Author: ashwagandhastandards

July 16, 2026

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance thanks Safeguard Ashwagandha and Kerry Group for their presentation of science on Ashwagandha directly to policymakers at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The meeting brought together scientists, regulatory experts, industry leaders and retailers as Europe considers a possible formal assessment of ashwagandha, known as Article 8.

At the meeting, Dr. Thomas Brendler presented a review covering 131 clinical trial reports and toxicological assessments. A central conclusion was that the safety concerns repeatedly cited by authorities are not supported by the full body of current evidence.

The primary challenge is not safety, but compliance problems that the regulations are already established for.

As Alliance co-founding member Blake Ebersole shared with meeting participants, “What we are dealing with is not a question of safety, but a question of quality, standards and proper labeling.”

Ashwagandha Standards Alliance Recorded Statement by Blake Ebersole in EU Parliament, Brussels July 14, 2026

“While it’s true that some ashwagandha products are mislabeled as to plant part — in order to reach a number on the label — regulations already require accurate plant part and potency labels.”

The Alliance supports rigorous safety evaluation, GMP compliance, truthful plant-part and potency labeling, appropriate warnings, meaningful chemical characterization and evidence that applies to the actual product being sold.

“Safeguard Ashwagandha and Kerry deserve credit for moving the global discussion toward a harmonized, truthful and evidence-based approach.”

——-

Full transcript of ASA presentation in EU Parliament follows:

My name is Blake Ebersole, and I’m a co-founding member of the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance, which stands for the science and quality of ashwagandha products worldwide. 

Ashwagandha is a botanical that’s not just used traditionally for thousands of years in India and across the Mediterranean and Africa. It also has more than 130 human and safety studies published on various forms – including extracts from the root and aerial parts of the plant, including the leaf. 

The safety evidence for ashwagandha is based on scientific standards for other established supplement ingredients. In fact, ashwagandha has more safety trials than many of the herbs and some of the foods we commonly consume. 

For a botanical consumed by humans on the scale of billions of doses per year, it’s been subject to relatively few reports of serious adverse events. So let’s put ashwagandha in perspective to other commonly consumed supplements. In the U.S. for example, we see that multivitamins are the most commonly reported supplement for serious adverse events. That’s not because of any inherent issue with multivitamins – but because they are so frequently consumed.  The law of averages dictates that anytime someone seeks medical assistance, they are often also taking a multivitamin. But no one claims the multivitamin caused the health issue. 

The science supports that is the case here with ashwagandha, where most of the adverse events were reported on root, if only because it is the plant part that is ore popular. Yet, out of the relatively few case reports documented, we see a pattern of mislabeling and poor quality that existing regulations already address, but which are sometimes unevenly enforced. 

The purpose of the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is not to dismiss safety concerns, but to ensure that these concerns are evaluated with scientific rigor in an objective manner, and with needed perspective from the supplements category as a whole. 

Some have raised questions about whether plant part may be an issue. While it is true that some ashwagandha products are mislabeled as to plant part to reach a number on the label, regulations across developed nations already require accurate plant part and potency listing.

Further, ashwagandha root and leaf products with clinical and safety trials are already legally sold in many countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Spain, Italy and France. These countries have approved certain root and leaf products based on the strong science and excellent record of safety they bring to consumers. 

What we are essentially dealing with is not a question of safety, but a question of standards, quality and proper labeling. 

We need to be asking, what material is being sold, made by which process and quality practices. And at what dose, and for which population.

That is why the Alliance fights for enforcement of current regulations, which includes Good Manufacturing Practices and truthful labeling, including appropriate label warnings as found on many supplement products.

When products meet current requirements, regulators and consumers can evaluate them rationally. When the rules are not followed, uncertainty increases.

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is working to support objective evaluation and communication on the abundant science already published, adhering to established regulations for quality and labeling, and enforcement against products which don’t meet these existing standards. 

Our request is simple: evaluate ashwagandha based on evidence and GMP’s, not on subjective and irrational criteria. 

Address real quality issues where they exist. Require accurate labeling and expect GMP compliance. Demand transparency from industry.

But don’t confuse the need for consistent standards with alarmist and irrational responses that conflict with measured, evidence-based approvals in many other nations.

Ashwagandha is already regulated responsibly while preserving access to properly manufactured, accurately labeled, and scientifically supported products.

