Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba)

Q: Does bhringaraj grow hair?

No trial has tested bhringaraj alone for hair. A 2026 three-arm trial of Neeli Bhringadi oil, a multi-herb oil, in 75 people with hair loss or greying (25 on the oil alone) reported gains from baseline over 120 days, but the result cannot be credited to bhringaraj. Hair-growth activity of the plant itself comes from preclinical studies.

Q: Does it lower blood pressure?

One 60-day pilot in 60 men with mild hypertension reported a 15% drop in mean arterial pressure at 3 g/day of leaf powder; it has not been repeated.

Q: Does it help the liver?

Liver-protective effects have been reported only in preclinical extract and compound studies, not in human trials.

Q: Is bhringaraj safe?

Safety has not been well studied. Neither human trial abstract reports side effects, and LiverTox has no entry. In a 2009 liver-injury case, Brahmi tablets described as containing Eclipta alba or Bacopa monnieri were one of several suspected products, scored below a Psoralea product.

Q: Does bhringaraj interact with medicines?

No interactions are documented: LiverTox and LactMed have no Eclipta entry, and the trial abstracts report none. Because the blood-pressure pilot reported lower blood pressure and more urine and sodium loss, use alongside blood-pressure medicines or diuretics is untested.

Q: Is bhringaraj oil the same as bhringaraj capsules?

No. The oil is rubbed into the scalp and has no human data for the plant alone. The two trials of bhringaraj by mouth used 3 g/day of dried leaf powder or 4 g/day of tablets.

Also called bhringraj, Eclipta alba, Eclipta prostrata, false daisy, kehraj.

Best grade D across 2 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 5 sources

Bhringaraj is a traditional herb used for skin, liver and stomach complaints and promoted for hair growth. Human evidence is thin: a 60-day pilot in 60 men with mild hypertension reported lower blood pressure and cholesterol with 3 g/day of leaf powder, and a 22-person open trial reported less hyperacidity. Hair and liver claims rest on preclinical studies.

Every graded outcome on this page

2 rows · line = participants

Grade DBlood pressure, urine output and blood lipids in mild hypertensionBlood pressuren 60
Grade DHyperacidity (amlapitta) symptomsAcidityn 22

Key facts

Blood pressure trial: A 60-day placebo-controlled pilot in 60 mildly hypertensive men aged 40–55¹
Reported changes: Mean arterial pressure −15%, total cholesterol −17%, LDL −24%, triglycerides −14% in the Eclipta group¹
Diuretic effect: Urine volume rose 34% and urine sodium 24%¹
Studied dose: 3 g/day of dried leaf powder as six 500 mg capsules in three doses¹
Hyperacidity trial: A 4-week open trial in 22 people with amlapitta (hyperacidity) reported moderate-to-marked improvement in more than 80% of the 15 given 4 g/day of Bhringaraja tablets, vs 14% of the 7 on placebo³
Hair and liver claims: Hair-growth and liver-protective activities come from extract and compound studies; the only hair trial tested a multi-herb oil, not bhringaraj alone^2,5

What it is

Bhringaraj is Eclipta prostrata (syn. Eclipta alba), a herb used in traditional skin, liver and stomach remedies and in hair products.

How it works

Proposed

The plant contains coumestans, phenolic acids, flavonoids, saponins and thiophenes. In the human blood-pressure pilot, higher urine volume and sodium excretion suggested a diuretic action that could explain the lower blood pressure; this has not been confirmed.^1,2

Forms, side by side

2 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba) forms compared

2 forms

Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba) forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 forms	Dried leaf powder (capsules)	Bhringaraj hair oil (topical)
Absorption in people	Not studied in people.¹	Not applicable; used on the scalp.²
GI tolerance	Adverse events are not reported in the pilot abstract.¹	Not assessed in the cited sources.²
Studied for	Mild hypertension and blood lipids	Hair growth (preclinical studies; the one human trial tested a multi-herb oil)

Dried leaf powder (capsules)
Absorption in people
Not studied in people.¹
GI tolerance
Adverse events are not reported in the pilot abstract.¹
Studied for
Mild hypertension and blood lipids
Bhringaraj hair oil (topical)
Absorption in people
Not applicable; used on the scalp.²
GI tolerance
Not assessed in the cited sources.²
Studied for
Hair growth (preclinical studies; the one human trial tested a multi-herb oil)

