ETAS
Also sold as: Enzyme-treated asparagus extract · Asparagus officinalis stem extract · ETAS50
An enzyme-treated asparagus-stalk extract marketed for stress and sleep. Small manufacturer-linked human studies provide preliminary subjective signals rather than established insomnia treatment.
Sleep Anxiety Energy
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Research
- Sleep: Small studies report subjective sleep improvement, but overall sleep duration was unchanged in one trial and subgroup effects limit interpretation.
- Anxiety: Self-reported stress/mood improved in a small crossover trial; cortisol results conflict between studies.
- Energy: A 28-day trial reported less subjective fatigue at 150 mg/day; no independent replication is established.
REALITY CHECK // All human studies identified in this dossier are small and manufacturer-linked. Subjective sleep or fatigue signals are preliminary; cortisol findings are inconsistent and one trial found no overall sleep-duration benefit. HSP70 induction, skin-cell results and mouse cognition are not evidence of treating insomnia or slowing human aging.
Levels: how we grade evidence. Grey = evidence of no benefit; amber = evidence it makes this goal worse.
Ratings are self-reported by a self-selected group of users: how it felt, not proof that it works.
Check your bottle
Compare what your label says with what was used in trials. This is a trial range, not a personal prescription.
Enter the amount from your label to see the result.
How it was studied
UPPER LIMIT // No established EFSA or US human upper limit is supplied. The rat study reported no adverse effects at up to 2000 mg/kg/day over 90 days and negative genotoxicity tests, but animal exposure is not a human dosing ceiling or proof of long-term safety.
Summary
Small short trials in healthy adults suggest changes in subjective stress, fatigue and sleep. One study found no overall sleep-duration difference, while cortisol findings conflict between trials. The dossier identifies no independent human RCT replication or trials treating diagnosed insomnia or anxiety disorders.
Mechanism
Asfural and other constituents are proposed to induce HSP70 stress-response pathways. Cell, mouse and very small human expression findings are hypothesis-generating; leukocyte HSP70 changes do not prove a clinical anti-stress effect.
Typical studied dose
Human studies in the dossier used 100–150 mg/day of the characterized ETAS extract for about 7–28 days; a stress crossover trial used 150 mg/day for 28 days. These amounts refer to the tested extract, not raw asparagus, Shatavari root, or a known percentage of asfural.
Upper limit
No established EFSA or US human upper limit is supplied. The rat study reported no adverse effects at up to 2000 mg/kg/day over 90 days and negative genotoxicity tests, but animal exposure is not a human dosing ceiling or proof of long-term safety.
Popular stacks with ETAS
Not enough stack data yet. A combination with ETAS appears here once 5 people rate the same set.
Forms and label traps
| Form on label | Active content | Studied range / day | Absorption & GI tolerance | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characterized enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis stalk extract Best for: Matching the exact ETAS process and declared extract amount. |
Extract weight · marker not quantified | 100–150 mg | Human pharmacokinetics and comparative bioavailability are unavailable. No major gut signal reported in the short supplied trials; sample sizes are small. |
Studied standard [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] |
| Generic asparagus extract / powder without ETAS process declaration Best for: Detecting an uncharacterized substitute. |
Unstandardized: active content unknown | no comparable trial range | No demonstrated equivalence to the enzyme-treated study product. Product-specific tolerance unknown. |
Caution [FORM // CHECK_SPECIFICATION] Comparator label category, not a second clinically studied ETAS formulation. A raw asparagus or Shatavari label cannot inherit ETAS dosing. |
Common label traps
- TRAP_01 // PROVEN INSOMNIA TREATMENT
Small healthy-adult trials and subgroup signals do not establish treatment of clinical insomnia. - TRAP_02 // ASPARAGUS ROOT TRIALS VALIDATE ETAS
Shatavari is Asparagus racemosus root; ETAS is Asparagus officinalis stalk processed enzymatically. - TRAP_03 // HSP70 PROVES LONGEVITY OR NEUROPROTECTION
Most mechanistic findings are cell or animal experiments; clinical cognitive, skin-aging and fertility benefits remain unestablished.
Other outcomes studied
Outside the five leaderboard goals. Same evidence levels as above.
- CORTISOL RESPONSE Limited · benefit
One trial suggested a blocked cortisol increase during stress, whereas another found no serum or salivary cortisol change; the finding is inconsistent.
PMID 25297618 PMID 27465727 - SALIVARY IMMUNE MARKER Limited · benefit
One trial reported a salivary sIgA response after a stress task; no reduction in infections was demonstrated.
PMID 27465727 - HSP70 MECHANISM No established evidence
Cell/mouse and preliminary human expression findings suggest a pathway; clinical benefit from HSP70 induction is unestablished rather than refuted.
PMID 24498968 PMID 25297618 - SKIN / PHOTOAGING No established evidence
Keratinocyte and fibroblast experiments are preclinical and do not establish an oral skin benefit in humans.
PMID 29710031 PMID 27319149 PMID 30508357 PMID 30108645 - COGNITION / NEUROPROTECTION No established evidence
Mouse and PC12-cell results have not demonstrated a cognitive or dementia benefit in humans.
