Holland and Barrett Ashwagandha: KSM-66, Strengths, Gummies and UK Safety

What ashwagandha does Holland and Barrett sell?

On 23 October 2026 Holland and Barrett’s ashwagandha page listed 76 products. Of those, 15 were sold by Holland and Barrett itself and 61 by what it calls “trusted sellers”, other companies selling through its website. If you’re also curious about CBD as part of your daily routine, our guide to the best UK CBD oils for stress compares the options.

Most products were capsules or tablets. We also counted 12 gummies, two powders, a tea, liquid extracts and oral sprays. 27 product names mentioned KSM-66, and several products combine ashwagandha with other ingredients such as lion’s mane, magnesium, L-theanine, rhodiola, saffron or turmeric.

The brands sold by Holland and Barrett itself were Holland and Barrett, H&B Expert, Trip, Wild Nutrition, Solgar, Novomins, DR.VEGAN, Starpowa, Nature’s Way, Turmeric Vitality, Zooki, Mission, The Herbtender and Grass and Co. Stock in shops varies, so check the website or ask in store. For CBD at the same shop, see what Holland and Barrett sells in CBD.

Holland and Barrett’s own-brand ashwagandha

Here is what the two own-brand capsule pages said when we checked:

iBoth pages advise anyone who is pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or under medical supervision to consult a doctor or healthcare professional first, and to stop and see a doctor if adverse reactions occur.

H&B Expert Calm Night Reset is a blend taken as two capsules at night. Per two capsules, its page lists 600mg of KSM-66 organic ashwagandha root extract, 264mg of turmeric extract, 100mg of L-theanine, magnesium bisglycinate (56mg of magnesium) and 5mg of BioPerine black pepper extract. Its advisory is stricter: not suitable in pregnancy or breastfeeding, if you take any medication, or if you have chronic health conditions, especially endocrine disorders, liver or heart problems or clinical depression, and not for under 18s.

Holland and Barrett ashwagandha KSM-66, 10:1 and withanolides explained

Three details on the label tell you what you’re getting:

• Branded extract (KSM-66). KSM-66 is a named ashwagandha root extract made to a set specification. Holland and Barrett’s page describes it as a clinically studied, root-only, full-spectrum extract, standardised for withanolides.
• Extract ratio (10:1). This tells you about 10 parts of dried root went into 1 part of extract, which is why 500mg can be “equivalent to 5,000mg”. It describes the starting material, not the strength of the active compounds.
• Withanolide %. Withanolides are the compounds researchers usually measure. The own-brand 500mg capsule states 7% (35mg per capsule). For comparison, the Solgar root extract on the same site lists 300mg of extract at 1.5% withanolides (4.5mg), plus 100mg of root powder.

The plant part matters too. Supplements can use root, leaf or both, and most of the well-known stress and sleep trials used root extract. Here is what some of them gave:

• A 60-day trial in 64 adults with chronic stress used 300mg of a high-concentration, full-spectrum root extract twice a day (600mg in total).
• An 8-week trial in 60 stressed adults compared 125mg and 300mg of a root extract, each taken twice a day, with a placebo.
• A 10-week trial in 60 adults with poor sleep used 300mg of root extract twice a day.

You can only match a product to a trial if its label gives the same extract and amount. Our guide to how much ashwagandha per day has a table by extract type, and when to take ashwagandha covers morning versus night.

Holland and Barrett ashwagandha gummies

Holland and Barrett listed 12 ashwagandha gummies in October 2026. These three were sold by Holland and Barrett itself:

Three things are worth knowing about gummies in general:

• Headline numbers vary. Per-serving amounts ranged from 500mg to 3,000mg, and gummy pages don’t always say whether a figure is the extract itself or an “equivalent” amount of dried root. Compare like with like, and ask the brand if it isn’t clear.
• Sweeteners. Sugar-free gummies use polyols such as maltitol, and their pages warn that eating too many may have a laxative effect.
• Added nutrients. Many add vitamins, and one adds iodine. If you have a thyroid condition or already take a multivitamin, add up what you’re getting.

Ashwagandha benefits: what the research says

Here is an honest summary of the research on ashwagandha in general, whichever shop you buy from:

• Stress. A 2022 review of 12 trials (1,002 people) found ashwagandha may help a little with how stressed people felt, with results clustering around 300 to 600mg a day. The reviewers rated the certainty of the evidence as low.
• Sleep. Some small trials found people fell asleep slightly faster than with a placebo. The differences were modest.
• Overall picture. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) notes that many studies have been small and used different preparations, and that long-term safety isn’t established. Most trials lasted 6 to 12 weeks.

