Brain Health

Ashwagandha in dietary supplement products

Ashwagandha supplement powder
  • Indian ginseng
  • Winter cherry
Prohibited Status
NOT prohibited

 

What is ashwagandha and how is it listed on dietary supplement labels? 

  • Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a plant that grows in parts of India, the Middle East, and Africa. It has been used for over 3,000 years in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine.
  • Ashwagandha naturally contains a variety of phytochemicals, including steroidal alkaloids and lactones such as withaferin A and various withanolides. These compounds are believed to be responsible for ashwagandha’s purported effects.
  • Ashwagandha supplements are often sold as capsules, gummies, powders, and liquid drops. 
  • Ashwagandha may appear in dietary supplements as root or leaf extracts and trademarked ingredients (KSM-66®, Sensoril®, or Shoden®).

What are the marketed benefits of ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is commonly used as an ingredient in dietary supplements marketed for a variety of health benefits including but not limited to:

  • Sleep, relaxation, stress, mood, depression, and anxiety
  • Pain, arthritis, and inflammation
  • Cognitive enhancement
  • Testosterone-booster and infertility
  • Diabetes
  • Athletic performance

Ashwagandha is also promoted as an “adaptogen,” which is a substance used to help the body adapt to stress. Service Members and consumers should keep in mind that dietary supplements are intended to supplement your diet and are notintended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases.

Are there any benefits of ashwagandha?

  • There are several clinical trials that suggest ashwagandha (root and leaf) extracts might improve stress and anxiety. 
  • A few studies also suggest that ashwagandha extracts might help improve duration and quality of sleep, especially for individuals with insomnia. 
  • There is limited research to support other marketed health benefits (athletic performance, infertility, cognitive-enhancement, and increased testosterone levels). 

Even though these results are promising, most studies were small, short-term, and used varying doses and types of ashwagandha (for example, root extract, leaf extract, and root powder). More research is needed to determine which plant parts and dosages best support the observed effects. It’s still unknown how effective ashwagandha is when used long-term. 

Is ashwagandha safe?

Ashwagandha appears to be safe when used orally as an ingredient in dietary supplements short-term (up to 12 weeks). However, the long-term effects of ashwagandha are not fully known. 

Side effects of ashwagandha could include:

  • Nausea, itching, rash, anorexia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach discomfort, drowsiness, sleep problems, and, in rare cases, liver and thyroid injury.

 Ashwagandha may not be safe for: 

  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Individuals who have hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, pre-existing liver disease, or thyroid disorders. 
  • Individuals who are taking thyroid hormone medications or medications commonly used for blood pressure, diabetes, and immune suppression. 

KSM-66®, a trademarked product containing ashwagandha root extracts, claims to be “self-affirmed GRAS” (Generally Recognized as Safe) for use in some foods after an independent panel of experts reviewed safety data on the ingredient. However, ashwagandha is not recognized as GRAS by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Will ashwagandha cause a positive drug test? Is ashwagandha prohibited for Service Members?

  • Ashwagandha is not prohibited for Service Members, and it shouldn’t cause a positive result on a routine military drug test. 
  • However, without laboratory testing there is no way to know the actual ingredients (or their amounts) in a product, so check the label to see if it has been evaluated by an independent, third-party organization.

Bottom line

  • Ashwagandha extracts might help reduce stress, anxiety, and improve sleep, but evidence for other marketed benefits is limited. Most studies are small and short-term, with varying doses and forms of ashwagandha, so more research is needed to confirm the health benefits. 
  • Ashwagandha appears to be safe for short-term use (up to 12 weeks), but its long-term safety is unknown.
  • Ashwagandha is not on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List, and it shouldn’t cause a positive result on a routine military drug test.

Updated 30 May 2025