Let’s Talk Nutrition With Nico: Ashwagandha’s Popularity Collides With New Sourcing Rules

Ashwagandha has become one of the most prominent ingredients in the adaptogen category, holding close to 44% of the ashwagandha and adaptogen extracts market, and is named one of Nutritional Outlook’s Ingredients to Watch this year, according to Nico Saraceno, senior editor of NO, speaking on the latest episode of “Let’s Talk Nutrition With Nico.” The market is projected to grow from around $1.26 billion this year to more than $5.4 billion by 2036. The ingredient’s roots trace back to Ayurvedic medicine, where it is classified as a rasayana, a rejuvenating herb used to support general well-being, a history Saraceno said plays a large role in consumer trust.

Regulatory Scrutiny Builds Around Plant Sourcing

That traditional-use history has increasingly come into tension with modern sourcing standards. Saraceno pointed to a panel at the World Health Organization’s Global Traditional Medicine Summit in late 2025, where experts addressed ashwagandha adulteration and called for industrywide adoption of root-only extraction, arguing that leaf material can alter an extract’s phytochemical profile and safety parameters. India’s Ministry of Ayush had already discouraged the use of ashwagandha leaves before that panel, citing insufficient evidence of safety and efficacy.

Since then, Saraceno said the Ministry of Ayush has issued a formal advisory restricting ashwagandha leaves in extracts, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has clarified that leaf-derived extracts aren’t permitted in health supplements under current food safety regulations. Because India supplies a large share of the global ashwagandha market, Saraceno said companies sourcing raw material from Indian supply chains could feel downstream effects even if their finished products aren’t sold in India. He noted trade groups such as the American Herbal Products Association are still working through what the advisory means industrywide, and that there’s no clear consensus yet on how much health risk leaf extracts pose.

Where Fenugreek and Shatavari Fit In

Fenugreek and shatavari, by comparison, have more targeted use cases and haven’t drawn the same sourcing scrutiny. Saraceno said fenugreek is most often used in blood sugar and lactation support formulations, while shatavari has a long history in women’s reproductive health within Ayurvedic medicine, though its clinical evidence base is thinner than ashwagandha’s. He attributed the difference in scrutiny largely to ashwagandha’s scale and visibility within the category, adding that traditional-use history may get a product noticed but no longer guarantees it meets today’s sourcing and documentation standards.