Introduction: Ashwagandha root is an ancient Indian Ayurvedic herbal medicine sometimes referred to as “Indian Winter cherry” or “Indian Ginseng,” that is growing in popularity for its purported benefits of weight loss, muscle building and stamina benefits, and cognition promoting effects. In vitro studies suggest possible benefits of ashwagandha to include muscle growth, exercise stamina, weight loss, hepatocellular carcinoma targeting, and others, but no large scale studies have been done to test for safety or adverse effects. Rare case reports of drug induced liver injury (DILI) related to ashwagandha have been documented.
Case Description/Methods: 19-year-old male presented to our hospital with severe pruritus and new onset jaundice after starting Ashwagandha. Two weeks after starting he developed progressive pruritus without any noted rash. Five days after the onset of pruritis he noted jaundice with nausea and dark urine, no abdominal pain. Initial labs showed a total bilirubin 7.6, AP 149, ALT 144 and AST 74. He had imaging including MRI and CT scan which were unremarkable. He was discharged with prn hydroxyzine for itching and told his DILI would resolve with time. A month since discontinuing the ashwagandha supplements his pruritus and jaundice worsened and he arrived to our hospital for evaluation.
He was treated with cholestyramine, ursodiol and antihistamines. His bilirubin ultimately nadired at 30. Was also started on low dose naltrexone, and discharged. Returned for short hospital stay with severe pruritis. His t. bili remained similar compared to prior at 29, with normal INR. He was started on low dose rifampin given persistent pruritus, with mild improvement, and ultimately discharged with close follow-up.
Discussion: Ashwagandha root is a rare cause of cholestatic liver injury. The Drug Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) were able to identify five incidences of drug induced liver injury related to ashwagandha. The clinical course of our patient closely matches the six total cases described in the literature so far. Latency period of 2 weeks to the development of jaundice. He then had a prolonged course of cholestatic liver injury after discontinuing supplements that lasted several months. Ashwagandha-containing herbal medications can result in severe cholestatic liver injury, without the development of chronic DILI or progression to acute liver failure. This case report further re-enforces the importance of careful monitoring and awareness of our patients’ supplemental health products.
