Shatavari: The Next Breakout Botanical

Shatavari isn't yet a household name, but it's gaining traction among niche and wellness shoppers. “If you walk into a yoga studio in California or a natural health store in Austin, there is a decent chance someone behind the counter has heard of shatavari,” says Kartikeya Baldwa, CEO of Ixoreal Biomed Inc. This is an encouraging sign for brands and formulators, as these are often the first consumers to embrace ingredients that go on to achieve mainstream success.

Market data suggests shatavari may be on that path. According to Market Intelo,¹ the global shatavari supplements market was valued at $612 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.7%, reaching $1.32 billion by 2033. “In many ways, shatavari today looks similar to where ashwagandha was about a decade ago: a long history of traditional use, a growing body of clinical data, and an audience that is increasingly open to botanical solutions,” says Komal Baldwa, founder of Waleria HealthTech. “The key question now is not whether shatavari belongs in women’s health formulas, but how quickly the market will catch up with the traditional knowledge that has supported its use for centuries.”

Tradition Meets Modern Data

In Ayurveda holistic medicine, shatavari is considered a primary rasayana, or rejuvenator, for women. Practitioners use it to help regulate menstrual cycles, support fertility, ease discomfort around hormonal changes, and promote healthy lactation, explains Komal. More than a targeted remedy, it is an herb taken for long-term resilience and vitality.

“The classical texts, including the Charaka Samhita, use it as the primary herb for women’s reproductive and hormonal health across all life stages,” agrees Kartikeya. “The name itself translates loosely to ‘she who is acceptable to many,’ which speaks to its broad versatility.”

Today, this traditional knowledge is increasingly validated by both phytochemical and clinical research. “This is what makes shatavari so compelling to formulate with,” adds Shaheen Majeed, global CEO and managing director of Sami-Sabinsa Group. “It carries both the credibility of centuries of traditional use and a growing body of contemporary science.”

According to Eric Anderson, managing director of NXT USA, 2 studies published in 2025 elegantly demonstrate shatavari's properties as a hormonal adaptogen across the lifespan. The first, involving women aged 20 to 35 with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), showed that shatavari normalizes dysregulated signaling and ovarian function.² The second, involving perimenopausal women aged 40 to 50, showed that shatavari helps restore or elevate key hormones³ that have declined or fallen out of balance. Additional research confirms that these findings translate to decreased hot flashes, stress, and fatigue^4,5 in perimenopausal women, with further benefits documented for sexual wellness⁶ and hormonal balance in women with PCOS.⁷

Shatavari’s most studied health benefit is probably lactation support. One recent study found that women who supplemented with 300 mg of shatavari experienced significantly shorter time to breast fullness and significantly higher milk volume at 72 hours.⁸ Maternal satisfaction with breastfeeding was also notably higher in the shatavari group than in the placebo group: 52.63% compared to 25%.

Much of shatavari’s benefits stem from bioactives called shatavarins. “Shatavarins exert multilevel endocrine effects—modulating estrogen receptor activity, regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and influencing stress and metabolic pathways⁹—resulting in its ability to normalize hormonal signaling rather than stimulating hormone levels one way or the other,” explains Anderson, calling the ingredient “a true hormonal adaptogen.”

Shatavari also benefits from antioxidant-rich flavonoids and phenolics, gut-friendly polysaccharides, and anti-inflammatory tannins. “Shatavari does not work like a pharmaceutical drug with a single, blunt target,” says Kartikeya. “It works more like a gentle conductor, simultaneously nudging multiple biological systems toward balance. That is actually what makes it so well suited for complex, multifactorial conditions like menopause, perimenopause, PCOS, and sexual dysfunction.”

Shatavari in Formulation

Though shatavari is only slightly soluble and carries an earthy, bitter taste, both challenges can be easily overcome, opening the door for shatavari-fortified functional beverages, liquid shots, gummies, and foods—formats that appeal to a wider and often younger audience, says Majeed.

