Alliance Communications
—Ashwagandha Standards Alliance Blog
—ASA Member Commentary on May 18 Article in Nutraceuticals World
—Why Science-Based Standards Matter for Ashwagandha Ingredients
—Leaf Ban Hurts Small Farmers the Most
—Review of Ashwagandha: Is It Safe? Part 1: A Regulatory Review (Phytotherapy Research)
—Review of Ashwagandha: An umbrella review of the efficacy evidence (Preprint)
Alliance Infographics
What is Withaferin A? (coming soon)
How To Tell Good Vs. Suspect Ashwagandha (coming soon)
What the Evidence Actually Says (coming soon)
Is There A Ban on Ashwagandha? (coming soon)
Inside the Ashwagandha Label (coming soon)
The Science Behind the Standards (coming soon)
Root, Leaf, Method, Dose (coming soon)
The Withanolide Question (coming soon)
Why Methods Matter (coming soon)
Alliance Technical Resources
—ASA Technical Review: Safety, Withanolides and Analytical Standards
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Review Articles
—Ashwagandha: An umbrella review of the efficacy evidence. Brendler, T and Rattray R. 2026. (Preprint) doi: 10.22541/au.177507189.90771178/v1
—Ashwagandha: Is It Safe? Part 1: A Regulatory Review. Brendler,
T, Al-Mondhiry R, Lang L, Marles R, Tallon M, Raghu A. Phytoter Res. 2025. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70151
—Ashwagandha: Is It Safe? Part 2: A Preclinical Evidence Review. Williamson EM, Brendler T. Phytother Res. 2025 Sep 18. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70090. PMID: 40968393.
—Ashwagandha: is it safe? Part 3: A review of clinical safety. Brendler T, Williamson EM. 2026. (Preprint) doi: 10.22541/au.177282036.68024186/v1
—Ashwagandha: What is the quality of the evidence? Rattray R, Brendler T. 2026 (Preprint) doi: 10.22541/au.177282036.65210993/v1
—Evaluation of Potential Hormonal Activities of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Vollmer G, Brendler T. Phytother Res. 2025 Dec 26. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70155. PMID: 41454558.
—A Systematic and Ethnobotanical Review of Ashwagandha’s (Withania Somnifera) Teratogenic and Abortifacient Potentials. Tallon MJ, Koturbash I, Blum JL. Phytother Res. 2025 Aug 31. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70079. PMID: 40887707.
—Effects of Ashwagandha on Reproductive Health: A Systematic Review of Sex-Specific Hormonal and Fertility Outcomes. Roy D, Ghosh M, Roy D, Sharma N, Bhatia R, Rangra NK. Phytother Res. 2025 Nov 17. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70128. PMID: 41249015.
Safety Studies
—Safety, toxicity and pharmacokinetic assessment of oral Withaferin-A in mice. Gupta SK, Jadhav S, Gohil D, Panigrahi GC, Kaushal RK, Gandhi K, Patil A, Chavan P, Gota V. 2022 Toxicol Rep. 18;9:1204-1212. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2022.05.012. PMID: 36518386
—Biosafety Assessment of Shagandha, Standardized Extract From the Roots of Withania somnifera. Majeed A, Majeed S, Pandey A, Thazhathidath S, Bani S. 2026. Phytotherapy Research 40 (3) 1252–1273. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.70156.
—Safety Evaluation of an Aqueous Root and Leaf Extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Summan M, Doepker CL, Brorby GP. Phytother Res. 2026. doi: 10.1002/ptr.70314. PMID: 41987003.
—Acute and Subchronic Toxicity of Purified Withania Somnifera Extract in Rats. Benny A, Benny M, Kuruvilla B, Gupta NK, Sebastian A, Jacob S. 2018. Int Journal Pharmacy and Pharm Sciences, 10 (12) 41-46, doi:10.22159/ijpps.2018v10i12.29493.
