AHPA submits comments to UK Food Standards Agency’s call for evidence for ashwagandha

• By: AHPA
• On: 09/18/2024 07:15:03
• In: AHPA News

September 18, 2024
 

AHPA's submission highlights ashwagandha's Botanical Safety Handbook entry, research, and history of traditional use
 

Amid growing interest and use of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) around the world, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has submitted comments to the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency's (FSA) call for evidence for ashwagandha issued this year. FSA – the government agency responsible for protecting public health in relation to food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – issued the call for evidence to “gather information on ashwagandha food supplements in order to build an evidence package which will be assessed through the FSA's risk analysis process.”
 
Focusing on FSA's request for “any available information/data on the safety assessment of food supplements containing ashwagandha, including toxicological testing and relevant toxicological data” as specified in the call for evidence, AHPA's submission includes comments on:

• Botanical safety: In the most recently updated entry for ashwagandha in the online edition of AHPA's Botanical Safety Handbook, 2^nd Ed., AHPA classifies ashwagandha as a Class 1 herb (safe for consumption when used appropriately) with Class A interactions (no expected clinically relevant interactions).

• Hepatotoxicity concerns: AHPA reviewed 14 cases linking ashwagandha to liver toxicity. However, insufficient botanical identification, dosage information, and inconsistent assessment methods across the case reports make it difficult to confirm a causal link.

• Abortifacient claims: Concerns over ashwagandha as an abortifacient are traced to an incomplete interpretation of historical and ethnobotanical reports. Traditional use of ashwagandha, as well as recent research, do not substantiate these claims.

• Global usage: Ashwagandha's global market presence has surged, potentially leading to more reported cases of adverse effects, though AHPA suggests these could be idiosyncratic.

• Scientific research: New studies, including 90-day toxicity assessments, may contradict earlier reports in which toxicity concerns were raised. Further, ashwagandha is one of the most researched botanicals with a long history of use in traditional Ayurvedic medicine as well as in contemporary food supplement products.

AHPA remains committed to providing science-based guidance and supporting regulatory frameworks that ensure consumer safety while preserving access to widely used herbs such as ashwagandha. As global interest in this botanical continues to grow, AHPA encourages regulators to consider the full scope of scientific evidence and the herb's long-standing history of safe use. The association looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the FSA and other regulatory bodies to ensure transparent, evidence-based decisions that reflect the best available research on ashwagandha.