Shatavari's benefits across the lifespan also make it a natural fit for personalized formulations targeted to women at different stages of life (think mood and libido support for women in their 20s and 30s, and hormonal and menopausal support for those in their 40s and beyond). “As contemporary clinical work validates and refines [shatavari’s] uses, brands have an opportunity to create more nuanced, evidence-informed products that reflect how women actually experience their day-to-day health, not just isolated symptoms at a single stage of life,” says Komal.

That said, not all shatavari on the market is created equal. Kartikeya describes the category as uneven, ranging from cheap bulk powders of unknown origin to high-end standardized extracts with clinical backing. Anderson adds that commodity shatavari contains roughly 5% shatavarins, requiring dosage levels up to 1000 mg, while branded ingredients boost shatavarin levels to 10% and beyond, allowing for lower dosages and more room for companion ingredients.

“When combined with complementary botanicals, shatavari’s benefits are amplified, helping to address hormonal, emotional, and physical needs in a more holistic way,” says Komal. The most common pairing is ashwagandha, and research shows that combining the 2 ingredients yields broader and stronger improvements in both menopause symptoms¹⁰ and sexual function.⁵ “The 2 herbs work through complementary pathways: Shatavari's total shatavarins modulate estrogenic activity and support reproductive hormonal balance, while ashwagandha's withanolides enhance stress resilience through HPA [hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal] axis modulation,” she adds. “Together, they offer a more complete response than either herb alone. This is not just traditional wisdom. It is now clinically supported.”

Postpartum formulas may benefit from pairing shatavari with fenugreek, which has well-established lactation benefits,¹¹ as well as moringa, which contributes iron, calcium, and folate. Brahmi is also a natural complement, as it can amplify stress relief¹² and hormonal¹³ benefits.

Ultimately, Kartikeya believes shatavari has the potential to do for women’s health what ashwagandha did for stress and vitality, “becoming something people ask for by name at every life stage,” he says, “from their 20s through menopause and beyond.” However, the coming years will be critical. Additional research is needed on bioavailability and pharmacokinetics in humans, as are longer-term clinical trials. “The bottom line is simple,” he says. “We are at the beginning of a major evidence-building era for this herb. The brands and ingredient suppliers who invest in science and quality now are the ones who will define the category when it fully arrives.”

References

1. Market Intelo. Shatavari supplements market research report 2033. September 1, 2025. Accessed April 16, 2026. https://marketintelo.com/report/shatavari-supplements-market
2. Kondamudi S, Sadu S, Deva S, Yalamanchi A, Yalamanchi A. CL22209, a standardized Asparagus racemosus root extract, demonstrates improved ovarian morphology, menstrual regularity, and metabolic parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in a randomized, controlled trial. Food Nutr Res. 2025;69:13244. doi:10.29219/fnr.v69.13244
3. Yadav P, Yadav S, Vedururu SS, Kumari G. Clinical assessment of CL22209, a standardized proprietary extract of Asparagus racemosus, for mitigating vasomotor and menstrual symptoms in perimenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. FFHD. 2025;15(7). doi:10.31989/ffhd.v15i7.1684
4. Mahajan S, Avad P, Langade J. Efficacy and safety of shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) root extract for perimenopause: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Int J Womens Health. 2025;17:4057-4073. doi:10.2147/IJWH.S544267
5. Gudise VS, Dasari MP, Kuricheti SSK. Efficacy and safety of shatavari root extract for the management of menopausal symptoms: a double-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Cureus. 2024;16(4):e57879. doi:10.7759/cureus.57879
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8. Ajgaonkar A, Debnath T, Bhatnagar S, Debnath K, Langade J. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus Willd) root extract for postpartum lactation: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2025;45(1):2564168. doi:10.1080/01443615.2025.2564168
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11. Khan TM, Wu DB, Dolzhenko AV. Effectiveness of fenugreek as a galactagogue: a network meta-analysis. Phytother Res. 2018;32(3):402-412. doi:10.1002/ptr.5972
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