magnesium, saffron — what actually helps stress, and the safety caveats.
The right pick depends on your goals. Answer a few quick questions for a personalised recommendation — or dig into the full evidence on each.