Beyond the Symptom: How Botanicals Are Redefining the Sleep Health Category

Sleep has become one of the most crowded categories in the supplement aisle, and it is still growing. According to Fortune Business Insights,¹ the global sleep supplements market was valued at $8.55 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.38% to reach $17.65 billion by 2034. Within that broader market, botanical extracts are increasingly in demand as formulators and consumers alike seek ingredients that support the body's own stress and relaxation pathways.

“The conversation is shifting from simply inducing sleep to addressing the underlying causes of restlessness, such as stress, nervous system imbalance, and physical discomfort,” said Maggie McNamara, vice president of global marketing at Saanroo. “As a result, interest in ingredients that support systemic balance is growing.”

The Stress-Sleep Axis: Ashwagandha and Bacopa

These 2 well-researched botanicals in this space work by calming the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the system that governs the body's cortisol response to stress. “Cortisol follows a daily rhythm: high in the morning to get you going, low by the time you go to bed,” explained Kartikeya Baldwa, CEO of Ixoreal Biomed Inc. “When stress disrupts that rhythm, you arrive at 11 pm with a body that still thinks it's mid-afternoon.”

In a study, 300 mg of Ixoreal’s KSM-66 full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract twice daily was found to decrease serum cortisol by 27.9% over 60 days.² “What it does is help the body manage stress, and stress is what keeps most people awake,” said Baldwa. “It isn’t a sedative and doesn’t act like one, which is exactly what many consumers want: not to be switched off, but to stop arriving at bedtime still braced.”

Another ashwagandha option is Arjuna Natural's Shoden, which works by upregulating GABAAρ1 and histamine H3 receptor expression in glial cells, and enhancing EEG slow-wave (delta) activity associated with deeper non-REM sleep.³ In a clinical study, participants taking 120 mg daily for 6 weeks reported a 72% improvement in sleep quality alongside reductions in sleep-onset latency and waking after falling asleep.⁴

Samriddh's B-Lit Bacopa Bacopa monnieri extract works on a related but distinct pathway. Company founder Aditya Jain describes the ingredient’s effect on sleep as "an adaptogenic action on the HPA axis," with research finding a 33.38% reduction in serum cortisol levels and improvements in self-reported sleep quality.⁵ In a follow-up study using wrist actigraphy, the ingredient was associated with a 28-minute increase in total sleep time and an 8.61% improvement in sleep efficiency.⁶ Broader bacopa research also points to secondary benefits for cognitive and emotional well-being.⁷

Because ashwagandha and bacopa both address cortisol dysregulation, formulators can position either as the stress management backbone of a sleep formula. Then, they can layer in ingredients like L-theanine or magnesium for added relaxation, lavender to round out the calming effect, or melatonin for circadian timing.

Ixoreal tested this principle in a study⁸ examining 200 adults for 8 weeks, assigned to take either 600 mg per day of KSM-66, 3 mg per day of melatonin, a combination of the two, or a placebo. “The published results reported favorable outcomes for each ingredient individually, with the combination showing the most consistent changes across objective and subjective measures,” Baldwa explained, “which is what you’d expect when 2 ingredients contribute different things.”

Saffron’s Dual Role in Mood and Sleep

Saffron extract has also become central to the natural sleep support conversation. Saanroo's Affron is clinically associated with improvements in sleep quality, insomnia symptom scores, and post-waking mood at doses of 14 to 28 mg daily, alongside measurable shifts in evening melatonin and cortisol concentrations.⁹ Maypro's SaffonX showed similar results at 30 mg daily in an 8-week trial: improved mood, reduced perceived stress, better sleep quality, and lower serum cortisol.¹⁰

Mechanistically, both ingredients are understood to work through saffron's active compounds, crocin and safranal, which McNamara describes as central in "blocking the reuptake of key brain chemicals, calming the body's stress response system, and supporting a healthy inflammatory response.”¹¹

Lauren Clardy, senior director of scientific affairs at Maypro, frames SaffonX similarly, noting its relevance to "the stress-mood-sleep axis, rather than simply a sedating sleep ingredient." That mechanism, and saffron's low, formulation-ready dose, makes it a natural fit alongside ingredients like GABA, magnesium, and L-theanine, or calming botanicals like lemon balm, chamomile, or lavender in both dedicated nighttime products and broader day-to-night stress formulas.