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

2 graded outcomes, largest study first

All 2 graded outcomes found an improvement. The largest, a 2007 pilot trial of 60 people on blood pressure, urine output and blood lipids in mild hypertension, found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1Blood pressure, urine output and blood lipids in mild hypertension

Improved · Grade D · Pilot RCT, 60 people, 2007

Mildly hypertensive men aged 40–55 (placebo vs Eclipta groups)

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Blood pressure, urine output and blood lipids in mild hypertension	Improved	60	Grade D · Pilot RCT, 2007	Mildly hypertensive men aged 40–55 (placebo vs Eclipta groups)
Hyperacidity (amlapitta) symptoms	Improved	22	Grade D · Pilot RCT, 2011	People with amlapitta, an Ayurvedic diagnosis of hyperacidity (15 on Bhringaraja, 7 on placebo)

Every graded row

2 rows

Grade DBlood pressure, urine output and blood lipids in mild hypertensionBlood pressureMean arterial pressure −15%Pilot RCT
n 60 · 2007

Improved The Eclipta group showed mean arterial pressure −15%, total cholesterol −17%, LDL −24%, triglycerides −14%, VLDL −14% and plasma lipid peroxides −18%, with urine volume +34%, urine sodium +24%, serum vitamin C +17% and serum tocopherols +23%.

Design: Pilot RCT, n = 60, 2007
Population: Mildly hypertensive men aged 40–55 (placebo vs Eclipta groups)
Form: Dried Eclipta alba leaf powder capsules vs placebo
Dose: 3 g/day (six 500 mg capsules in three doses)
Duration: 60 days
Source: Reference 1 · PubMed 17472478 (opens PubMed)

Grade DHyperacidity (amlapitta) symptomsAcidityModerate-to-marked improvement >80% vs 14%Pilot RCT
n 22 · 2011

Improved Moderate-to-marked overall improvement in more than 80% of the Bhringaraja group vs 14.29% of the placebo group (chi-square test of total effect reported significant; n from full text). All but one symptom score improved within the Bhringaraja group (P < 0.01); in the placebo group most symptoms did not change significantly.

Design: Pilot RCT, n = 22, 2011
Population: People with amlapitta, an Ayurvedic diagnosis of hyperacidity (15 on Bhringaraja, 7 on placebo)
Form: Bhringaraja (Eclipta alba) tablets vs rice-powder placebo tablets
Dose: 4 g/day (four 500 mg tablets twice daily)
Duration: 4 weeks
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 22661846 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Two small, unreplicated trials

All human evidence comes from a 60-person pilot from 2007 and a 22-person open trial from 2011, both reporting within-group changes; neither has been repeated in a blinded trial with a between-group comparison.^1,3

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 3 g/day of dried leaf powder (six 500 mg capsules in three doses, for 60 days) to 4 g/day of Bhringaraja tablets (four 500 mg tablets twice daily, for 4 weeks). These are research doses, not recommendations.^1,3

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Bhringaraj and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Bhringaraj.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

4 groups

People on blood-pressure medicines or diuretics: The only human trial reported lower blood pressure and increased urine output and sodium loss; effects alongside these medicines have not been studied.¹
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: No reliable data. Neither human trial reports including pregnant or breastfeeding women or children (the blood-pressure trial enrolled men aged 40–55), and LactMed has no entry for Eclipta.^1,3
Liver: LiverTox has no entry for Eclipta. In a 2009 case report of severe liver injury in a woman who took several Ayurvedic products for 9 months, Brahmi tablets described as containing Eclipta alba or Bacopa monnieri scored +6 on the CIOMS causality scale, below the main suspect, a Psoralea corylifolia product (+8).⁴
Anyone relying on it for hair or liver problems: Hair-growth and liver-protective effects have been reported only in preclinical extract and compound studies.²

Limited safety data

3 notes

Two small human studies.

