Looking for an honest Ritual Stress Relief review from someone who gets it? As a busy dietitian and working mom, I tested this stress-busting supplement for 30 days to see if it’s worth the investment—here’s what you need to know.
As a chronically stressed-out working mom, I’ve tried just about everything to calm the chaos in my life. So when a high-quality, reputable supplement brand like Ritual came out with a supplement to support the body’s stress levels, you better believe I tried it to see if it lives up to the hype.
Before getting too deep, I have to set realistic expectations: stress and how we perceive it is influenced by countless factors. It’s safe to say no supplement can magically transform you from frazzled to zen overnight. That said, the right supplement could complement your self-care routine and provide some support.
While I have included an affiliate link for Ritual if you decide to try it, I purchased this supplement with my own money and am offering my honest review on my experience, along with what the research says about the ingredients used in this stress-busting supplement.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you click and purchase from the link (at no cost to you!). See full privacy policy, disclosure, and affiliate information here.
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What is Ritual Stress Relief?
Ritual offers high-quality vegan supplements that are third-party tested for heavy metals and microbes and feature traceable ingredients, so you know where every addition comes from. They emphasize including what you need in a supplement and leaving out the rest.
As a registered dietitian, I trust that when I take a Ritual supplement, I get what they claim is in the supplement and nothing else, which isn’t something I can say for all supplement brands.
Stress-Relief is designed to support your body’s normal cortisol response (aka your stress hormone), promote a positive mood, and help reduce stress throughout the day. It includes three active ingredients: saffron, ashwagandha, and L-theanine. The Bio-series technology allows a portion of the supplement to be released immediately, then four hours later, and again eight hours later.
Why I tried it
As a busy dietitian and mom who struggles with anxiety and ADHD, my stress levels often feel peaked. While I work hard to prioritize stress-busting self-care activities (exercise, getting enough sleep, deep breathing, long showers, etc), I like the thought of supporting my body’s stress response from the inside as well.
When it comes to supplements, the “it might help, and won’t hurt” philosophy I often hear is just not true. Supplements today are like the Wild Wild West, and you never know if they contain what they say or if they could include ingredients that are not on the label (heavy metals and pharmaceuticals are just two of the many possible contaminants).
Plus, just because a supplement is “natural” doesn’t mean those natural ingredients or nutrients won’t interfere with other medications you may be on.
With the short, traceable ingredient list and third-party testing, I felt confident trying Ritual Stress Relief, which is one of those supplements that could help but wouldn’t cause harm based on my personal health history. If you’re not sure, always check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement to your routine!
The science behind the ingredients in Ritual Stress Relief
First things first. Cortisol isn’t a bad thing– it’s completely necessary. Too much cortisol too often, however, is what keeps your body in a perpetual state of “fight or flight.” Ritual Stress Relief claims to include ingredients that support your body’s natural cortisol cycle so you can be “on” when you’re supposed to and rested at other times.
It does this with three ingredients: ashwagandha, L-theanine, and saffron.
Shoden® Ashwagandha
Each serving has 80 milligrams of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root/Leaf Extract.
Clinical studies have found that the active compounds in ashwagandha, withanolie glycosides, increase the activity of neurotransmitters like serotonin and acetylcholine, which help regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reducing cortisol levels.
A small 2024 study of 60 adults reporting high-stress levels found that 60 milligrams and 120 milligrams of Shoden® Ashwagandha had a significant reduction in morning cortisol levels and significantly reduced rates of perceived stress compared to the placebo group. The people taking the higher dose of Shoden® Ashwagandha had slightly better results than the 60-milligram group.
While this study was small, it does show promise that the type of ashwagandha and the amount included in Ritual Stress Relief may effectively lower cortisol.
Suntheanine® L-Theanine
Each serving has 200 milligrams of L-theanine to support a non-drowsy sense of calm.
L-theanine is naturally found in green tea and mushrooms and has been studied for several benefits, including improved cognition, protection against neurodegenerative diseases, lower blood pressure, focus, decreased anxiety, and better sleep.
A small study in which participants received the same amount of L-theanine you’d find in a dose of Ritual Stress Relief found that stress-related symptoms like depression, anxiety, and poor sleep decreased, while cognitive function, including verbal fluency and executive function, increased after four weeks of supplementation.
