Netherlands moves to ban ashwagandha leaf in supplements

What happened

The Netherlands has formally notified the European Commission of a draft decree on herbal preparations and food supplements (reported by NutraIngredients on 6 October 2026). The draft would:

• ban ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) leaf and preparations made from the leaf. Products made from the root stay allowed, with a warning against use in pregnancy, while breastfeeding and by people with liver or thyroid problems;
• ban Huperzia serrata and huperzine A;
• cap black cohosh at 40 mg a day;
• require warnings for garlic, green tea, black cohosh, turmeric, ginkgo, St John’s wort, Mucuna pruriens, American ginseng, red sage, milk thistle and valerian.

The Commission and other EU countries can comment until 7 December 2026. If the Netherlands then adopts it, the rules could apply from the end of 2026, with a six-month transition. The 2025 version would have banned ashwagandha outright; it drew more than 700 responses, most of them against.

What it means for you

• Check which part of the plant you are buying. KSM-66 is a root-only extract; some other branded extracts combine root and leaf. Many labels just say “ashwagandha extract”, which tells you nothing.
• Outside the Netherlands nothing changes yet, but several EU-wide online shops are based there, so their ranges may change.
• In the UK ashwagandha is legal as a food supplement. The FSA’s Committee on Toxicity has been assessing its safety since 2024 and had not published a conclusion by October 2026; until then the FSA advises pregnant women and people with liver conditions to avoid it.
• Denmark remains the only European country with an outright ban in supplements.

We will check the outcome after 7 December and update our ashwagandha guide and supplement page.

Information only, not medical advice. No brand or shop paid for this item.