Addressing Physical and Cellular Stress

Not every non-sedative sleep botanical works through the HPA axis. Saanroo's Levagen+ is a highly bioavailable palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), a fatty acid amide the body produces naturally, which acts on the endocannabinoid system as well as TRPV1 signaling.¹² In an 8-week clinical study of participants with elevated baseline sleep-onset latency, 350 mg of Levagen+ reduced time to fall asleep and improved measures of post-waking alertness and cognition.¹³

Maypro's Venetron, a low-dose (50 mg) extract of Apocynum venetum leaf, works when the ingredient interacts with GABA-A receptors involved in sleep regulation, resulting in increased non-REM sleep duration and reduced sleep latency.¹⁴ Clardy points out that Apocynum venetum has been studied directly alongside GABA, with GABA supporting sleep onset and Apocynum venetum extending non-REM sleep,¹⁵ representing a clear opportunity for formulators.

Maypro's ETAS, an enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis stem extract, takes a different route: it activates heat shock protein 70 (HSP70),¹⁶ part of the body's natural physiological stress response, an effect Clardy compares to a "botanical hot spring effect." Clinical research found that 14 days of ETAS reduced wake time after sleep onset and improved daytime functioning.¹⁷

“ETAS is well suited to combination formulas precisely because its mechanism is different,” said Clardy. “It can provide the stress-resilience and recovery component, while ingredients such as magnesium, GABA, L-theanine, or other botanicals and adaptogens support relaxation and other aspects of sleep.”

Formulating for the Whole Picture

Sleep disruption is rarely caused by a single factor, so the most effective formulas increasingly combine ingredients with distinct, complementary mechanisms rather than stacking multiple sedatives. A stress-modulating adaptogen like ashwagandha or bacopa can anchor a formula, melatonin or Venetron can add circadian support, saffron or L-theanine can quiet an overactive mind, and magnesium, lavender, or chamomile can round out physical relaxation.

As Clardy put it, the industry is moving from asking what can help someone fall asleep to asking why they aren’t sleeping well in the first place. “Unlike prescriptions, which can carry concerns around side effects or long-term use, and ingredients such as melatonin, which are often viewed as more directly focused on sleep onset, botanicals can offer a broader approach to the underlying factors that affect sleep, particularly stress,” said Chase Johnston, vice president of operations at Arjuna Natural. “That shift toward non-sedative, clinically studied approaches is helping drive interest in botanicals as part of a more holistic approach to sleep and overall well-being.”

References

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2. Chandrasekhar K, Kapoor J, Anishetty S. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012 Jul;34(3):255-62. doi: 10.4103/0253-7176.1060
3. Murthy SV, Fathima SN, Mote R. Hydroalcoholic Extract of Ashwagandha Improves Sleep by Modulating GABA/Histamine Receptors and EEG Slow-Wave Pattern in In Vitro - In Vivo Experimental Models. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2022 Mar 31;27(1):108-120. doi: 10.3746/pnf.2022.27.1.108. PMID: 35465115; PMCID: PMC9007714.
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5. Eraiah MM, Shekhar HC, Joshua L, Thomas JV. Effect of Bacopa monnieri extract on memory and cognitive skills in adult humans: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.” J Psychiatry Cogn Behav. 2024; 8:168. doi: 10.29011/2574-7762.000068 
6. Gowda SS, Joshua L, Thomas JV. “Efficacy and Safety of Bacopa monnieri Extract for Stress Management and Sleep Quality: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Curr Res Cmpl Alt Med. 2026; 10(280). doi: 10.29011/2577-2201.100280
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9. Lopresti AL, Smith SJ, Metse AP, Drummond PD. Effects of saffron on sleep quality in healthy adults with self-reported poor sleep: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16: 937–947. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.8376
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11. AL Lopresti, Smith SJ, Drummond PD. An investigation into an evening intake of a saffron extract (affron^®) on sleep quality, cortisol, and melatonin concentrations in adults with poor sleep: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-dose study. Sleep Medicine. 2021;86: 7-18. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2021.08.001
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13. Ibid (Rao 2021)
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16. Ito T, Maeda T, Goto K, Miura T, Wakame K, Nishioka H, Sato A. Enzyme-treated asparagus extract promotes expression of heat shock protein and exerts antistress effects. J Food Sci. 2014 Mar;79(3):H413-9. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12371
17. Misu M, Goto K, Takanari J. ETAS reduces wake time after sleep onset in healthy adults who are dissatisfied with their sleep: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Sleep Medicine: X. 2026;12: 100196. doi:10.1016/j.sleepx.2026.100196