<p>Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.) are frequently placed in the same commercial &#39;adaptogen&#39; category, yet their Indian production systems are fundamentally different. This review maps cultivation, scale-up, post-harvest handling, extraction, quality assurance and market geography for both crops, with particular attention to states and production regions. Ashwagandha is a short-duration, drought-tolerant crop embedded in India&#39;s medicinal-plant economy. Its strongest production-trade corridor lies in western Madhya Pradesh, especially Neemuch-Mandsaur and neighbouring areas, with complementary production in Rajasthan and reported cultivation across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and parts of southern India. Neemuch functions as a pivotal aggregation and price-discovery centre, while processing and consumption extend through pharmaceutical, Ayurvedic, nutraceutical and digital retail clusters across India. Panax ginseng, by contrast, requires cool conditions, artificial or forest shade, stratified seed, disease management and a four-to-six-year root cycle. Indian evidence is concentrated in the western Himalayan region; a five-year trial in Lahaul and Spiti demonstrated agronomic adaptation and measurable ginsenosides, but this does not yet establish a national commercial supply base. Consequently, Indian ginseng products are better understood as an import-dependent or imported-input value chain with a possible future Himalayan cultivation segment. The paper proposes differentiated scale-up models: contract-linked dryland clusters, graded root procurement and traceable extraction for ashwagandha; and protected pilot estates, nursery infrastructure, long-horizon finance and identity-preserved processing for Panax ginseng. Across both species, botanical authentication, plant-part disclosure, marker-based standardization, contaminant control and transparent market data are the critical conditions for converting demand into durable farmer and manufacturing value.</p>