Ashwagandha safe, western countries' curbs unjust: Experts

Dehradun: Experts at the ongoing 10th World Ayurveda Congress here on Saturday described as "financially and politically motivated" Western countries' restrictions on Ashwagandha, a widely prescribed Ayurveda medicine in India for a plethora of ailments and the best-known herb across the world. While Denmark has banned the use of Ashwagandha, several other European countries and the United States have clamped a lot of restrictions on the herb, including mandatory labelling disclosing some of the so-called serious side effects.

Participating in a session on 'The Ashwagandha Saga: Safety, Science and Evidence', the experts pointed that only the root of the herb is used for producing medicines in India but companies in the western countries are importing the leaf extracts of the plant for making and selling food supplements, claiming that these improved stamina and vitality.

All the experts were unanimous that Ashwagandha medicine has been found to be safe for over thousands of years and this has been confirmed by hundreds of published research papers.


Ayurveda practitioners, academics and industry representatives attending the event have asserted that India's traditional wellness system is anchored in evidence.

The panelists participating in a session on 'Evidence-Based Ayurveda' said the misperception to the contrary has been identified as a major hurdle to the wider acceptance of the traditional Indian medicine system, especially abroad.

However, they suggested the evidence-base of Ayurveda needs be further strengthened by conducting clinical trials on new medicines and treatments and sharing the results with all stakeholders by publishing them in industry and international journals and portals.

In addition, Ayurveda practitioners should be encouraged to improve their documentation skills and upload case studies on web platforms like Ayurveda Clinical e-Learning (AyurCeL), they said.