Hyderabad, India—Ashwagandha is the focus of a commemorative postal stamp released at the Second WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit in New Delhi, a three-day summit attended by global leaders, policymakers, scientists, and practitioners from across the world with a goal of advancing evidence-driven health systems incorporating traditional medicine. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the honor of the commemorative stamp. Ixoreal Biomed Inc., manufacturers of KSM-66 Ashwagandha, celebrated the news, calling it "a watershed moment for traditional medicine's integration into global healthcare systems."
As Ixoreal Biomed shared, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that traditional medicine must be “evidence-based, safe and globally trusted” during his closing address. He pointed to ashwagandha as a model for “advancing global acceptance through evidence-based research on safety, quality and usage.”
Addressing Adulteration, Quality Standards & Regulatory Challenges
The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit featured a dedicated event titled "Ashwagandha: From Traditional Wisdom to Global Impact" organized by the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India. International authorities deliberated on scientific validation, regulatory standards, safety assessment, and quality standardization necessary for ashwagandha's responsible global adoption. The event was moderated by Dr. JB Gupta, Secretary of the World Ashwagandha Council, and featured an expert panel that identified critical quality challenges and evolving regulatory frameworks that must be addressed to ensure ashwagandha's credible integration into global healthcare. As Ixoreal Biomed reported, highlights of the panel include:
- Roy Upton of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia stressed that overcoming Western scepticism requires addressing quality concerns, particularly leaf adulteration, which remains a significant industry challenge requiring rigorous identification and quality control standards.
- Dr. Ikhlas Khan, Director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, spoke to the severity of the adulteration crisis. Dr. Khan reported that 60% of 25 tested formulations contained high levels of ashwagandha leaf-specific phytochemicals. He emphasized the urgent need for robust identification methods and appropriate extraction processes to ensure product integrity.
- The expert panelist reached consensus on critical quality requirements: rigorous preclinical and clinical research, safety assessment, pharmacovigilance, standardization and most fundamentally, verified root-only extraction. It was emphasized that inclusion of leaves or other non-root plant material constitutes adulteration that alters phytochemical profiles, safety parameters and therapeutic properties, calling for industry wide adoption of root-only extraction as the non-negotiable standard.
KSM-66’s Research Portfolio Aligns with Summit Vision
Ixoreal shared the news of the Summit and noted that the company's flagship ingredient, KSM-66 Ashwagandha, is backed by more than 70 clinical studies conducted at leading research institutions across five continents. The research has examined stress reduction, cognitive enhancement, sleep quality, athletic performance, male and female reproductive health, and overall vitality.
“In 2022, Prime Minister Modi recognized our commitment to quality manufacturing and raising global awareness about ashwagandha in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the monthly program where he addresses the nation on the last Sunday of each month,” said Kartikeya Baldwa, CEO, Ixoreal Biomed. “Today, as India positions ashwagandha as a flagship of evidence-based traditional medicine globally, our rigorous research on safety and efficacy, conducted at leading institutions worldwide, represents exactly the scientific foundation he's calling for. The commemorative stamp symbolizes India's gift to global wellness. Our job is ensuring the substance matches the symbol.”