—Toxicity of Withania Somnifera Root Extract in Rats and Mice. Sharada AC, Solomon FE, Devi PU. 1993. Int J Pharmacognosy, 31(3), 205–212. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209309082943
—Safety assessment of Withania somnifera extract standardized for Withaferin A: Acute and sub-acute toxicity study. Patel SB, Rao NJ, Hingorani LL. 2016. J Ayurveda Integr Med. Mar;7(1):30-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2015.08.001. PMID: 27297507
—Safety and pharmacokinetics of Withaferin-A in advanced stage high grade osteosarcoma: A phase I trial. Pires N, Gota V, Gulia A, Hingorani L, Agarwal M, Puri A. 2020. J Ayurveda Integr Med. ;11(1):68-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2018.12.008. PMID: 30904387
—Safety Study and Molecular Docking Analysis of Phyto-Constituents from Withania somnifera Leaves: Insights into Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) Inhibition and Therapeutic Potential. Khalid MU, Sultan MT, Noman AM, Afzal K, Alhodieb FS, Ahmed F, Hussain SA. 2025. J Am Nutr Assoc. 44(8):712-724. doi: 10.1080/27697061.2025.2502832. PMID: 40392023. (Abstract)
—Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal whole-plant extract demonstrates acceptable non-clinical safety in rat 28-day subacute toxicity evaluation under GLP-compliance. Balkrishna A, Sinha S, Srivastava J, Varshney A. 2022. Sci Rep 12 (11047) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14944-x
—Early-stage treatment with Withaferin A reduces levels of misfolded superoxide dismutase 1 and extends lifespan in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Patel P, Julien JP, Kriz J. 2015. Neurotherapeutics. 12(1):217-33. doi: 10.1007/s13311-014-0311-0. PMID: 25404049
—Sub-acute toxicity of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in wistar rats. Langade D, Dawane J, Dhande P. 2023. Toxicol Rep. 11:389-395. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.10.009. PMID: 37885922
—Mutagenicity and safety evaluation of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root aqueous extract in different models. Kalaivani P, Siva R, Gayathri V, Langade D. 2023. Toxicol Rep. 12:41-47. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.12.005. PMID: 38222494
—Acute and sub-acute oral toxicity assessment of the hydroalcoholic extract of Withania somnifera roots in Wistar rats. Prabu PC, Panchapakesan S, Raj CD. 2023. Phytother Res. 27(8):1169-78. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4854. PMID: 22996349. (Abstract).
—Ninety-day repeated dose toxicity of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in Wistar rats. Kalaivani P, Siva R, Gayathri V., Langade D. 2023. Toxicol Rep. 11:189-198. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.09.004. PMID: 37711361
—Acute and sub-chronic oral GLP toxicity of Withania somnifera root extract in Sprague Dawley rats. Wangikar P, Chaudhari P, Sharma E, Godse C, Vora A, Nair S. 2024. Drug Metab Pers Ther. 39(3):145-158. doi: 10.1515/dmpt-2024-0056 / 10.1515/dmpt-2024-0100. PMID: 39352764.
—Reproductive and developmental safety assessment of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in Wistar rats. Kalaiselvan K, Sweatha V, Gayathri V, Kalaivani P, Siva R and Tamrakar S. 2025. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1572025. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1572025
—Toxicological Assessment of LN20188, a Botanical Combination of Withania somnifera Root and Abelmoschus esculentus Fruit Extracts. Madireddy R, Dodda S, Chinta G, Alluri KV. 2026. Biomed Res Int. 2026(1):e6355273. doi: 10.1155/bmri/6355273. PMID: 41914240
Published Withanolides Analytical Methods
—Quantitative HPLC analysis of withanolides in Withania somnifera. Ganzera M, Choudhary MI, Khan IA. 2003. Fitoterapia. 74(1-2):68-76. doi: 10.1016/s0367-326x(02)00325-8. PMID: 12628397.
—Analysis of Withanolides in Ashwagandha Root Aqueous Extract, reported in Kalaiselvan K et al. 2025. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1572025. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1572025
—HPLC Analysis of Ashwagandha Supplements Using Alliance(TM) iS HPLC System (Application Note). Waters Corporation. 2024. Source: https://www.waters.com/nextgen/us/en/library/application-notes/2024/hplc-analysis-of-ashwagandha-supplements-using-alliance-is-hplc-system.html? accessed May 2026.
—Extraction and Evaluation of Withanolides in Ashwagandha Root (Application Note). Millipore-Sigma. Source: https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/technical-documents/technical-article/pharmaceutical-and-biopharmaceutical-manufacturing/small-molecules-analysis-quality-control/hlc-uv-analysis-of-withanolides-in-ashwagandha-root? accessed May 2026.
—United States Pharmacopeia (2019). Dietary Supplement Monographs, Ashwagandha Root Dry Extract. USP-NF. Rockville, MD: United States Pharmacopeia(Abstract). U.S. Pharmacopoeia. dot: 10.31003/USPNF_M2789_08_01 Source: https://doi.usp.org/USPNF/USPNF_M2789_08_01.html accessed May 2026
—Ashwagandha Root Analysis of Withanolides by HPLC (Method Summary of USP 35 (2012). United States Pharmacopeia (2012).
—Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs) for Withanolide Glycosides and Aglycones of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), AOAC International. 2015. AOAC SMPR 2015.007
—Investigating 11 Withanosides and Withanolides by UHPLC-PDA and Mass Fragmentation Studies from Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). Girme A, Saste G, Pawar S, Balasubramaniam AK, Musande K, Darji B, Satti NK, Verma MK, Anand R, Singh R, Vishwakarma RA, Hingorani L. 2020. ACS Omega. 5(43):27933-27943. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c03266. PMID: 33163776
—Determination of Withanolides and Withanosides in Ashwagandha Based Products Using HPLC-Drift-Tube-Ion-Mobility Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. Zellner L, Wierer M, Himmelsbach M, Schatzmann B, Thalhamer B, Klampfl CW. 2025. Electrophoresis. 46(5-6):340-346. doi: 10.1002/elps.202400188. PMID: 39965076