The path forward should be based on the facts and the infrastructure already in place, that used successfully for a wide array of supplements. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Reference: Ashwagandha armed with critical safety data as industry anticipates Europe-wide assessment, by Nikki Hancocks, Nutraingredients.com, July 16, 2026

Get involved with the Alliance today: https://ashwagandhastandards.org/join-the-alliance/

A broad coalition of responsible stakeholders invites global participation as regulatory debate over ashwagandha leaf underscores need for clarity and evidence-based review.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Boulder, Colorado — June 23, 2026 — The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance (ASA), a broad coalition of responsible stakeholders working globally to advance science-based standards and accurate public communication for ashwagandha ingredients and consumer products, today announced the launch of its global membership initiative.

ASA was formed to strengthen industry and public understanding and support a more consistent, evidence-based approach to ashwagandha products. The Alliance will focus on practical education, shared scientific dialogue, and clear expectations for quality, safety, analytical methods, transparency, labeling, and responsible communication.

“Ashwagandha has earned confidence around the world. Our job is to help keep the conversation grounded in facts, not fear, and to support standards that match the importance of this plant in global health and wellness,” said Blake Ebersole, co-founding member of ASA.

The membership launch comes at a critical moment for the global ashwagandha community. Public discussion of ashwagandha has become increasingly polarized, while regulatory interpretation and consumer communication remain inconsistent across markets. 

ASA’s goal is to create a credible voice for ashwagandha quality and science, and to offer a collaborative platform for organizations and professionals who share a common interest in responsible marketing of ashwagandha products.

Membership information and application are available at ashwagandhastandards.org/join-the-alliance.

A science-led Alliance for all stakeholders

ASA’s work is centered on six priorities: education, safety, quality, analytical harmonization, transparency, and public trust. Within these priorities, the Alliance is focused on truthful labeling, traceable sourcing, appropriate specifications, validated testing, GMP-aligned manufacturing, and evidence-based interpretation.

The Alliance is not a marketing coalition or a trade group built to defend one commercial position. It is intended to be a globally credible, scientifically grounded, structurally independent initiative built around a simple principle: ashwagandha deserves standards and honesty equal to its global use.

“We are working across the global regulatory and supply chain,” said Trish Flaster, co-founding member of ASA. “The point is to support disciplined expert review, transparent dialogue, and clear public education.”

ASA’s response to Ministry of AYUSH shows why standards matter

Recent AYUSH and FSSAI actions in India concerning ashwagandha leaf have underscored the need for a clearer distinction between adulteration and truthfully labeled ashwagandha ingredients supported by appropriate quality and safety evidence.

In April, ASA supported industry efforts that led to successful interim stays from the Karnataka High Court regarding the FSSAI advisory seeking to restrict the use of ashwagandha leaves in commerce. 

ASA views the judicial stays as an important opportunity for a fuller legal, scientific, and regulatory review before broad restrictions are allowed to affect compliant and transparent manufacturers and responsible brands. ASA’s update on the Karnataka High Court stay is available at ashwagandhastandards.org/high-court-stays-fssai-advisory-banning-ashwagandha-leaves-in-supplements.

In June, ASA prepared an analysis and response to the Ministry of Ayush’s Counter Affidavit to the Karnataka High Court stay on the leaf ban. This response concluded that the Ministry’s actions did not provide a transparent risk assessment sufficient to support a blanket prohibition on all ashwagandha leaf material.

ASA’s responses emphasize that the issues raised by the Ministry support the need for global regulatory enforcement of Good Manufacturing Practices and product mislabeling. 

“Undeclared substitution of plant part should be taken seriously,” Ebersole said. “But we shouldn’t conflate this with the real issue being ignored – truthfully labeled, GMP-manufactured products should be evaluated on what evidence supports their safe use.”

A practical path forward

ASA encourages a framework that protects consumers and preserves public trust without reducing  botanical quality to a slogan. 

By supporting transparency and stakeholder collaboration, ASA aims to strengthen confidence in ashwagandha among suppliers, brands, retailers, regulators, researchers, health professionals, media, consumers, and the farmers who cultivate the crop.

“Science-based standards help to create a stronger path toward product quality and public confidence,” Flaster said. “This is the foundation ASA is working to build with members across the global ashwagandha community.”

Membership invitation

ASA invites suppliers, brands, manufacturers, testing laboratories, researchers, clinicians, trade organizations, media professionals, educators, consumers, consumer-facing stakeholders, and other responsible participants to join the Alliance. 

