Botanicals

134 plants in the records

Every botanical in the records, ranked by how many studies discuss it — there's no botanical filter here because this page already is every botanical.

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All botanicals

Showing 12 of 134 · most studied first

Turmeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizome used in Ayurveda and recorded in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and in this corpus it is studied mainly as oral curcumin extract for inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Meta-analyses of randomized trials found improvements in rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and ulcerative colitis, though the pooled trials were few and small and results varied widely between them. A 12-month trial in obese adults with type 2 diabetes reported better glucose control and beta-cell function than placebo. For most other conditions the evidence is preliminary, resting on one or two small trials, and a pooled analysis for oral lichen planus and a trial in endometriosis pain found no significant benefit.

8 studies

Fennel

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a culinary and medicinal seed used across several traditions for menstrual, digestive, and urinary complaints. Clinical research to date studies it mainly as one ingredient within multi-herb formulas rather than in isolation, so most findings describe the formula's combined effect rather than fennel's effect alone.

5 studies

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and in Thai traditional medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Its strongest evidence in this corpus is for primary dysmenorrhea, where a meta-analysis of randomized trials found a reduction in pain intensity. A trial in allergic rhinitis found ginger extract comparable to loratadine over 6 weeks, and the rheumatoid arthritis evidence rests on a single small trial. Mild digestive effects were the most common adverse finding in the allergic rhinitis trial.

5 studies

Liquorice

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a root used in Ayurveda and Japanese traditional medicine, and the most studied botanical here for metabolic health in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 72 overweight or obese women with PCOS, a standardized liquorice extract added to a low-calorie diet improved weight, blood sugar, insulin resistance and blood fats more than the diet alone. Elsewhere it appears only as one ingredient of multi-herb formulas studied for tuberculosis symptoms, primary dysmenorrhea and preoperative anxiety, where its own effect was not isolated. Standalone evidence is a single moderate-quality trial plus a review drawing mainly on animal and laboratory studies.

5 studies

Cinnamon

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) bark is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern clinical research, with the strongest evidence in this corpus supporting benefit for primary dysmenorrhea. Smaller trials suggest possible benefit for polycystic ovary syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, though that evidence remains preliminary. It also appears as a named ingredient in an Ayurvedic tuberculosis formulation.

4 studies

Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a culinary bulb whose powder and tablets have been tested in small human trials and whose clove extract has been tested in the laboratory. In an 8-week trial, a capsule combining garlic powder with onion extract was followed by about 6% lower LDL cholesterol in healthy volunteers with mildly raised levels, and a small trial in rheumatoid arthritis found garlic tablets lowered inflammation markers and disease activity. One trial in women with endometriosis recorded lower pelvic pain scores with garlic powder, and clove extract slowed tuberculosis bacteria in laboratory dishes only. The human evidence rests on a few small trials, and several effects cannot be separated from other ingredients or pooled estimates.

4 studies

Saffron

Saffron is the dried stigma (the thread-like female part) of the Crocus sativus flower, a spice that has also been studied as a mood supplement. Human trials in this database used 28-30 mg a day as a tea, tablet or capsule, mostly for six weeks. Results are mixed: some trials found improved mood or happiness, others found no difference from placebo, and most studies were small and short.

4 studies

Tribulus

Tribulus (Tribulus terrestris) is a creeping plant whose fruit, leaf and extracts are used as a traditional libido remedy. Its best-supported finding is better erectile function in 3 of the 5 trials that assessed it, though the review authors rate that evidence low. Results for testosterone, female sexual function and kidney stones come from small, low-certainty or formulation-level studies.

4 studies

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a succulent plant whose leaf gel is the part studied in this corpus. The evidence is preliminary: laboratory growth inhibition of tuberculosis bacteria, a three-herb capsule tested for liver protection during tuberculosis drug treatment, and a hemorrhoid trial in which aloe was one ingredient of an ointment. Effects seen with the multi-herb formulations cannot be attributed to aloe alone.

3 studies

Bacopa Monnieri

Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi) is a creeping herb long used in Ayurvedic medicine as a Medhya Rasayana (intellect-enhancing) preparation to support memory and cognitive function. Clinical research is mixed: it has shown significant memory benefits in healthy children when compared against another Ayurvedic nootropic, but has not demonstrated a clear advantage over standard Alzheimer's disease treatment in the small trials conducted to date.

3 studies

Centella Asiatica

Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola, Mandookaparni) is a classical Ayurvedic herb described as an intellect-enhancer. Trials in the database cover memory in healthy boys, hemorrhoid symptoms, and skin aging in women. In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial of 112 women, a standardized oral extract reduced wrinkle depth more than placebo, while the memory and hemorrhoid trials compared it with other products and could not isolate Centella's own effect.

3 studies

Chamomile

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is a flowering herb whose flower heads are widely taken as a tea or infusion. The only clinical trial in this corpus tested a beverage combining chamomile extract with L-theanine in young women with primary dysmenorrhea, so its results cannot be attributed to chamomile alone. Evidence for polycystic ovary syndrome comes from a review of mostly animal and laboratory studies, and a survey of Appalachian mothers recorded chamomile use without measuring any effect.

3 studies