Rung 1 · Unproven
Ashwagandha
Anticancer effects seen only in lab and animal studies.
Side-effect supportWith your doctorSafety flag
Safety: Linked to herb-induced liver injury in case series from the U.S., Iceland and India. Three patients with existing liver disease died.
What studies found
Compounds such as withaferin A slow tumors in animal models. No human trial has shown it prevents or treats cancer.
The catch
Liver injury typically appeared 2–12 weeks after starting.
What to do
Avoid it if you have liver disease, and during cancer treatment unless your team approves.
Sources
Rung 1 of 5, Unproven: Lab or animal data only, or never directly tested in people. How we score
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Every option we rated, or follow one cancer step by step: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.