← Ask your own question

Is ashwaganda safe in kids 5 to 12 years?

There isn't enough solid evidence to call ashwagandha clearly safe for kids 5-12. A couple of small, short trials in 6-12 year olds found no serious problems over 8 weeks, but rare, sometimes serious liver injury has been reported in adults, and long-term child safety hasn't been studied.

Health Canada itself has asked for more safety testing before allowing ashwagandha as an ingredient in foods eaten by children, which tells you the data gap is real.

Strength of evidence

Limited

Only two small randomized trials (under 90 children each, 8 weeks long) have tested ashwagandha in kids 6-12; liver injury data comes from adult case reports, not pediatric studies, so nothing tells us about longer-term child safety or risk in children under 6.

What the evidence says

Ashwagandha is a herb used in traditional Indian medicine, and it has become popular as a supplement for stress, sleep, and focus. Most of the research on it has been done in adults, not children.

Recently, a couple of small studies gave standardized ashwagandha root extract to children aged 6 to 12, looking at attention, sleep, and ADHD symptoms. These trials lasted only 8 weeks, included fewer than 90 children each, and reported no serious side effects during that short time, with routine blood tests staying normal. But the researchers themselves said results shouldn't be assumed to apply broadly, since this is still very new territory for children.

There is a real safety concern to know about. In adults, there have been multiple documented cases of ashwagandha causing liver injury, including jaundice, itching, and in rare cases serious liver damage. This appears to be uncommon but real, and it isn't yet known whether children's livers respond the same way, since no child has been part of these liver injury reports so far.

In Canada, ashwagandha is sold as a licensed natural health product, but Health Canada has specifically said it needs more testing on reproductive and developmental effects before it can be added to foods that children might eat regularly. That's a signal that regulators see the child safety data as incomplete, not settled.

Because of the mix of promising-but-tiny trials in older children and a known liver risk seen in adults, this isn't something to give a child without talking to their doctor first, especially for children under 6, who haven't been studied at all.

Sources

✓Reviewed by CH, MD, FRCPC

Reviewed by a specialist physician certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, who has read this answer against the sources listed above and confirmed it reflects them. That is not medical advice about your child. How we review

Answer checked September 25, 2026

Educational information only. Not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and no doctor-patient relationship is created by using this. Founded Parent has not examined your child and does not know their history, so this may not apply to you. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. What Founded Parent cannot do

Report a problem with this answer

Related questions

Have a different question? Founded Parent searches published paediatric guidelines and peer-reviewed research, then tells you how strong the evidence actually is.

Ask a question

Educational information only. Not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and no doctor-patient relationship is created by using this. Founded Parent has not examined your child and does not know their history, so its answers may not apply to you. Never delay or disregard advice from a qualified health professional because of something you read here. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.