Dr Norman Swan

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26,995 appearances 288 recordings 3 series first heard Apr 2006 last heard 15 Sep

Dr Norman Swan’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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What's That Rash? · Ashwagandha: what's the evidence? · 21 Jul 2026 podcast

But in Ayurvedic medicine, there is this mix, if you like, called rasayana, which is described as a herbal or metallic preparation.

And they've been advertised for millennia as inducing a youthful state of physical and mental health and expanding happiness, which goes to Wayne's question.

Because of course, if you go look at the Rasayana herbs, there's quite a few herbs in there and it could be a mix.

And ashwagandha is just one part of that mix, albeit an important part.

There are, assuming that what you're buying is what is said on the label.

So it's a little less of a problem with ashwagandha than it is with other supplements.

There are forms of ashwagandha which seem to have verified amounts in them that are more reliable products than just buying them online and hoping for the best.

And some of those products have actually been used in clinical trials because standardization is a real problem.

So again, whether this is from ashwagandha itself or from contaminants, it's considered not safe in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

It's not considered safe if you've got hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, because there is some evidence that it influences hormones such as testosterone.

that you wouldn't have it at the same time as other sedatives because it may have a sedative effect.

It may have an anti-clotting effect.

So if you're having surgery, you wouldn't want to necessarily have it.

There have been liver problems reported with ashwagandha.

People get diarrhea, vomiting, drowsiness, upper gastrointestinal discomfort.

And as we've said many times, if something is strong enough to have an effect on the body,

even if it might be a thousand-year-old herbal medicine, if it's strong enough to have an effect, it's strong enough to have side effects.

There's just no such thing as an intervention which actually has biological benefits for the body without a biological downside.

It just doesn't happen.

And therefore, you can't just say, well, I'm having ashwagandha.

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