Ashes are mostly used for Herblore. Its the second ingredient for the potion called serum 207 you can make this after you have finished Shades of Mort'ton.
Here some other options its used for:
They are used in the Prince Ali Rescue, Shades of Mort'ton, and Desert Treasure quests.
They are used to make Serum 207.
They can be crushed with a Pestle and mortar to make a ground ashes used to dust the character's hands. This helps when throwing a shotput in the Warriors' Guild for better grip.
They are used with a Fruit blast to make a Dirty blast for the first part of the Recipe for Disaster quest.
They are used as food for the Phoenix eggling and the Abyssal minion.
Used with the Phoenix familiar's scroll, Rise from the ashes, to activate its special move. (To use the special move, the ashes must be on the ground.)