Digital echoes of herbal healing: Sentiment analysis of Ashwagandha supplements reviews

Abstract

E-commerce platforms provide useful information about consumer attitudes towards dietary supplements. This study examined stated consumer opinion by analysing 200 recent Amazon India reviews of Ashwagandha-based dietary supplements promoted for stress treatment. Textual data were processed and analyzed in R using the NRC framework for lexicon-based sentiment categorization, using an ex post facto research methodology. The reviews were divided into eleven emotional components, which included trust, joy, anticipation, fear, and sadness. Positive and trust-related sentiments were shown to be more common than negative emotions such as fear and disgust. A stratified study of star ratings and confirmed purchase status indicated significant disparities in emotional intensity, with lower-rated reviews more commonly citing worries about side effects and perceived ineffectiveness. Quantitative n-gram analysis revealed repeated terms such as "stress relief," "good quality," and "side effects," emphasizing functional evaluation as an important driver of consumer feedback. The findings reflect subjective consumer impressions rather than clinical efficacy. By combining sentiment distribution, subgroup comparison, and lexical pattern analysis, this study shows how organized evaluation of online reviews can guide product marketing strategies and promote responsible post-market monitoring in the dietary supplement industry.