Ashwagandha Root
Cultivated ashwagandha root, bought in the Neemuch–Mandsaur–Manasa mandi belt of Madhya Pradesh — two to three hours from our office, which is why we buy this one by standing in the yard rather than by reading a photograph. Supplied as root-only material, declared as such, with total withanolides assayed per lot and the analytical method printed beside the number.
“2.5% withanolides” is not one number. It is four different numbers with the same name.
The same sack of root will assay very differently depending on how it is measured. All four methods below are used in the Indian trade, and a percentage quoted without its method tells you nothing you can formulate against. This is the most common way an ashwagandha quote is made to look cheap.
Nagori thin root down to cuttings — and what each is for
Grade in ashwagandha is driven by root morphology: thin, straight, unbranched root carries the premium because it is cleaner to sort and holds a better assay than thick, woody, branched material. Whole-plant material is a different product and we keep it in a separate line rather than blending it into a root price.
Assay ranges are what cultivated Indian root typically returns by HPLC across a season and are shown to set expectations, not as a guarantee. The figure that binds is the one on the COA for your lot.
The panel we run on every root lot
Root crops pull metals out of soil, so the heavy-metal panel is standing, not optional. Limits below are the AYUSH ceilings for Indian botanical raw material; where your pharmacopoeia or destination holds a tighter figure, we quote to the tighter one.
Why we keep these in two separate lines
Root and aerial parts of Withania somnifera do not carry the same withanolide profile — leaf material is comparatively rich in withaferin A, and the traditional and pharmacopoeial material is the root. Adding stem and leaf to a root lot lowers the cost per kilo and can even raise a crude “total withanolide” reading, which is exactly why it happens.
We sell root-only as root-only and declare the plant part on the COA. Whole-plant material is quoted separately, priced separately, and supplied only where a buyer has asked for it in writing. If you are buying against a monograph — USP, AHP or Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India — you want the root line, and you want the microscopy on the certificate.
Bulk export formats
Loadability: whole and cut root runs roughly 8–10 MT per 20-ft FCL; root powder roughly 10–12 MT. Both fill the box by volume well before they fill it by weight, so budget freight per cubic metre, not per tonne.
Is your withanolide percentage by HPLC or by gravimetric assay?
HPLC, unless you ask for something else. The COA names the method, the laboratory and the test date alongside the number. We do this because gravimetric total-extractive figures are widely quoted as "% withanolides" in the bulk trade and read roughly an order of magnitude higher for the same root — so a bare percentage from any supplier, including us, is not information you can formulate against.
How do I know I am getting root and not whole plant?
The plant part is declared on the certificate and supported by microscopy, which distinguishes root tissue from stem and leaf. Root-only and whole-plant are two separate SKUs on our price list, priced differently, and we do not blend one into the other. If a quote you have received is materially below the root market, whole-plant or stem content is the first thing worth asking about.
Can you supply a standardised extract at 2.5% or 5% withanolides?
No, and we would rather tell you so than broker something we cannot stand behind on assay. Standardised extracts are a laboratory and cGMP business with its own dossier requirements, and that is not what we are. We supply raw and milled root — including to extract manufacturers, who buy from us on marker content and run their own standardisation.
Which markets can I import ashwagandha into?
The United States, Canada, the Gulf, Japan and much of South-East Asia are straightforward for it as a dietary-supplement ingredient. The European Union is not uniform: Denmark has restricted it, other member states have taken or are weighing restrictive positions, and an EU-level safety review has been running. Tell us the destination with your enquiry and we will share what we understand the position to be — but confirming import permission and label compliance is the importer’s responsibility, not ours.
Why does Excellar Global lead with this particular botanical?
Geography. Our office is in Indore, and the Neemuch–Mandsaur–Manasa mandi belt — the principal trading ground for cultivated Indian ashwagandha root — is a two-to-three hour drive. We inspect and buy lots in person before they are committed, which is a materially different position from quoting a botanical sight-unseen from another state.
Do you make any health claim on this product?
No. We describe the species, the plant part, the grade, the assay and the method. We say nothing about what the material does in the body, because that is a claim, and claims belong to the finished product, its label and its regulator. Buyers formulating for regulated markets generally treat a raw-material supplier making health claims as a compliance risk rather than a convenience.
250 g of the grade you are considering, with the lot COA showing the withanolide figure and the method used to get it. Free — you cover courier.
Request sample →Organic ashwagandha root is available out of the same belt under NPOP with NOP and EU equivalence. Lead time runs longer and the transaction certificate travels with the lot.
WhatsApp us →