Founding Member benefits include early access to Alliance communications, meetings, strategy discussions, and recognition in Alliance communications as appropriate by membership category.

Founding Executive Members also participate in shaping standards, communications and policy for ashwagandha.

About the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is a coalition of responsible stakeholders working to advance standards, transparency and communication for ashwagandha globally. 

For more information:

ASA Response to India Actions: https://ashwagandhastandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Technical-Rebuttal-for-Recent-Claims-Regarding-Ashwagandha-Leaf.pdf

About ASA: https://ashwagandhastandards.org/about/

Join ASA: https://ashwagandhastandards.org/join-the-alliance/

ASA Founding Charter: https://ashwagandhastandards.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ASA-Founding-Charter.pdf

Media Contact:

Blake Ebersole

Founding Member

Ashwagandha Standards Alliance

blake@npscientific.com

Ashwagandha has become one of the most widely used botanical ingredients in global health and wellness.

But growth has exposed some problems, and the public conversation has become misguided.

Meanwhile, important questions are sometimes ignored. When we argue about plant part, the serious questions are missed:

❓ Was the product accurately labeled?

❓ Was the fingerprint representative of ashwagandha?

❓Were allergens and contaminants tested?

❓Were the test methods valid?

❓Was the product made under real GMP controls?

❓Did the ingredient actually match the material used in the safety or clinical study used to substantiate it?

The answers to these questions are what paints the quality picture for ashwagandha — and any other botanical too.

That is why the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is opening membership to the broader global community of responsible ashwagandha stakeholders.

We are not a marketing coalition or a trade group built to defend one commercial position.

We are intended to be a globally credible, scientifically grounded, structurally independent alliance built around a simple principle: Ashwagandha deserves standards equal to its global use.

Our goal is to create a unified voice in the marketplace for scientific standards, and to build a shared, credible, science-based platform to create a bright future for ashwagandha.

ASA is being formed as a collaborative, science-anchored initiative dedicated to advancing the global integrity of ashwagandha through:

• Evidence-based safety review
• Analytical harmonization
• Transparent quality practices
• Responsible communication
• Truthful labeling
• Regulatory dialogue
• Public education

Our mission is simple:

A credible voice for ashwagandha quality and science.

The Alliance exists to advance science-based education and foundational standards work for ashwagandha products. Our focus is to support informed decision-making and education for government, industry, and consumers.

By encouraging responsible communication and transparent quality standards, the Alliance helps strengthen the confidence in ashwagandha products that it has earned.

Membership is open to suppliers, brands, manufacturers, laboratories, researchers, clinicians, trade organizations, educators, media professionals, and other stakeholders who believe ashwagandha deserves standards equal to its global use.

Founding members will have opportunities to participate in technical discussions, working groups, education efforts, draft publications, stakeholder briefings, regulatory updates, and public communication initiatives.

Because the future of ashwagandha should not be shaped by panic, selective science, hidden agendas, or sloppy testing.

It should be shaped by people willing to do the work.

Science.
Quality.
Transparency.
Context.
Trust.

That’s the work ahead of us

Join the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance today by completing the Membership Application below — or visiting https://ashwagandhastandards.org/join-the-alliance/

Alliance Membership Application

Thank you to Devon Gholam, Ph.D. and SupplySide Supplement Journal for covering the Ashwagandha Standards Alliance.

One line in the article captures the problem well:

“The market and wide variety of available ingredients have led to consumer confusion around ashwagandha.”

That’s the primary issue.

Ashwagandha is no longer a small niche botanical. So when any ingredient gets as big as ashwagandha is now, we might expect the growing pains that we’re seeing now

Different extracts, plant parts, standardizations, safety narratives and regulatory responses.

Some of that complexity is real.

But the answer shouldn’t be panic or marketing spin.

The Alliance is focused on six priorities:

Education.
Safety.
Quality.
Analytical harmonization.
Transparency.
Public trust.

As the article states, ASA was formed after stakeholders came together to try to clarify the confusion and address some of the challenges and issues around communication of the science.

Let’s avoid the fear and the slogans, and focus on better standards, better methods, and better context.

Read the article here:
https://www.supplysidesj.com/business-resources/new-alliance-sets-sights-on-ashwagandha-standards

I appreciate Monday’s ashwagandha article in Nutraceuticals World for the wide range of opinions expressed.

This article correctly identifies one central scientific issue: that root, leaf, and root+leaf materials may be chemically similar, but are not identical.