No food supplement can claim to treat or prevent a medical condition, including anxiety or insomnia. Our guides to ashwagandha and anxiety, ashwagandha and sleep, ashwagandha for men and ashwagandha for women go through the trials one by one.

iIf stress, low mood or poor sleep is affecting your daily life, speak to your GP. Those deserve a proper check, not just a supplement.

Is ashwagandha banned in Europe or the UK?

Not in the UK. In October 2026 ashwagandha is legal to sell as a food supplement here, but its safety is under review. Across Europe the picture is mixed:

• Denmark banned ashwagandha in food supplements in 2023, after a Danish review concluded that a safe intake level couldn’t be set.
• The Netherlands (the RIVM institute) advises consumers not to use ashwagandha supplements or tea, and France (ANSES) advises certain groups to avoid them, including pregnant women and people with thyroid, liver or heart conditions.
• EU level. In June 2024 a working group of EU food safety agency heads recommended ashwagandha for a formal EU safety review. That is a review, not a ban.
• UK. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) ran a call for evidence from July to September 2024 and published a summary of the 19 responses in June 2026. The independent Committee on Toxicity (COT) discussed a second draft statement on ashwagandha in May 2026, kept confidential for now. The FSA will then carry out a risk assessment and publish the outcome.

While the review continues, the FSA has said it would advise people with pre-existing liver conditions and pregnant women to avoid ashwagandha supplements. Our UK ashwagandha safety review tracks each step.

Who should avoid ashwagandha, plus alcohol and medicines

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

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding: avoid it. See ashwagandha and breastfeeding.
• Liver conditions: avoid it. Liver injury linked to ashwagandha is rare, but in one published case series five people developed jaundice 2 to 12 weeks after starting it. Their liver tests returned to normal within 1 to 5 months in the four who were followed up.
• Thyroid or autoimmune conditions, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, or surgery coming up.
• Regular medicines. NCCIH lists possible interactions with diabetes, blood pressure, thyroid, sedative, anti-seizure and immune-suppressing medicines.
• Under 18s.

Ashwagandha and alcohol. We couldn’t find official UK guidance on alcohol and ashwagandha specifically. Ashwagandha can cause drowsiness in some people, and sedative medicines are on the NCCIH interaction list, so if you drink regularly or take anything that makes you sleepy, ask your GP or pharmacist first. Our alcohol and sleep guide explains why a nightcap tends to disturb sleep anyway.

iStop taking ashwagandha and see a doctor if you notice yellowing skin or eyes, or itching all over. Common, milder side effects include drowsiness and stomach upset. See ashwagandha side effects for the full list.

A label checklist for any ashwagandha

These checks work at Holland and Barrett, Home Bargains or online:

Comparing ashwagandha with other options? See ashwagandha vs magnesium and reishi vs ashwagandha.

Where Evopure fits

Evopure isn’t sold by Holland and Barrett, and we’re not connected with it. We sell online, direct from our own website:

• Flow CBD Oil: broad spectrum CBD with ashwagandha and maca in MCT oil, in 500mg and 1,000mg 10ml bottles, made for daytime. Few UK CBD oils add herbs like this. Read more in CBD and ashwagandha.
• Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex: magnesium bisglycinate and citrate (290mg of elemental magnesium per serving), with glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, passionflower, hops and oat straw, in a berry flavour. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal psychological function.
• Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex: a reishi hot chocolate made with cocoa, reishi mushroom, maca, cinnamon and coconut sugar. It contains a little natural caffeine from the cacao.

Everything we make is vegan and made in the UK, and our CBD products are tested by ISO 17025 accredited labs, with reports on request from our lab testing page. Our CBD products are broad spectrum, 0% THC and on the FSA public list, linked to validated applications RP438, RP821 and RP47. Our products are for adults (18+) only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

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.

Related guides

• Vitabiotics ashwagandha: label, withanolides and KSM-66.
• Holland and Barrett also lists Wild Nutrition’s capsules; see what’s in Wild Nutrition KSM-66 Ashwagandha Plus.
• The same shop’s mushroom range is covered in lion’s mane at Holland and Barrett.
• Our guide to KSM-66 ashwagandha explains the extract, the trial doses and how to check a label.
• Before choosing a product, read what ashwagandha does and where the UK safety review stands.
• For a brand-neutral look at ashwagandha gummies against liquids, capsules and powder, see our forms guide.
• Whichever brand you choose, see how long ashwagandha takes to work before judging it.
• Looking for mushrooms instead? We also checked what reishi Holland and Barrett sells.
• For other high street shops, see ashwagandha at Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Asda, with the extract per dose for each own-brand product.
• Thinking of buying in a sale? Our Holland and Barrett Black Friday deals guide shows how to check an offer.