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THERAPIES & TRADITIONS · GUIDE

Ayurvedic Herbs With Known Safety Concerns

Ayurvedic herbs and products with documented safety concerns: metals, liver injury, aconite, asarone and hidden drugs, with regulator and study sources and what to do.

Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.

Back to Chinese Herbs With Known Safety Concerns: Aristolochia, Ephedra, Aconite and Others

If you feel unwell now

For severe symptoms after taking any herbal product, call 911 in the US. For possible poisoning, US Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222. See Poison Help by country and poisoning: what to do first.

The short version

"Natural" and "ancient" do not mean safe. NCCIH, the US government's complementary health agency, notes that some Ayurvedic preparations may contain lead, mercury or arsenic in amounts that can be toxic. [1] This page lists the main concerns with the studies behind each. It is not a complete list and it is not advice to stop any prescribed medicine.

Concerns by type

10 items reported · 3 serious reports for Chinese Herbs With Known Safety Concerns: Aristolochia, Ephedra, Aconite and OthersMost serious first. The colour shows how severe each report was.

  1. Liver injury, giloy or guduchi

    Serious

    Case reports link giloy to liver injury, some immune-like. A review countered that wrong species may be sold as guduchi and that the findings show adulteration and weak monitoring. [3][4]

    Mixed; being debated

  2. Liver injury, other herbs

    Serious

    A 2024 review says some commonly used Indian herbs have inherent liver toxicity, naming giloy, ashwagandha, turmeric and bakuchi (babchi), with most injuries self-limiting but some progressing to liver failure with a high mortality rate. [5]

    Evidence of harm (rare)

  3. Serious reactions in general

    Serious

    A WHO VigiBase analysis of traditional-medicine reports from Asia (2016 to mid-2021) found 713 serious suspected reactions, mainly skin, liver and stomach, with Tinospora cordifolia among top suspects and 17 fatal. [11]

    Signal only

  4. Lead, mercury, arsenic

    Unclear

    A 2008 JAMA study bought 193 Ayurvedic medicines online: 20.7% had detectable lead, mercury or arsenic, equally in US-made and Indian-made products. All metal-containing products exceeded at least one daily-intake standard. [2]

    Evidence of harm risk

  5. Metals by design

    Unclear

    Rasa shastra products (herbs combined with metals and minerals) had metals more often than others (40.6% vs 17.1%). [2]

    Evidence of harm risk

  6. Case clusters

    Unclear

    NCCIH cites a US lead-poisoning cluster among consumers and a 2015 case of high blood lead in a woman using products bought online; arsenic poisoning is rare but possible. [1]

    Evidence of harm

  7. Ashwagandha

    Unclear

    NCCIH says liver injury is rare but reported, and to avoid it in pregnancy, breastfeeding, before surgery and with autoimmune or thyroid disorders. [6]

    Caution

  8. Aconite (vatsanabha)

    Unclear

    A case report describes low blood pressure and slow heart rate from overdosing a formula containing purified aconite root. [7]

    Evidence of harm

  9. Asarone in vacha (calamus)

    Unclear

    Reviews describe liver, heart, reproductive, mutagenic and carcinogenic concerns; US food law treats added calamus as adulteration. [8][9]

    Evidence of harm (lab)

  10. Hidden drugs

    Unclear

    The FDA warns that sexual-enhancement and energy products are often contaminated with hidden drug ingredients. [10]

    Evidence of harm

A reports database shows a signal, not how common a problem is.

Reading the table sensibly

  • We cannot give a rate of harm. In the 2008 study, 75% of the metal-containing products claimed Good Manufacturing Practices, so a label claim does not guarantee a clean product. [2]
  • Harm can come from a herb's own toxicity, herb-drug interactions, adulteration with prescription drugs and poor manufacturing. [12] Wrong-species and overdose problems are also described. [4][7]
  • NCCIH says ashwagandha might interact with medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure, immunosuppressants, sedatives, anticonvulsants and thyroid hormones. [6] See medicine interactions.

Who should take extra care

Pregnant or breastfeeding people, children, people with liver, kidney, thyroid or heart conditions, anyone facing surgery, and anyone on prescription medicines should speak with a clinician or pharmacist before using any Ayurvedic product. See Ayurveda in pregnancy and Ayurveda for children.

What to do

This page is information only and not medical advice.

Frequently asked questions

Which Ayurvedic herbs are unsafe?

No herb is unsafe in every form. Concerns include contaminated products, rasa shastra metals, aconite, calamus and hidden drugs, plus rare liver injury from several herbs. [5][2]

Are US-made Ayurvedic products safer than imported ones?

In the 2008 study, metals were found in 21.7% of US-made and 19.5% of Indian-made products, not a significant difference. [2]

Can giloy hurt the liver?

Case reports say yes, though a review argued the wrong species may have been sold as guduchi. [3][4]

Is ashwagandha safe?

NCCIH says it may be safe short term, but liver injury is rare and it should be avoided in pregnancy. [6]

How can I tell if a product contains metals?

A label cannot guarantee it: 75% of the metal-containing products in one study claimed Good Manufacturing Practices. [2] Ask for independent test results, and see our guide on buying Ayurvedic products safely.

References
  1. NCCIH, Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth. Read 2026-10-22.
  2. Saper RB et al., Lead, mercury, and arsenic in US- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet, JAMA 2008. Read 2026-10-22.
  3. Nnamani I et al., Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi/Giloy)-Induced Liver Injury: A Case Review, Cureus 2023. Read 2026-10-22.
  4. Panneer Selvam K et al., Can Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), a well-known ayurvedic hepato-protectant cause liver damage?, J Ayurveda Integr Med 2023. Read 2026-10-22.
  5. Philips CA, Theruvath AH, A comprehensive review on the hepatotoxicity of herbs used in the Indian (Ayush) systems of alternative medicine, Medicine (Baltimore) 2024. Read 2026-10-22.
  6. NCCIH, Ashwagandha: Usefulness and Safety (updated March 2023). Read 2026-10-22.
  7. Panda AK, Debnath SK, Overdose effect of aconite containing Ayurvedic Medicine (Mahashankha Vati), Int J Ayurveda Res 2010. Read 2026-10-22.
  8. Uebel T et al., Alpha-, beta- and gamma-asarone: current status of toxicological evaluation, J Appl Toxicol 2021. Read 2026-10-22.
  9. US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 189.110, Calamus and its derivatives. Read 2026-10-22.
  10. US FDA, Sexual Enhancement and Energy Product Notifications. Read 2026-10-22.
  11. Chaitra N et al., Analysis of suspected serious adverse drug reactions reported with traditional medicines from the United Nations Asia region in WHO VigiBase, BMC Complement Med Ther 2025. Read 2026-10-22.
  12. Philips CA et al., Comprehensive review of hepatotoxicity associated with traditional Indian Ayurvedic herbs, World J Hepatol 2020. Read 2026-10-22.
Education, not medical advice. This page is for general information. It does not diagnose or treat any condition and is not a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Natural does not automatically mean safe. Ask a clinician or pharmacist before changing your care, especially if you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a health condition.