{"id":99758,"date":"2026-04-22T18:08:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=99758"},"modified":"2026-04-22T18:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:38:01","slug":"ashwagandha-regulation-by-fssai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/ashwagandha-regulation-by-fssai\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashwagandha Regulation by FSSAI, Rules, Permitted Parts, Safety Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued an advisory stating that Ashwagandha leaves cannot be used in food products or supplements in any form.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>FSSAI Advisory on Ashwagandha<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/fssai\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India<\/strong><\/a> issued an advisory to clarify the permitted use of Ashwagandha in food products and supplements.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the <\/span><b>Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals) Regulations 2016,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> there is a fixed list of approved plants and their specific parts that can be used in such products.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to this list <\/span><b>(Schedule IV)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, only the root of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and its extracts are allowed, and even these must be used within prescribed safety limits.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The authority observed that some manufacturers were using Ashwagandha leaves and leaf extracts in their products, which is not permitted under the rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, the advisory clearly states that <\/span><b>Ashwagandha leaves cannot be used in any form, whether raw, powdered, or as an extract, in food products or health supplements.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It directs all <\/span><b>Food Business Operators (FBOs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to strictly follow these regulations and stop using unapproved parts of the plant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also warns that any violation will lead to legal action under the <\/span><b>Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the advisory aims to ensure consumer <\/span><b>safety, standardisation, and proper regulation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of herbal ingredients in the food and nutraceutical sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About Ashwagandha<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry, is a well-known medicinal plant in Ayurveda.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The term \u201cAshwagandha\u201d comes from \u201cashwa\u201d (horse) and \u201cgandha\u201d (smell), indicating strength and the root\u2019s distinct aroma.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally classified as a<\/span><b> \u201crasayana\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> herb, it is believed to promote longevity, improve immunity, and strengthen the nervous system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is widely used for its adaptogenic properties, helping the body cope with stress and restore balance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Scientific Evidence on Ashwagandha Leaves<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emerging studies suggest that Ashwagandha leaves possess bioactive properties, but their use remains under scientific evaluation.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research indicates that leaf extracts contain compounds such as <\/span><b>Withaferin D<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which may show anti-cancer properties by targeting tumour cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies also highlight potential <\/span><b>neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, and anti-diabetic effects.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, these findings are largely experimental and not yet fully translated into approved food safety standards.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ashwagandha regulation by FSSAI restricts use of leaves in food and supplements. Learn rules, permitted parts, safety concerns, and impact on nutraceutical products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":99711,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[7062],"class_list":{"0":"post-99758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-ashwagandha-regulation-by-fssai","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99758"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99764,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99758\/revisions\/99764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}