Brazil's Anvisa restates ashwagandha supplement ban after UK liver case

Brazil's health regulator, Anvisa (the National Health Surveillance Agency), on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, reissued a public alert that ashwagandha food supplements are not authorised in the country. The agency said making, selling, distributing and using the herb as a supplement are prohibited in Brazil, because ashwagandha is not on its list of ingredients allowed in such products. The alert followed wide attention to a case in England, where a 44-year-old woman who had been taking ashwagandha gummies needed a liver transplant and was left with brain damage.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is one of the best-known herbs of Ayurveda. Its place in that tradition is one thing; the evidence on its safety in modern supplement form is another, and it is still being built. The herb has also become a global wellness product, sold as gummies, capsules and powders, often online and often marketed through social media for stress, sleep and hormones. As sales have spread, regulators outside India have started to look harder at safety, especially reports of liver injury.

Brazil's alert is not a new ban. The agency's point is that ashwagandha was never on its list of permitted supplement ingredients, so any such product on sale is unlawful. What is new is the timing: the agency chose to restate the rule as the herb trends on social media and as a serious case in England circulates in the Brazilian press. For Indian exporters and brands that sell ashwagandha abroad, it is a reminder that the herb's legal status differs from country to country, and that a single high-profile case can move regulators.

The UK review shows where the science stands. According to an FSA-related research summary, the agency's risk assessments have found associations with effects on thyroid hormones, low blood sugar and possible liver toxicity, and its Committee on Toxicity has said more information is needed on long-term effects and on liver safety of standardised preparations. The FSA has not yet published a final outcome.

India's own regulator has already drawn a line between parts of the plant. The FSSAI advisory of April 16, 2026, says only ashwagandha roots and their extracts are permitted in health supplements under Schedule IV of the 2016 nutraceutical regulations. It bars leaves because studies have raised concerns about their higher levels of withanolides, plant compounds that include withaferin-A. The advisory followed directions from the Ministry of Ayush, which had observed that some manufacturers kept using leaves despite earlier instructions.

Short-term: Online sellers and social media promoters reaching Brazilian buyers face enforcement risk, and consumers there have been told the products are illegal. The alert is also likely to add to public questions about ashwagandha gummies in other markets.

Long-term: The outcome of the UK risk assessment, and any further case reports, will shape how other regulators treat the herb. Brands that can show standardised, root-only preparations with safety data are likely to be in a stronger position, which matches the direction India's FSSAI has already taken.

Who is affected: People who take ashwagandha supplements, especially those with liver or thyroid conditions; Ayurveda and nutraceutical companies that export the herb; and online sellers and influencers who promote supplements.

Questions and Answers