SUPERFEAST Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha suits a lot of people and it genuinely isn't for everyone. So here is the same quick triage our naturopaths run at the counter every day, in the order they run it.

A good fit if

• You are an adult looking for traditional adaptogen support through a stretch of everyday stress
• You want a standardised extract with the withanolide content printed on the label, so you know what you are taking
• Your health history is straightforward. No liver, thyroid or autoimmune concerns, and no prescription medicines
• You would rather stir a traditional whole-root powder into food or a drink than swallow a capsule
• You are happy to give it a fair trial and review how you are going with a practitioner, rather than expecting an overnight change

Check with us first if

• Thyroid condition, or taking thyroid hormone such as levothyroxine. Ashwagandha may alter thyroid hormone levels, and case reports describe thyrotoxicosis resolving after it was stopped.
• Taking immunosuppressant medicines. A recognised potential interaction that should not be combined without medical advice.
• Taking sedatives, anticonvulsants or anything else that causes drowsiness. Drowsiness is a recognised effect of ashwagandha and may be additive.
• Taking diabetes or blood pressure medicines. Possible additive effects, so monitoring is advised.
• Taking any prescription medicine at all. A quick check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths first is the sensible step.
• Buying from an overseas website. Those products are not regulated by the TGA for quality and safety, and some reported liver injury cases involved internationally purchased products.

• Standardised root extract (generic). Best known for: The default on Australian listed medicine labels. Absorption: Concentrated, with withanolide content declared on the label, so the active dose is measurable. Typical use: Capsules or tablets, often split into two doses.
• KSM-66 (branded root extract). Best known for: A root-only, water-based extract; used in 16 of 23 trials in one systematic review. Absorption: Aqueous root extract, standardised on total withanolides. Typical use: Capsules and sports powders, most often 600 mg per day. The most frequently studied dose.
• Sensoril (branded root-and-leaf extract). Best known for: A root-and-leaf extract standardised to withanolide glycosides rather than total withanolides. Absorption: Leaf has a different phytochemical profile from root, so doses are not interchangeable with root-only extracts. Typical use: Dosed at the lower end of the range; uncommon on Australian labels.
• Whole root powder. Best known for: Traditional Ayurvedic preparation, closest to historical use, stirred into milk, water or food. Absorption: Not concentrated. Far larger amounts are needed to match an extract's withanolide dose. Typical use: 1–2 teaspoons daily, measured by volume rather than by withanolide content.
• Whole-herb or leaf-containing preparations. Best known for: Cheaper raw material; leaf and aerial parts rather than the root used in trials. Absorption: Leaf contains substantially higher withaferin A and withanone than root. Typical use: Uncommon on Australian labels; leaf material is one proposed contributing factor in reported liver injury cases.

Reference values. None. Ashwagandha is a herb, not an essential nutrient, so there is no NHMRC Nutrient Reference Value, RDI or EAR for it.

Typical supplemental range. Australian labels typically supply 150–600 mg of standardised root extract per day. Combination tablets commonly provide 150 mg of extract equivalent to about 1.5 g of dry root, so the extract milligrams and the dry-root equivalent on a label are two different numbers.

Upper level. No NHMRC Upper Level of Intake exists. The 12 g dry root equivalent figure that appears in the TGA Determination is a labelling threshold inside a warning exemption, not a safety ceiling.

Worth knowing. Ashwagandha is not obtained from the everyday food supply in Australia, so there is no dietary intake figure to compare against. Duration matters as much as dose: long-term safety beyond about three months has not been established. Your needs depend on your age, diet and health circumstances. Talk to one of our naturopaths.

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy. Avoid without professional advice; NCCIH advises avoiding ashwagandha in pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding. Avoid; safety has not been established (NCCIH).
• Existing or previous liver problems. Avoid as a precaution.
• Jaundice, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, unusual tiredness, abdominal pain or loss of appetite. Stop and seek medical advice promptly.
• Sudden nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea after only one or two doses. Stop and seek advice; reported to the TGA.
• Thyroid conditions, or thyroid hormone such as levothyroxine. May alter thyroid hormone levels; thyrotoxicosis case reports.
• Autoimmune conditions. NCCIH advises against use.
• Immunosuppressant medicines. Recognised potential interaction.
• Sedatives, anticonvulsants and other drowsiness-causing medicines. Additive drowsiness.
• Diabetes and blood pressure medicines. Possible additive effects; monitoring advised.
• Planned surgery. NCCIH advises against use beforehand.
• Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. NCCIH advises avoiding.
• Children and adolescents. Australian labels commonly state not suitable under 15.
• Products bought from overseas websites. Not TGA-regulated for quality and safety; some reported liver injury cases involved internationally purchased products.
• If you take prescription medicines, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before starting.