It also points out the variation among legitimate products, and that generic total-withanolide claims are no longer enough.

And the article provided a sketch of the underlying story that’s still being written…

——

That story is partly about the fact that a plant-part ban doesn’t fix the current problems we face. Of unverifiable specifications, non-replicable test methods, and mislabeling of root-only products.

That story is about the path already taken that has industry facing the potential for regulatory bans of ashwagandha as a whole — much less the possibility of a root-only standard.

As Shaheen Majeed explained, a root-only standard would have enormous consequences. It would benefit some responsible suppliers and brands, while harming others. Most of all, it would affect the entire value chain — from farmer to consumer, and could reshape the global category.

That kind of decision requires transparent processes, a focus on what is or isn’t true — and most of all, conflict disclosure of those leading the ‘root-only standard’ argument.

Although the trade media has done a fairly good job on reporting on the topic, one key distinction is being missed, which is undeclared adulteration versus declared plant part from legitimate and science-backed products.

That is, this is not just about the plant part.

If a product is labeled as root-only water extract, then it should contain nothing but root water extract — no residual solvents or undeclared fillers detected. If not, that’s a quality and safety problem.

If a product is labeled as root and contains undeclared leaf, then yes, that’s a quality problem.

If a product doesn’t declare plant part, but is labeled or assumed to be root — that’s also a problem.

But if a product is declared root+leaf with specifications, toxicology, clinical studies, and defined amounts of the specific marker compounds all aligned — that’s GMP and it’s safe according to the science.

—–

The industry should not let plant part become a cover for an oversimplified narrative that hides underlying issues.

And this narrative should not be a default shortcut to “all use of leaf is adulteration”. Those two are not synonymous, and plus they are untruthful and hurtful.

Because that narrative also means “root-only companies get to define the market.”

Better standardization, labeling and testing is needed.

But the nuance needs to be presented, and the policy decisions should be transparent.

The outcomes should be proportional to risk, arising from rigorous, transparent and consensus-based policy.

That’s how truth wins out in the end.

Source: LinkedIn Post on May 21, 2026 by Blake Ebersole, Alliance Founding Member

Nutraceuticals World Article: https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/exclusives/global-implications-of-indias-ashwagandha-leaf-ban/

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance has drafted a technical review in internal peer review prior to submission for publication.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) is among the most widely used botanical ingredients in dietary supplements and herbal products globally. Its increasing commercial use has been accompanied by heightened regulatory scrutiny, particularly in relation to isolated reports of hepatobiliary injury and questions regarding the comparative safety of root, leaf, and root–leaf preparations.

This technical review evaluates the current evidence base for ashwagandha safety, with emphasis on adverse event interpretation, preclinical toxicology, clinical tolerability, plant-part composition, withaferin A, reproductive-risk labeling, and analytical standards for withanolide determination. The review draws substantially on recent comprehensive evaluations published in Phytotherapy Research and places those findings within a quality, regulatory, and analytical framework relevant to manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, finished-product brands, researchers, and regulators. 

The review concludes that the available evidence does not support a generalized causal association between properly manufactured ashwagandha extracts and serious liver injury at studied dosages. Published case reports of suspected ashwagandha-associated liver injury are important for signal detection, but they are limited by small numbers, incomplete product characterization, lack of quantitative withanolide analysis, absence of botanical-part identification, limited information on extraction methods, and frequent confounding by comorbidities, concomitant medications, pre-existing liver disease, or poorly characterized preparations. 

In contrast, the broader evidence base includes controlled clinical trials, repeated-dose oral toxicity studies, genotoxicity assessments, reproductive and developmental studies, and long-standing traditional use. Across these evidence categories, a reproducible hepatotoxicity signal has not been demonstrated. Controlled clinical trials have not shown consistent elevations in liver enzymes or serious hepatic adverse events, while preclinical oral toxicity studies commonly report no-observed-adverse-effect levels in the range of 1,000–2,000 mg/kg body weight, corresponding to exposure margins substantially above customary human supplement intakes. 

The review also addresses the distinction between root, leaf, and root–leaf extracts. Root preparations remain the most extensively studied form of ashwagandha. However, available toxicological and clinical evidence does not demonstrate a distinct safety signal for leaf-containing or root–leaf preparations when such products are authenticated, quality-controlled, and used within studied dose ranges. Current evidence therefore does not support the categorical treatment of leaf material, root–leaf extracts, or elevated withanolide content as inherently unsafe. 

