Expandly Blog

Britain’s Ashwagandha Safety Review Is Still Not Closed

A third draft statement went before the UK’s toxicity committee on 8 September 2026, and no conclusion has been published by the UK or the EU.

Key Takeaways

► A third draft statement went to committee 8 September 2026

► No UK or EU conclusion has been published yet

► The new study covers one branded extract only

► Know your own extract, dose and documentation

Anyone selling ashwagandha into the UK is still selling into an open regulatory question. The UK's Committee on Toxicity discussed a third draft statement on the ingredient at its meeting on 8 September 2026, confirming the formal risk assessment remains active and unfinished. No conclusion or restriction has been published by either the UK or the EU.

62 adults Participants in a 90-day safety study of one branded ashwagandha extract, published by its supplier. Source: Arjuna Natural via NutraIngredients Europe, 8 September 2026.

Separately, Arjuna Natural published a 90-day study of its Shoden ashwagandha root and leaf extract at 480mg a day, standardised to 35 per cent withanolide glycosides, in 62 healthy adults. It reported no significant deviations in liver, kidney, glucose, cholesterol or blood-pressure markers against baseline. The study appeared in Advances in Integrative Medicine.

Read the scope carefully before reading the result. This covers one branded extract, at one dose, in 62 healthy adults, over 90 days, funded by the supplier of that extract. It is not a general safety finding for all ashwagandha ingredients or formulations, and a supplier-funded study is supporting context rather than independent confirmation. Anyone quoting it as clearance for the category is quoting it wrong.

The commercial position for a US brand is straightforward enough. Ashwagandha is currently legal to sell in the UK, and a regulator is actively assessing it. That is a normal state of affairs for botanicals, and it argues for planning rather than pausing. Know which extract and dose your product uses, keep your own safety documentation to hand, and watch for the Committee's conclusion rather than waiting for a headline. A brand that already knows its formulation detail can respond to a finding in weeks. A brand that has to go back to its manufacturer to find out cannot.

Nothing has changed in what you are allowed to sell. What has changed is how much notice you have.

Document which ashwagandha extract, standardisation and daily dose your product uses.
Hold your own safety and stability documentation rather than relying on a supplier's published study.
Watch for the Committee on Toxicity's published statement rather than acting on draft discussions.
Check each EU market's position separately, because the UK review does not bind them.

Expandly tracks ingredient reviews across UK and EU markets and tells clients what to do when one concludes.

Expandly helps US ecommerce brands expand into Europe — compliance, marketplaces and fulfilment, all handled. We’ve supported 2,000+ brands make the move.

VAT registration handled across UK, Germany, Netherlands and all EU markets
EPR compliance managed from day one — packaging, WEEE, batteries and beyond
Product label review and Responsible Person service for EU and UK market entry
EU fulfilment from our Netherlands warehouse — fast access to the whole continent
Dedicated onboarding, compliance and success team alongside the platform
Expandly AI guidance and alerts built into the platform
17 years' experience, 2000+ brands expanded — Andy Hooper, Founder

The bigger picture

An Open Ingredient Review Documentation Buys You Time

The UK's assessment of ashwagandha remaining active through September 2026, with no published conclusion, is the ordinary condition of botanical ingredients rather than an emergency. A supplement brand selling into the UK and the EU is running two separate regulatory positions, each with its own ingredient rules, labelling requirements, Responsible Person obligation and VAT registration. Expandly's onboarding is compliance-first, and for a health and wellness brand the first step is a product and ingredient review that records exactly which extracts, standardisations and doses are in each product across each market. Having that on file is what turns a regulator's conclusion into a labelling change instead of a withdrawal.

The Committee on Toxicity paper discussed on 8 September 2026 is not yet public, and no UK position has been finalised
Expandly provides the EU Responsible Person designation and reviews labels against local rules for each destination market
A brand that cannot state its own extract and dose has no way to assess a finding when one is published

European Consumer Interest

Consumer search interest in ashwagandha runs higher in Germany than in the UK, and has held that way across a full 90-day period. European demand for the ingredient is established rather than emerging, which is part of why regulators are looking at it.

23.6 vs 19.2

Average relative search interest, Germany against the UK, 90 days to April 2026. Google Trends.

UK Risk Assessment Open

The UK Committee on Toxicity is still working through its safety assessment of ashwagandha, with a third draft statement discussed in September 2026. Until it publishes, the ingredient remains sellable and the position remains subject to change.

8 Sep 2026

Date of the Committee on Toxicity meeting discussing the third draft statement. UK Food Standards Agency via GOV.UK, papers published 4 September 2026.

EU Responsible Person, Included

Cosmetics, supplements and electronics sold in the EU require a designated Responsible Person. Expandly provides this designation as part of your compliance setup, with no separate service or third party required.

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Britain’s Ashwagandha Safety Review Is Still Not Closed

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Key Takeaways

The bigger picture

An Open Ingredient Review Documentation Buys You Time

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