Fact-check
Is ashwagandha banned by FSSAI?
Last checked 10 October 2026
Ashwagandha is not banned, but FSSAI's advisory of 16 Apr 2026 says ashwagandha leaves, in crude, extract or any other form, are not to be used in food products including health supplements; the root remains permitted at 3 to 6 g.
- Classification
- Restricted (Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006)
- Decided by
- FSSAI, reproducing a Ministry of AYUSH letter of 15 Apr 2026
- Reference
- FSSAI advisory of 16 Apr 2026, F. No. RCD-15001/11/2021; Ministry of AYUSH letter of 15 Apr 2026
- Latest action
- 16 April 2026
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: Ashwagandha Roots.jpg by Piyush Kothari (CC BY-SA 4.0). All photo credits.
FSSAI advisory on non-use of ashwagandha leaves in crude or extract or any other form in food products (F. No. RCD-15001/11/2021)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Leaves
- Not to be used in food products, including health supplements, in crude, extract or any other form (advisory of 16 Apr 2026)
- Root
- Permitted, 3 to 6 g, per FSSAI's schedules
- Source of the advisory
- Reproduces the Ministry of AYUSH letter of 15 Apr 2026
- File number
- F. No. RCD-15001/11/2021
Where the claim comes from
The question follows FSSAI's advisory of 16 Apr 2026. The advisory concerns the leaf, not the root.
Ashwagandha is not banned in India, but part of the plant is not to be used in food. In an advisory of 16 Apr 2026 (F. No. RCD-15001/11/2021), FSSAI said ashwagandha leaves, in crude, extract or any other form, are not to be used in food products, including health supplements. The advisory reproduces a letter from the Ministry of AYUSH dated 15 Apr 2026.
The root is a different matter. FSSAI's schedules of permitted ingredients list ashwagandha root at 3 to 6 g. So a supplement made from the root is within the schedule, and a supplement made from leaf, or leaf extract, falls under the advisory.
This page gives no reason for the restriction, because the sources used for it do not set one out. For a buyer the practical step is to read the label for the plant part and to treat unlabelled 'extracts' with care.
What this means for you
Check the plant part on the label
Root is permitted. Leaf, in crude, extract or any other form, is covered by the advisory.
A product is not banned because it says ashwagandha
The advisory is about the leaf. The root, at 3 to 6 g in FSSAI's schedule, is permitted.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Can I take ashwagandha root powder in India?
Ashwagandha root is permitted in FSSAI's schedules at 3 to 6 g. The April 2026 advisory concerns the leaves.
What did the 16 April 2026 advisory say?
That ashwagandha leaves, in crude, extract or any other form, are not to be used in food products, including health supplements. It reproduces the Ministry of AYUSH letter of 15 Apr 2026.
Official sources and primary records
- FSSAI advisory on non-use of ashwagandha leaves in crude or extract or any other form in food products (F. No. RCD-15001/11/2021)RegulatorFSSAI · 16 April 2026
- FSSAI direction operationalising the FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations 2022RegulatorFSSAI · 30 March 2022