Frequently Asked Questions

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is a broad, global coalition of responsible stakeholders working to advance science-based quality standards, transparent disclosure, and accurate public communications for ashwagandha products.

No. The Alliance is not a conventional trade group, lobbying organization, or marketing coalition.We are a scientifically grounded, structurally independent standards and education initiative. Our core Founding Members, including Sabinsa, Cepham and Arjuna Natural, have more than 100 years of collective experience in responsible Ashwagandha production for the global markets.

Our purpose is to help bring rigor, clarity, and transparency to the global ashwagandha marketplace.As a cross-competitive collaboration, we do not promote or defend one company, one extract, one plant part, or one commercial narrative. Our singular mission is to ensure that ashwagandha is evaluated, tested, labeled, manufactured, and discussed according to the best available evidence.

Our work is critical right now, because the global conversation around ashwagandha has become fragmented, and some regulators and industry have been misled by misrepresentations of the science.

Currently, disagreements and miscommunication exists on the safety, traditional use, root versus leaf, root-and-leaf extracts, analytical methods, clinical evidence, labeling, and regulatory interpretation on ashwagandha.

Some of these disagreements are scientific, while others are commercial in nature. And some are regulatory.

Some are the result of incomplete or misleading public communication.

The Alliance exists to help separate evidence from assumption, method from marketing, and safety and science from selective narrative.

The mission of the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is to advance the global scientific integrity and responsible communication of ashwagandha through collaborative efforts, transparent practices, and public education.

The Alliance works to ensure that scientific conclusions reflect the totality of evidence; potency and composition are determined using validated, reproducible analytical methods; and labeling, sourcing, manufacturing, and quality practices support regulatory clarity, consumer confidence, and responsible global commerce.

Yes, if made according to GMPs and labeled properly.

Ashwagandha has a long history of traditional use and has been studied in modern clinical and safety research. But safety should not be discussed carelessly.

The Alliance’s position is that safety conclusions should be based on the totality of evidence, including traditional use, clinical studies, toxicology, product composition, dose, plant part, extraction method, product specification and testing, labeling, target population, and manufacturing quality.

Safety is not a slogan or a political tool. It is a scientific evaluation.

No. Ashwagandha products can differ significantly depending on the plant part used, geography, cultivar or chemotype, harvest conditions, extraction method, standardization target, analytical methods, excipients or diluents, manufacturing controls, and finished product formulation. Responsible standards and communications recognize those differences.

At the same time, we are agnostic to differences in ashwagandha products, as long as they are produced and made according to established standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

Some public narratives suggest that ashwagandha root is authentic and leaf is inherently suspect. But the science disagrees — and is a bit more complicated.

Ashwagandha has historical, traditional, and modern uses that extend beyond simplistic root-only narratives. Traditional use of ashwagandha extends across India, Africa and the Mediterranean for at least 2,000 years, and many historical records name the leaf and the whole plant as the parts consumed.

Modern products may use root, leaf, or root-and-leaf material, depending on the product design, market, regulatory status, intended use, and supporting data.

Today, the key questions should include: What plant part is used? Is it accurately disclosed? Is the material properly identified? Is the product manufactured under appropriate quality controls? Is the dose supported? Is the safety and efficacy evidence being represented fairly?

The problem is not necessarily plant-part use. The problem is undisclosed, mislabeled, poorly characterized, or irresponsibly marketed ashwagandha products.

No. The Alliance begins with the evidence, which includes numerous human and animal safety studies on both root and root-and-leaf extracts.

If a product uses leaf or root-and-leaf material, that should be accurately labeled, properly tested, supported by appropriate safety and quality data, and communicated honestly.

If a product claims to be root-only, that claim should also be verified.

No plant part should be condemned by narrative over science.

Withanolides are a major class of naturally occurring compounds in ashwagandha and are often used in standardization and quality assessment. But “withanolides” is not always a simple or consistent term.

Different analytical methods may measure different compounds, use different standards, or report results in ways that are not replicable.

This can create confusion in the marketplace.

A product labeled to contain a certain percentage of withanolides may not be verifiable using available methods — and that is a violation of Good Manufacturing Practices.

The Alliance supports clearer, validated, reproducible, and comparable analytical approaches.

Because test results are only meaningful if the method is fit for purpose. A number on a specification sheet or certificate of analysis is not enough.

The key questions are:

What method was used?

What compounds were measured?

What reference standards were used?

Was the method validated?

Is the method appropriate for the product matrix?

Can another qualified lab reproduce the result?

Does the label claim match the analytical basis?

Without method clarity, “withanolide content” can become more of a marketing claim or path to mislabeling, than a real scientific measurement.

Analytical harmonization means working toward testing methods, terminology, reference standards, and reporting practices that allow products to be compared more accurately.

