Ashwagandha Extract Safe Over 24 Weeks in 1,200-Adult Trial

A large clinical study on standardised Ashwagandha root extract has reported that taking it every day for 24 weeks was well tolerated and left no sign of injury to the liver or the kidneys. The paper appeared in the journal Frontiers in Medicine on 20 August 2026, and the Ministry of Ayush has drawn attention to what it means for evidence-based Ayurveda.

How the trial was designed

It was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial run at seven sites in India. A total of 1,200 apparently healthy adults between 18 and 70 years of age took part, all of whom had received a first, second or booster dose of the COVISHIELD vaccine. Each participant was assigned either a daily dose of 500 mg of a standardised aqueous root extract, equal to 4 grams of raw root powder, or a matching placebo. The trial carries the registration number of the Clinical Trials Registry-India.

Who ran it

Forty-five researchers from nine institutions worked on the study, drawing on Ayurveda, clinical medicine, rheumatology and integrative health. The institutions include the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the All India Institute of Ayurveda, the National Institute of Ayurveda at Jaipur, the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute and Savitribai Phule Pune University. Dr Arvind Chopra of the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Pune, was the lead author.

What the results showed

Participants took the intervention for 24 weeks and were followed to week 28. Of the 1,200 enrolled, 1,032, or 86 per cent, finished the study. Liver enzymes, bilirubin, creatinine and blood urea all stayed within the reported reference ranges. No serious adverse event was traced to the intervention and nobody dropped out because of one. The extract also left the vaccine response alone: virus-neutralising activity was above 85 per cent in both the extract and placebo arms, with no statistically significant gap between them.

What officials said

Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said high-quality clinical research strengthens the scientific base of Ayurveda and supports its responsible use worldwide. Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan, National Professor of Ayush and a co-author, called the work an example of evaluating Ayurveda through modern trials without losing its traditional grounding. Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, said such well-designed studies matter for the evidence-informed use of standardised Ayurvedic preparations.