Human data: Neither trial abstract (60 people for 60 days; 22 people for 4 weeks) reports adverse events, and no larger human safety study was found.^1,3
Liver case report: In a 2009 case of severe liver injury, Brahmi tablets described as containing Eclipta alba or Bacopa monnieri were one of several Ayurvedic products scored as likely contributors, with a lower causality score than the main suspect, a Psoralea product.⁴
Research gaps: A 2021 review notes that few studies have identified the active compounds and calls for mechanism-based animal studies and clinical studies.²

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks

Two Latin names, one plant

Eclipta prostrata and Eclipta alba are synonyms for the same plant.²

Label dose vs studied dose

The trials used 3 g/day of dried leaf powder or 4 g/day of Bhringaraja tablets; extracts and oils are not comparable to those doses.^1,3

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, bhringaraj (eclipta alba) included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

6 answers

Does bhringaraj grow hair?

No trial has tested bhringaraj alone for hair. A 2026 three-arm trial of Neeli Bhringadi oil, a multi-herb oil, in 75 people with hair loss or greying (25 on the oil alone) reported gains from baseline over 120 days, but the result cannot be credited to bhringaraj. Hair-growth activity of the plant itself comes from preclinical studies.^5,2

Does it lower blood pressure?

One 60-day pilot in 60 men with mild hypertension reported a 15% drop in mean arterial pressure at 3 g/day of leaf powder; it has not been repeated.¹

Does it help the liver?

Liver-protective effects have been reported only in preclinical extract and compound studies, not in human trials.²

Is bhringaraj safe?

Safety has not been well studied. Neither human trial abstract reports side effects, and LiverTox has no entry. In a 2009 liver-injury case, Brahmi tablets described as containing Eclipta alba or Bacopa monnieri were one of several suspected products, scored below a Psoralea product.^1,3,4

Does bhringaraj interact with medicines?

No interactions are documented: LiverTox and LactMed have no Eclipta entry, and the trial abstracts report none. Because the blood-pressure pilot reported lower blood pressure and more urine and sodium loss, use alongside blood-pressure medicines or diuretics is untested.¹

Is bhringaraj oil the same as bhringaraj capsules?

No. The oil is rubbed into the scalp and has no human data for the plant alone. The two trials of bhringaraj by mouth used 3 g/day of dried leaf powder or 4 g/day of tablets.^1,3,2

Sources

5 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

5 sources

1Diuretic, hypotensive, and hypocholesterolemic effects of Eclipta alba in mild hypertensive subjects: a pilot study.Pilot RCT J Med Food, 2007 · PMID 17472478
2Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. (Asteraceae): Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chemical Constituents, and Biological Activities.Review Biomolecules, 2021 · PMID 34827736
3Fundamental approach in the management of Drava Bahula Amlapitta with Bhringaraja (Eclipta alba).Pilot RCT Ayu, 2011 · PMID 22661846
4Severe hepatotoxicity by Indian Ayurvedic herbal products: a structured causality assessment.Observational Ann Hepatol, 2009 · PMID 19841509
5An Integrative Approach of Neeli Bhringraj Polyherbal Hair Oil in Clinical Evaluation of Androgenetic Alopecia (Khalitya) and Premature Hair Graying (Pālitya): A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Study.RCT Cureus, 2026 · PMID 42544231

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026evidence, studied doses, key facts, who should avoid, safety, FAQ, questions, related	Added the only other human trial found (a 2011 randomized open trial of 4 g/day Bhringaraja tablets for hyperacidity in 22 people, grade D) and widened studied doses to 3–4 g/day. Added a liver note citing a 2009 case report in which Brahmi tablets (Eclipta alba or Bacopa monnieri) were a secondary suspect (LiverTox has no Eclipta entry), a cited "no reliable data" pregnancy and breastfeeding note (no LactMed entry), and a 2026 multi-herb hair-oil trial in the hair FAQ. Interactions checked in LiverTox, LactMed and MedlinePlus: none documented, so the list stays empty. Replaced the "What is bhringaraj?" FAQ with interactions and oil-vs-capsule questions; added page questions and the heart goal hub link. PubMed searched for Eclipta/bhringaraj trials through October 2026: no meta-analysis or other trial of the plant alone.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z audit against docs/supplements/AUDIT-STANDARD.md
Oct 14, 2026all	Independent adversarial review: reworded the studied-dose sentence (a single dose was tested).	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: review
Oct 14, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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