The Ashwagandha safety study was published in which journal?
- A.The Lancet
- B.Frontiers in Medicine
- C.Nature Medicine
- D.Indian Journal of Medical Research
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is Frontiers in Medicine, where the paper appeared on 20 August 2026 under a title describing the prolonged prophylactic use and tolerability of Ashwagandha after COVISHIELD vaccination over twenty-four weeks. The Lancet is wrong because the study was not carried in it, although it is among the best known medical journals and therefore a tempting distractor. Nature Medicine is wrong for the same reason. The Indian Journal of Medical Research is wrong because, despite the study being run entirely at Indian sites by Indian institutions, the publication venue was the international journal named above. The work involved forty-five researchers drawn from nine institutions, including the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences. The Ministry of Ayush drew attention to the paper as part of its wider effort to build a body of rigorous clinical evidence for standardised Ayurvedic preparations, a point made by the Ayush Secretary, by the National Professor of Ayush and by the Director General of the research council.
Read the full article: Ashwagandha Extract Safe Over 24 Weeks in 1,200-Adult Trial
Practice Questions
How many participants were enrolled in the multicentre clinical trial on standardised Ashwagandha root extract?
- A.600
- B.900
- C.1,200
- D.1,500
Show answer
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled that many apparently healthy adults between eighteen and seventy years of age, each of whom had already received a first, second or booster dose of the COVISHIELD vaccine, across seven study sites in India.
Read the full explanation →What daily dose of standardised aqueous Ashwagandha root extract was given to participants in the trial?
- A.250 mg
- B.500 mg
- C.750 mg
- D.1,000 mg
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Participants were randomly assigned to receive either this standardised aqueous extract or a matching placebo, and the assignment was double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor the assessors knew which arm a person belonged to.
Read the full explanation →As of 6 November 2026, how many equipment items were listed on the I-STEM portal?
- A.4,044
- B.18,250
- C.31,540
- D.45,000
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As of 6 November 2026, the day its API integration with the Startup India Portal was launched, I-STEM listed 31,540 equipment items across 4,044 registered institutions, giving researchers and innovators a large national pool of scientific resources.
Read the full explanation →Who chaired the launch of the API integration between the Startup India and I-STEM portals on 6 November 2026?
- A.Dr. Parvinder Maini
- B.Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood
- C.Ateesh Kumar Singh
- D.Dr. Vishal Choudhary
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He described the integration as an institutional convergence that can lower R&D costs, avoid duplication of capital-intensive facilities and raise the use of publicly funded infrastructure.
Read the full explanation →What does the acronym I-STEM, whose portal was integrated with the Startup India Portal in November 2026, stand for?
- A.Indian Scheme for Technology and Engineering Mentorship
- B.Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map
- C.Integrated Startup Technology Enablement Mission
- D.Indian Society for Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
Show answer
I-STEM is the portal that maps scientific equipment and research facilities across academic and research institutions so that they can be shared.
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