Woman suffers brain damage after liver failure linked to cheap TikTok ashwagandha supplement

Lois Kinder, a 44-year-old from Warrington, Cheshire, began consuming two ashwagandha-infused gummies each day after discovering the product on TikTok and receiving samples to sell. After a year of use she noticed yellowing of her eyes and skin, and three days later collapsed on her sofa. Emergency tests at Warrington Hospital revealed acute liver failure, and she was transferred to the specialist Liver Intensive Care Unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where she received a super-urgent liver transplant on July 22.

The operation was complicated by three cardiac arrests caused by a blood clot, leading to prolonged oxygen deprivation and resulting brain damage. Doctors suspect the ashwagandha supplement, which is also available from Holland and Barrett and Boots, as the cause; only about 70 similar cases have been reported. Husband Ollie Kinder, an airline cabin crew manager, is now raising awareness and funds through a GoFundMe campaign to adapt a new home for the family, as Lois remains in intensive neurological rehabilitation.