PMID 24660475 PMID 34046506 PMID 24868884 - FERTILITY No established evidence
Bovine granulosa-cell redox and progesterone findings are not human fertility outcomes; human benefit remains unestablished.
PMID 34518614 PMID 36150639
Reader questions
How can I tell whether a product actually contains ETAS?
Look for the enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis stalk specification and declared extract mass. A generic asparagus label or Asparagus racemosus root is not equivalent.
Will ETAS treat insomnia?
That is not established. The dossier contains small short healthy-adult trials with subjective and subgroup signals, no polysomnographic treatment evidence for diagnosed insomnia. Persistent sleep problems need assessment.
Does rat safety mean it is safe long term?
No. The 90-day rat data and negative genotoxicity screens cannot establish a human upper limit or safety in pregnancy, children or long-term use.
Stack interactions
- Caution Diuretics / glucose-lowering medicines [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
No clinical interaction is established. Traditional asparagus diuretic hypotheses cannot be assumed to apply to ETAS at 150 mg/day; discuss uncertain combinations with the prescriber. - Caution Other supplement stacks [CAUTION // REVIEW_COMBINATION]
No ETAS combination-interaction studies were retained. Lack of reports does not establish synergy or safety.
Red flags: interactions and who should avoid it
Interactions
No documented clinical ETAS drug-interaction studies are indexed here. Proposed diuretic or glucose-lowering interactions are theoretical and not established at the tested extract dose. Interactions with other supplements have not been studied.
Avoid or ask a doctor first if
Avoid with asparagus allergy. Pregnancy/lactation and under-18 safety data are absent; unsupervised use is not supported. Short-term manufacturer trials and animal toxicology do not resolve long-term human safety.
Sources (PubMed, 14)
- Effect of Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract (ETAS) on Psychological Stress in Healthy Individuals.
PMID 27465727 · 2016 · Randomized controlled trialManufacturer-linked 150 mg/day, 28-day crossover study: subjective stress/fatigue signal and salivary marker, but no cortisol/catecholamine change.
- Effects of enzyme-treated asparagus extract on heat shock protein 70, stress indices, and sleep in healthy adult men.
PMID 25297618 · 2014 · Randomized controlled trialSleep/stress study: overall sleep duration null, subgroup findings and cortisol result conflict with the later trial.
- Enzyme-treated asparagus extract promotes expression of heat shock protein and exerts antistress effects.
PMID 24498968 · 2014 · Cell / animal experiments and preliminary human expression studyPreclinical and preliminary human HSP expression findings; not proof of a clinical stress-response mechanism.
- Toxicological assessment of enzyme-treated asparagus extract in rat acute and subchronic oral toxicity studies and genotoxicity tests.
PMID 24389363 · 2014 · Animal toxicology and genotoxicity studyRat acute/subchronic toxicology and genotoxicity tests, not a human upper limit.
- Isolation, structural elucidation, and biological evaluation of a 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural derivative, asfural, from enzyme-treated asparagus extract.
PMID 24000899 · 2013 · In vitro studyIsolation and biological characterization of the asfural constituent.
- Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract (ETAS) Facilitates the Turnover of UV-B-Irradiated Keratinocytes.
PMID 29710031 · 2018 · In vitro studyUV-B keratinocyte experiments; preclinical skin mechanism.
- Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract Attenuates Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression in Murine Skin Fibroblast L929 Cells.
PMID 27319149 · 2016 · In vitro studyMouse fibroblast MMP-9 experiments; no human skin endpoint.
- Enzyme-Treated Asparagus Extract Prevents'Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Responses by Suppressing p65 Nuclear Translocation in Skin L929 Fibroblasts.
PMID 30508357 · 2016 · In vitro studyInflammatory signaling in L929 fibroblasts; cell study only.
- ETAS®50 Attenuates Ultraviolet-B-Induced Interleukin-6 Expression by Suppressing Akt Phosphorylation in Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts.
PMID 30108645 · 2018 · In vitro studyUV-B/IL-6 signaling in cultured dermal fibroblasts.
- Enzyme-treated Asparagus officinalis extract shows neuroprotective effects and attenuates cognitive impairment in senescence-accelerated mice.
PMID 24660475 · 2014 · Animal / preclinical studyCognitive impairment model in senescence-accelerated mice.
- Neuroprotective Effects of Asparagus officinalis Stem Extract in Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Amyloid Precursor Protein.
PMID 34046506 · 2021 · Animal / preclinical studyAmyloid-precursor-protein transgenic mouse neuroprotection study.
- ETAS, an enzyme-treated asparagus extract, attenuates amyloid beta-induced cellular disorder in PC12 cells.
PMID 24868884 · 2014 · In vitro studyAmyloid-beta PC12-cell experiments.
- A standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem improves HSP70-mediated redox balance and cell functions in bovine cumulus-granulosa cells.
PMID 34518614 · 2021 · In vitro studyBovine cumulus-granulosa cells: HSP70/redox mechanisms.
- Synergistic effect of standardized extract of Asparagus officinalis stem and heat shock on progesterone synthesis with lipid droplets and mitochondrial function in bovine granulosa cells.
PMID 36150639 · 2023 · In vitro studyBovine granulosa-cell progesterone and mitochondrial endpoints.
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