It does not necessarily mean every product must be tested in only one way. It means methods should be transparent, validated, reproducible, and appropriate for the material being tested.

The goal is fewer vague, unreplicable numbers on product labels — and more valid science.

No. The first priority is to build a credible foundation: technical interpretation, responsible industry and consumer education, voluntary standards and stakeholder alignment.

The Alliance is not being built to create another logo — it is being built to create standards worth standing behind.

The Alliance currently anticipates three membership categories.

Executive Member — $4,000 annually

Executive Membership is intended for established ashwagandha suppliers, manufacturers, brands, and other leading organizations with a demonstrated record of responsible ashwagandha production, quality control, and market stewardship.

Executive Members must provide documentation showing proof of meeting applicable GMP requirements and must demonstrate a history of responsible ashwagandha production.

Professional Member — $1,000 annually

Professional Membership is intended for companies, organizations, institutions, consultants, laboratories, researchers, clinicians, media organizations, trade groups, and professional stakeholders with a direct role in the ashwagandha supply chain, marketplace, scientific community, regulatory environment, or public education ecosystem.

Associate Member — $500 annually

Associate Membership is intended for individuals, smaller organizations, independent professionals, educators, students, consumer advocates, clinicians, journalists, and other stakeholders who support the mission of the Alliance but may not require full professional participation.

Link to ASA Membership Invitation

Membership is open to responsible stakeholders across the global ashwagandha community, including suppliers, ingredient manufacturers, finished product brands, contract manufacturers, laboratories, researchers, clinicians, trade associations, media professionals, educators, regulatory professionals, and consumer-facing stakeholders.

The Alliance is global in scope, and ashwagandha is a global botanical issue.

Interested stakeholders may apply for membership by contacting the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance.

Applicants may be asked to provide information about their role in the ashwagandha ecosystem, relevant expertise, organizational background, quality practices, and interest in the Alliance’s mission.

Executive Member applicants will be asked to provide documentation supporting GMP compliance and a history of responsible ashwagandha production.

For membership inquiries, technical participation, media questions, or stakeholder engagement, please contact us.

For membership inquiries, technical participation, media questions, or stakeholder engagement, please contact us.

No. The Alliance does not endorse a company, product, ingredient, extract, label claim, safety claim, or analytical result.

Membership reflects participation in the Alliance and support for its mission.

Member benefits may include early access to technical updates, draft publications, working group participation, member briefings, peer-review opportunities, educational resources, public recognition, regulatory and media issue updates, and opportunities to help shape voluntary standards for ashwagandha quality, safety interpretation, analytical testing, labeling, and communication.

Members may also participate in discussions around root, leaf, root-and-leaf extracts, withanolide methods, safety narratives, regulatory developments, and public education.

Yes, where appropriate and according to membership category. Members may be recognized on the Alliance website, public communications, technical materials, LinkedIn posts, educational campaigns, and other outreach materials.

However, public recognition should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any member, company or product.

The Alliance’s foundational technical review is titled: “Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root and Leaf Extracts: Safety, Withanolides, and Analytical Standards — A Technical Review.”

This paper is intended to provide an evidence-based foundation for discussion around safety, clinical data, root and leaf use, withanolide measurement, analytical standards, and responsible communication.

The paper is currently in expert review and subject to revision.

Yes. The Alliance will publish peer-reviewed publications, white papers, press releases and industry and consumer guidances. Our goal is to make complex science usable.

Regulators need clarity. Clinicians need context. Industry needs standards.

And consumers need honest communication.

With evidence. Ashwagandha science includes legitimate complexity. There may be disagreements around plant part, analytical method, safety interpretation, clinical relevance, regulatory classification, and labeling.

The Alliance will not avoid disagreement. But disagreement should be handled through transparent methods, documented evidence, expert review, and responsible communication.

Adulteration is a serious issue in botanicals.

But not every disagreement over plant-part use should automatically be framed as adulteration.

There is a difference between undisclosed substitution, contamination, dilution, or mislabeling and the disclosed use of a particular plant part in a properly manufactured product.

The Alliance supports accurate terminology.

If something is adulteration, we will call it adulteration.

If something is a labeling, standards, safety, or regulatory question, we will say that instead.

Yes. The Alliance seeks constructive dialogue with regulatory authorities, pharmacopeial bodies, scientific organizations, trade associations, laboratories, clinicians, and public health stakeholders.

The goal is better science, clearer standards, and more responsible communication.

Yes. Ashwagandha is used globally and appears in multiple regulatory, traditional, commercial, and cultural contexts.

The Alliance is intended to include global stakeholders and support globally relevant discussion around quality, safety, analytical methods, labeling, traditional use, and responsible commerce.