Ayush Ministry trial finds no liver or kidney injury from standardised Ashwagandha root extract

28 September 2026

The Ministry of Ayush announced the results of a 24-week clinical trial of standardised Ashwagandha root extract, published in Frontiers in Medicine.
1,200 vaccinated adults aged 18 to 70 years took part; 1,032 participants, or 86 per cent, completed the 24-week intervention, with follow-up continuing to week 28.
Participants received 500 mg of the extract daily, equivalent to 4 grams of raw root powder.
Liver and kidney function parameters remained within normal ranges and no treatment-related hepatic or renal injury was observed.
No serious adverse events were attributed to the intervention and no participant withdrew because of adverse effects.
Nine institutions took part, including the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, the All India Institute of Ayurveda and the National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur.
Ayush Secretary Rajesh Kotecha said high-quality clinical research strengthens the scientific evidence-base of Ayurveda.