My son was 10 when I first thought about giving him Ashwagandha.
He’d been having trouble focusing at school, getting really anxious before tests, and coming home exhausted every day. The doctor said it was probably just stress from the new school year, but nothing seemed to help—not more sleep, not cutting screen time, not even the breathing exercises we tried. I’d been taking Ashwagandha myself for a couple of years and loved how it calmed me without making me sleepy, so I started wondering if a tiny dose might help him too.

I was nervous, though. He’s a kid. Everything I read online was about adults, and the few stories I found about children were mixed—some parents swore by it for their anxious kids, others said it made their child too drowsy or gave them tummy aches. I didn’t want to be the mom who experimented on her own kid without knowing what I was doing.

So I talked to his pediatrician first. She wasn’t super familiar with it but said as long as I started really low and watched him closely, it was probably okay for a short trial. She also told me to stop immediately if anything felt off. That made me feel a little better, but I still spent weeks reading everything I could find from parents who’d tried it with kids around his age.

I started him on the tiniest amount I could measure—about 100 mg in the evening, mixed into warm milk with a little honey. The first few nights, nothing dramatic happened. He slept about the same, maybe a bit deeper. No complaints of feeling weird or sick.

After a week, I noticed he was less wound up in the evenings. Usually he’d bounce around the house unable to settle, but he started sitting down to read or draw without me nagging him to calm down. At school, his teacher sent a note saying he seemed less fidgety during tests. That was huge for me.

We kept it at 100 mg for a month. No stomach issues, no drowsiness in the morning, no changes in appetite or mood swings. If anything, he seemed a little more even-keeled. I slowly bumped it to 150 mg, still in the evening, and that’s where we’ve stayed for the past year.

There was one week when I accidentally gave him 200 mg (I mismeasured), and he was super sleepy the next morning—complained he felt “heavy” getting out of bed. That was my wake-up call. I dropped back to 150 mg and made sure to be more careful. Since then, nothing like that has happened again.

I’ve talked to a few other parents who’ve tried it with their 8- to 17-year-olds. One mom said her 12-year-old daughter got mild tummy aches at 200 mg, so they cut it in half and the problem went away. Another dad told me his 15-year-old son felt a bit “spacey” at first but adjusted after a couple of weeks. A few kids had no issues at all, even at higher doses.

The thing that stuck with me is how different kids react. My son tolerates it really well at low doses, but I know friends whose kids are more sensitive. I’ve learned to watch for little signs—changes in sleep, appetite, mood, or energy—and adjust right away. I also only use it during stressful periods, like exam season or when school gets intense, and take breaks every couple of months so his body doesn’t get too used to it.

I never give it in the morning because I don’t want any chance of daytime drowsiness affecting school. Evening with food seems to work best for us. I also make sure he eats a good dinner so it’s not on an empty stomach.

One thing I wish I’d known earlier: some kids are more sensitive because of how fast they metabolize things or because they’re still growing. I always tell other parents to start super low—half or even a quarter of an adult dose—and go slow. And of course, talk to the pediatrician first.

My son is 12 now, and Ashwagandha has been a quiet helper for his anxiety and focus. He doesn’t even notice it anymore; it’s just part of his evening milk sometimes. I feel good knowing I’m using something gentle that’s worked for centuries, but I’m also glad I’ve been careful. Every kid is different, and what works for mine might not work for someone else’s. But for us, it’s been a small but real difference.

If you’re thinking about trying it for your child between 8 and 17, my biggest advice is: start tiny, watch like a hawk, and don’t be afraid to stop or adjust if anything feels off. Kids’ bodies are still figuring things out, and they deserve extra care.