Ashwagandha at Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Asda: What Each Sells (UK)

Which shops sell ashwagandha?

What each website showed; stock in stores varies.

The Superdrug and Tesco counts include other sellers’ products and blends. For two more high street shops, see Holland and Barrett ashwagandha and Home Bargains ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha at Boots

Boots’ ashwagandha page listed 86 products from brands including Vitabiotics, Solgar, Zooki, Goli, Trip and sofi (an oral spray). Two were made for Boots:

• Wellthy by Boots Daily Nutrition Ashwagandha 3000mg (60 capsules). Its nutrition table gives 250mg of KSM-66 root extract per capsule, “equivalent to” 3,000mg of dried root. Each capsule also has 100mg of L-tryptophan, green tea extract (10mg of L-theanine and 1.25mg of caffeine), black pepper extract and vitamin B6. One a day; for adults 18 and over; vegan. The label says not to take it if pregnant or breastfeeding, or on an empty stomach.
• Habi Zen Ashwagandha Gummies (60). Two berry gummies give 50mg of a 10:1 extract, “equivalent to” 500mg of root, plus vitamin B1, pantothenic acid and 150µg of iodine. Glucose syrup and sugar come first in the ingredients. Labelled for ages 16 and over.

For one of the brands on the shelf, see what’s in Vitabiotics Ultra Ashwagandha. For the same shop’s other ranges, see Boots magnesium and Boots CBD.

Superdrug ashwagandha gummies

A search for “ashwagandha” on superdrug.com returned 111 products. Most were marked “Online only”, sold by other companies through Superdrug’s website, from brands such as New Leaf and Nutravita.

Superdrug’s own product is Superdrug Ashwagandha 300mg Gummies (60). The page says:

• Apple flavour, vegan, “with sugar and sweetener”; 2 gummies a day.
• Ingredients start with glucose syrup and sucrose, and include a 10:1 ashwagandha extract and vitamin B6.
• For adults and children over 12. Anyone pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or under medical supervision should consult a doctor first.

The website gives no nutrition table, so it doesn’t say whether 300mg is the extract in two gummies or a dried-root “equivalent”. Check the pack. Superdrug’s own Super Greens Powder also lists ashwagandha root extract, last in its ingredients. Our ashwagandha gummies guide compares gummies with capsules and liquids, and Superdrug magnesium covers the shop’s magnesium.

Ashwagandha at Tesco

Tesco has no own-brand ashwagandha. A search on its groceries website returned 27 results: 5 sold by Tesco itself, 19 from Tesco Marketplace sellers and 3 sponsored Spacegoods drink powders. Tesco itself sold:

• Myvitamins Ashwagandha KSM66 500mg (90 capsules): 500mg of KSM-66 extract per capsule, one a day with food.
• Vitawell Roots KSM-66 Ashwagandha Strawberry Gummies (60): 25mg of a 10:1 KSM-66 extract per gummy, “equivalent to” 250mg of powder, one a day for adults.
• Vitabiotics Ultra Ashwagandha (30 tablets), and two Nutriburst Ashwagandha+ products: gummies and effervescent tablets.

See Tesco magnesium for the same shop’s magnesium range.

Ashwagandha at Asda

Asda’s groceries website returned just two results for “ashwagandha”, both from the brand Verywell, and no Asda own brand:

• Verywell Being Ashwagandha KSM-66 Gummies 600mg (30), berry: one gummy gives 60mg of KSM-66 root extract, “equivalent to” 600mg of root.
• Verywell Peach Ashwagandha KSM-66 Liquid Drops 600mg (30ml): 1ml a day gives 50mg of KSM-66 extract, “equivalent to” 600mg of root, sweetened with stevia.

Both are vegan, for adults only and labelled not suitable in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Label maths: extract vs “equivalent”

The big number on the front is often the weight of dried root that went into the extract, not the extract you swallow. A 10:1 extract means about 10 parts of root made 1 part of extract, so 60mg can be sold as “600mg”. Extract per daily dose, from each label:

For comparison, a 2022 review of 12 trials found most used 300 to 600mg a day of root extract, and rated the certainty of the evidence as low. Several of the gummies above give a tenth of that or less. That doesn’t make them unsafe or wrong, just different from what was studied. Our guides to KSM-66 ashwagandha, how much ashwagandha per day and when to take it go further.

Where Evopure fits

We sell online, direct, and we’re not saying ours are better:

• Flow CBD Oil: broad spectrum CBD with ashwagandha and maca extracts in MCT oil, in 500mg and 1,000mg 10ml bottles. It is a CBD oil first, not a high-strength ashwagandha supplement, and it contains ashwagandha, so the safety points below apply to it too. Read more in CBD and ashwagandha.
• Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex: a berry drink powder with magnesium bisglycinate and citrate (148mg of magnesium per serving), glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, passionflower, hops and oat straw. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex: a reishi hot chocolate with reishi mushroom extract, organic cacao and maca. It contains a little natural caffeine.

iOur CBD products are third-party lab tested, broad spectrum with 0% THC, and on the FSA public list. If you take any regular medicines, check with your GP or pharmacist first.

The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

All three are vegan and made in the UK, for adults (18+) only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. For a general guide to choosing an oil, see our UK CBD oil guide.

Is ashwagandha safe, and who should avoid it?

Ashwagandha is legal to sell as a food supplement in the UK, but the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing its safety with the Committee on Toxicity, and nothing final has been published yet. While the review continues, the FSA has said it would advise pregnant women and people with liver conditions to avoid it. Denmark banned it in supplements in 2023. Our UK ashwagandha safety review tracks each step.

iWhichever shop you buy from, don’t take ashwagandha, or check with your GP or pharmacist first, if any of these apply:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: avoid it.
• Liver conditions: avoid it. Liver injury is rare, but in one case series five people developed jaundice 2 to 12 weeks after starting it.
• Thyroid or autoimmune conditions.
• Regular medicines, including thyroid, diabetes, blood pressure, sedative and immune-suppressing medicines.
• Surgery coming up: tell your surgeon and stop beforehand as advised.
• Under 18s, even though two of the gummies above are labelled for 12 or 16 and over. Ask a GP or pharmacist before giving any supplement to a child.

iStop and see a doctor if you notice yellowing skin or eyes, or itching all over, and don’t take two ashwagandha products at once. See ashwagandha side effects and how long it takes to work.