Withaferin A is considered in detail because of its biological activity and its relatively higher abundance in leaf material. The review emphasizes that in vitro cytotoxicity and pharmacological bioactivity should not be equated with in vivo oral toxicity. Studies of isolated withaferin A and whole ashwagandha extracts have not demonstrated the dose-dependent liver injury, genotoxicity, or systemic toxicity that would be expected if withaferin A were the principal toxicological driver of reported adverse events. Accordingly, withaferin A should be interpreted as one bioactive constituent within a complex botanical matrix, rather than as an intrinsic marker of hazard. 

The review supports continued conservative precautionary labeling for pregnancy and lactation. This recommendation reflects the absence of adequate controlled human data in these populations and the prudent application of standard dietary supplement risk-management practices. It should not be interpreted as evidence of demonstrated reproductive or developmental toxicity, since the available preclinical data do not establish such a risk. 

A central conclusion of the review is that ashwagandha safety and quality discussions must be linked to analytical rigor. The term “total withanolides” is not a single uniform measurement. It may vary depending on extraction procedures, chromatographic conditions, reference standards, peak selection, calibration strategy, and the method used to express results. Consequently, numerical withanolide values are not fully interpretable unless the analytical method and reporting basis are clearly disclosed. 

The review therefore recommends the use of transparent, validated analytical methods consistent with AOAC principles and FDA expectations. Appropriate methods should establish specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection, limits of quantification, and suitability for the relevant botanical matrix. Multi-peak chromatographic fingerprinting should be used as a complementary quality tool to support botanical identity, batch-to-batch consistency, and detection of unintended fractionation or adulteration.

From a regulatory and quality perspective, the review argues that transparent method validation, accurate labeling, appropriate specifications, and adequate product characterization are preferable to unsupported plant-part prohibitions or single-compound safety thresholds. Narrow compositional restrictions may obscure the central issue: whether the product is authenticated, manufactured under appropriate quality systems, analytically characterized, accurately labeled, and evaluated within a relevant exposure context.

In summary, the technical review finds that properly manufactured ashwagandha extracts, including root and leaf-containing preparations, have not been shown to present a generalized hepatotoxic risk at studied dosages. The more scientifically defensible path forward is not broad categorical restriction, but improved analytical transparency, stronger quality documentation, validated methods, accurate withanolide labeling, and evidence-based interpretation of adverse event reports.

For ASA, these findings reinforce the need for public standards that distinguish safety signals from causal evidence, in vitro activity from in vivo toxicity, and marketing claims from validated analytical data. The objective is not to defend every ashwagandha product or every commercial claim. The objective is to support a scientifically credible framework for ashwagandha safety, quality, and labeling.

To be part of the review and publication of this critical review, consider joining the Alliance as a member.

Building Trust Through Standards

Ashwagandha has gained broad attention across the supplement and food industries, but growing interest also brings a greater need for clarity, consistency, and scientific rigor. The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance exists to help advance education, quality, safety, and analytical harmonization so stakeholders can make better-informed decisions about ashwagandha ingredients.

For manufacturers, researchers, regulators, and consumers alike, standards play an essential role in supporting confidence. Clear expectations around identity, composition, testing, and communication can help reduce confusion and strengthen public trust in products that contain ashwagandha.

What the Alliance Supports

• Science-based education about ashwagandha ingredients
• Greater alignment around quality and safety expectations
• Analytical harmonization to improve consistency in evaluation
• Transparency that supports informed decision-making
• Foundational standards work that benefits the broader marketplace

By bringing attention to these priorities, the alliance helps create a more credible framework for discussing ashwagandha ingredients. This work is especially important in a category where terminology, testing approaches, and quality expectations may vary across stakeholders.

Why This Matters Now

As interest in botanical ingredients continues to expand, the need for dependable standards becomes even more important. A science-based approach can support better product understanding, encourage responsible communication, and help the industry move toward stronger consistency in how ashwagandha ingredients are evaluated and discussed.

Strong standards help create a stronger foundation for quality, transparency, and public confidence.

Looking Ahead

The Ashwagandha Standards Alliance is committed to advancing informed dialogue and practical standards-related work for this important ingredient category. Through communications, educational resources, and foundational efforts, the organization aims to support a more transparent and trustworthy future for ashwagandha ingredients in supplements and foods.

Follow our Communications updates for insights, alliance news, and ongoing perspectives on quality, safety, and scientific standards.