He consumed it daily with coffee: The popular supplement causes liver failure.

Lois Kinder, 44, living in the United Kingdom, drank coffee every day for a year to support her overall health and used two gel supplements containing ashwagandha. The product, popular on social media especially among women in the perimenopausal period, led to a serious health problem that threatened Kinder's life.

Saw It on TikTok, Started Using

After seeing the ashwagandha supplement on TikTok, Kinder began using it. The product quickly became part of her daily routine, and she was sent sample products to promote it on the social media platform.

However, after a while of using the supplement, Kinder developed yellowing in her eyes and skin. About three days after the discoloration appeared, she was found unconscious on her living room sofa.

Hospital Finds Liver Failure

Tests conducted on Kinder, who was transported to Warrington Hospital by ambulance, showed that her liver failure had progressed within hours. Doctors considered that her condition might be linked to the supplement use.

Due to the rapid worsening of his condition, Kinder was placed in a medically induced coma. Only three days later he was transferred to the specialist Liver Intensive Care Unit at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was put on the emergency liver transplant list.

Initially several potential donor livers were found, but the organs were deemed unsuitable for transplant. Finally, on 22 July, a suitable donor liver was located.

Heart Stopped Three Times During the Transplant

During Kinder's transplant, a blood clot that blocked the main artery to his lungs caused his heart to stop three times. Surgical and intensive‑care teams intervened to keep him alive after prolonged oxygen deprivation.

His wife, Ollie Kinder, said that doctors had told her at one point that she should prepare for the worst scenario and that Lois was not expected to survive the surgery.

He opened his eyes a month later.

Despite all this difficult process, Kinder survived. After being in a coma for about a month, he opened his eyes on August 13.

Kinder, whose treatment is still ongoing in intensive care, receives intensive neurological rehabilitation every day. After his ordeal, he has begun sharing his experience with the use of products containing ashwagandha with the public.

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha, traditionally used in India and South Asia, has become one of the herbal supplements popular on social‑media platforms in recent years. It is promoted with claims that it helps women in the perimenopausal period relax and can alleviate certain symptoms.

However, the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s medical information resource LiverTox notes that ashwagandha use has been linked, albeit rarely, to cases of liver injury. It also states that the mechanism by which liver damage occurs has not yet been fully explained.

Although ashwagandha is generally well tolerated by many people, experts warn that the contents and dosages of supplements can vary by product and that herbal products are not entirely risk‑free.