Sabinsa gains Alkemist Assured seal verification for Shaganda ashwagandha

Sabinsa’s ashwagandha root extract Shaganda has received the Alkemist Assured seal from Alkemist Labs — a third-party verification mark indicating that a product has been rigorously tested for safety, potency, purity, and identity. 

Shagandha is derived from Withania somnifera dried roots, and is standardized to a minimum of 2.5% withanolides and 0.25% withaferin A. It is also free from aerial plant parts, which the company says is important as ashwagandha root powder may be adulterated with undisclosed plant parts, additives, or diluents.

“Sabinsa’s participation in the Alkemist Assured program with Shagandha reflects exactly why this program exists: to help quality-focused brands demonstrate, not merely claim, their commitment to verified ingredients,” says Elan Sudberg, CEO of Alkemist Labs.

“At a time when ashwagandha quality is receiving well-deserved scrutiny, rigorous third-party testing and transparency are what allow responsible suppliers to stand apart. We’re proud to support Sabinsa in bringing that standard forward.”

The testing program

Sabinsa says studies have shown that within specifications, ashwagandha leaf and aerial parts are safe when used in a controlled manner. It stresses that the pressing issue for the category is undisclosed adulteration. 

The company emphasizes that the practice of adding lower-cost leaf or aerial plant material to products labeled as “root-only” ingredients cannot be detected through withanolide-based testing alone. 

Image CaptionTwo independent tests from Alkemist Labs were conducted on Shagandha: a high-performance thin-layer chromatography identity test confirming consistency with W. somnifera root, and a high-performance liquid chromatography quantitative test validating the 2.5% withanolide specification. 

Both of these tests used the US Pharmacopeia (USP) methods, confirming Shagandha to be authentic and unadulterated ashwagandha.

Alkemist launched its program in 2022 and is the “highest tier” of Alkemists’ two-level transparency initiative. It focuses on botanicals and fungal products exclusively.

The program’s “Level One, Next Generation Transparency,” requires companies to publish refreshed consumer-friendly test results every six months. “Level Two, the Alkemist Assured seal,” requires testing of potency, identity, and contaminants by Alkemist for the product’s raw materials and blended ingredient quality, with a one-year commitment period minimum for all products.

“Transparency is the vehicle by which trust is communicated. Accurate testing by a proficient lab is a tried-and-true demonstration of label accuracy and quality, so it has always made sense to me that testing reports be shared with consumers,” says Sudberg. 

“It’s gratifying to see the industry embrace this vision, and it is the right thing to do for the people who take our industry’s products.”

Scientific backing

Sabinsa shares that two clinical trials have shown Shagandha is efficient at a daily dose of 500 mg. Both studies demonstrated that the Shagandha supplement was safe and well-tolerated.

One of the studies lasting for 60 days saw participants experience a 45.8% improvement in stress scores and a 33.9% improvement in anxiety scores. It also showed that the supplement reduces cortisol levels while increasing serotonin.

The other study lasted for 90 days and similarly found improvement in anxiety scores by 52.9%, sleep quality by 68.4%, and a “significant increase” in serum serotonin.

“With ashwagandha sales growing in the double digits in recent years, extra caution in sourcing becomes crucial to guard against the adulteration that often follows rapid growth in demand for an herb,” says Shaheen Majeed, global CEO and managing director of Sabinsa. 

“Earning the Alkemist Assured seal reinforces what Shagandha has always stood for: a correctly standardized, root-only extract that our customers and their consumers can trust completely.”