Ashwagandha Extract (Withania somnifera)

Ashwagandha extract is produced from the dried mature root of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, family Solanaceae, one of the most heavily traded botanicals in the Indian nutraceutical export trade. Thovek supplies water, ethanol and hydro-ethanolic root extracts standardised on total withanolides, the C28 steroidal lactone group that the USP monograph for Ashwagandha Root Dry Extract defines as the sum of withanolide aglycones (calculated as withanolide A) and withanolide glycosides (calculated as withanoside IV). The USP monograph sets a floor of NLT 2.5% withanolides on the dried basis; commercial grades run from 1.5% up to 10% depending on the extraction ratio and whether HPLC or gravimetric assay is specified. Two commercial decisions drive the specification and both belong on the purchase order. The first is plant part. Root-only extract is the default and is what most US and EU brands specify; root-and-leaf material is cheaper, gives a higher apparent withanolide number and carries substantially more withaferin A, and Thovek labels it distinctly rather than shipping it against a root-only order. The second is assay method. A gravimetric percentage and an HPLC percentage are not the same measurement, and a 5% gravimetric extract will not read 5% on an HPLC method. Every batch ships with the method, the reference standard and the marker breakdown stated on the certificate of analysis. The material is a free-flowing light to dark brown powder with the characteristic bitter, slightly horsey odour of the root. Water-soluble and water-dispersible grades are available for stick packs, effervescents and RTD beverage premixes; standard hydro-alcoholic grades are intended for capsules, tablets and dry blends. All material is plant-derived and suitable for vegan and vegetarian claims, is free of milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, mollusc, peanut, tree nut, sesame, mustard, celery, lupin and gluten-bearing cereals, and is non-GMO. Buyers formulating nightshade-free lines should note that Withania somnifera is a Solanaceae botanical. Withania somnifera is listed as not novel in the EU Novel Food Catalogue, but several member states have issued their own restrictions or intake advice, so confirm national status for the destination market before contracting.