While this study was also quite small (only 30 participants), it does show potential promise that there may be a noticeable effect of this amount of L-theanine on stress levels.
Saffron® as affron®
Each dose contains 28 milligrams of affron®, a standardized extract of the spice saffron.
Saffron is rich in a number of compounds that are used in traditional Asian medicine to treat everything from menstrual disorders to inflammation and depressive symptoms.
In one study, 128 healthy adults with symptoms of low mood but who had not been diagnosed with depression were given either a placebo, 28 mg, or 22 mg of affron®. After four weeks, the participants taking 28 mg of affron® per day had a significant decrease in negative mood and symptoms related to stress and anxiety, while the placebo and 22 mg per day dose had no clinical effect.
My honest review and experience
Ease of ordering and use
The best place to order Ritual Stress Relief is from the Ritual website, where you can take advantage of the discounts they offer to first-time buyers. You can place a one-time order or sign up for the three or one-month subscription-based plans.
With the subscription, you can save up to 30 percent on your first order, but you’ll have to remember to cancel it if you decide not to continue, or you’ll be charged for another month’s supply.
Subscriptions really are a love/hate thing for me. With how busy things can get, I frequently forget to reorder or cancel things, so if I love it and want to keep using it, it's amazing. If I don’t and forget to cancel it, I am charged anyway and have another month’s supply of something I don’t want to use.
Taste and form
I’ve read a lot of reviews on ritual supplements, and some people do not like the citrus essence flavor of the capsules. Me? I absolutely love it. My little supplement box smells citrusy and fresh, and all the other pills I have stored with it (some that don’t taste that great) also end up smelling and tasting citrusy and fresh.
The capsules are small and easy to swallow, and the flavor didn’t last too long. However, for at least a few minutes, I had a pleasant orange-lemon flavor in my mouth.
Effectiveness (my experience)
Does it work? Honestly, I couldn’t tell.
But, while I was taking this, I also took Thorne’s Stress Test, and my cortisol levels came back totally normal. So maybe it worked, or maybe my cortisol is just normal anyhow, and my perceived stress isn’t related to cortisol.
(It would have made more sense to test my stress hormones before taking it and again after a washout period, but I had received the stress test as a complimentary gift, and the timing didn’t quite work out that way).
The ingredients included in Ritual Stress Relief are researched and evidence-backed, and the amounts included in each serving have been studied (although in very small studies) to demonstrate potential effectiveness.
While I didn’t experience noticeable effects, many Amazon reviews state that the supplement helps with sleep and overall calmness, so for some, it has provided noticeable effects.
Value
A one-month supply of Ritual Stress Relief is $60 or $2 per serving. While the price per serving is drastically lower for the first order (just $1.26 per serving), it is a significant investment.
That said, it is a high-quality, third-party-tested supplement that uses research-backed ingredients in clinically effective doses, which adds significant value to the supplement.
Is this supplement worth it? My thoughts
Ultimately, whether or not Ritual Stress Relief is worth it comes down to your personal needs, budget, and current stress-management habits. The supplement includes high-quality, evidence-backed ingredients that show promise for supporting your body’s natural stress response. It’s possible that this supplement can help you take your self-care routine to the next level.
However, it’s important to remember that no supplement will fix stress on its own. It’s a tool—not a magic bullet. Regularly practicing stress-reducing habits like getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, moving your body, and carving out time for things that bring you joy will provide a much bigger benefit than any supplement could.
If the price is within your budget and you’re looking for an extra layer of support, Ritual Stress Relief might be worth a try. But if $60 a month feels like too big of a stretch, there are other ways to address stress that don’t require such a large financial commitment.
At the end of the day, managing stress is about finding what works best for you. Supplements like Ritual Stress Relief can complement your efforts, but the real magic happens when you make time to care for yourself in the ways that matter most.
As always, remember that I am a dietitian, but I am not your dietitian. I am not a medical doctor and the use of any herbal supplement or remedy should be done only after consulting with your medical doctor.
VJ says
I'm curious, do you take ADHD stimulant medication as well? I do and am deciding between trying this and another product called Stasis that complements ADHD supplements.
Kelsey Kunik, RDN says
It might be worth chatting with your doctor about what they recommend to complement ADHD medication. I was not taking a stimulant while I took this so I can't speak on a personal experience with the two-- I'll have to look into Stasis-- that's a new one to me! Good luck finding the combo that works best!