Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus)

Also called Coleus amboinicus, Plectranthus amboinicus, bangun-bangun, Indian borage, Cuban oregano, Mexican mint.

Best grade D across 1 graded outcome Botanical Last checked

The short answer

From 6 sources

Torbangun is an aromatic herb that Batak women in Indonesia eat as soup after giving birth to boost milk supply. One small randomized trial without a placebo found more milk than with fenugreek or a reference tablet, but the torbangun group started lower. LactMed calls the human studies poor quality, and infant safety data are lacking.

Every graded outcome on this page

1 row · line = participants
  1. Grade DBreast milk volume in the first month after birthBreast milk supplyn 67

Key facts

Milk supply
In 67 new mothers, torbangun soup raised milk volume 65% between days 14 and 28, vs 20% with fenugreek and 10% with a reference tablet1
Caveat
The torbangun group started with about 100 mL less milk a day (361 vs 454 and 467 mL), and gains were tested only within each group1
LactMed's reading of the trial
The torbangun group started 20–23% lower, and its milk volume never differed statistically from the control group's starting volume5
Cochrane view
Only one small study compared torbangun with other galactagogues, so it is unknown whether any one works better than another3
LactMed view (revised 2026)
Human studies are poor quality and inadequate to establish activity; a meta-analysis suggests more milk volume, but the effect on infant weight gain is uncertain5
Infant safety
No data exist on whether its components pass into breast milk or on safety in nursing infants5
Blend trial
In 120 mothers, a katuk, torbangun and papaya leaf decoction worked no differently from a katuk extract capsule over 28 days; about 3–5% had higher liver enzymes or nausea4

What it is

Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus) is an aromatic leaf eaten as soup by Batak mothers in Indonesia to boost breast milk after birth.

How it works

Proposed

How torbangun might raise milk supply is unknown. It is eaten as a nourishing postpartum food in Batak culture, and no human study has measured hormones or milk-production mechanisms for torbangun alone.25

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.

Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus) forms compared

2 forms
Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus) forms compared: 2 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
2 formsFresh leaf soupBlends with katuk and papaya leaves
Absorption in peopleNot studied.15Not studied.4
GI toleranceAdverse events are not described in the trial abstract; LactMed notes long traditional use in Indonesia with apparent safety.15About 3-5% of mothers had higher liver enzymes or nausea in a 120-person blend trial.4
Studied forBreast milk supplyBreast milk supply
  1. Fresh leaf soup
    Absorption in people
    Not studied.15
    GI tolerance
    Adverse events are not described in the trial abstract; LactMed notes long traditional use in Indonesia with apparent safety.15
    Studied for
    Breast milk supply
  2. Blends with katuk and papaya leaves
    Absorption in people
    Not studied.4
    GI tolerance
    About 3-5% of mothers had higher liver enzymes or nausea in a 120-person blend trial.4
    Studied for
    Breast milk supply
Every cell holds data from a cited page; citation numbers link to the page that holds them.Scroll the table for every column

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

1 graded outcome, largest study first

One graded outcome so far. Breast milk volume in the first month after birth: a 2006 randomized trial of 67 people found an improvement.

1. Breast milk volume in the first month after birth: improved, 67 people1

1Breast milk volume in the first month after birth

Improved · Grade D · RCT, 67 people, 2006

Healthy mothers of full-term babies, from day 2 after birth (North Sumatra, Indonesia)

Dose, result and source
Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
OutcomeFoundPeopleStudyWho was studied
Breast milk volume in the first month after birthImproved67Grade D · RCT, 2006Healthy mothers of full-term babies, from day 2 after birth (North Sumatra, Indonesia)
Each circle is one graded outcome on this page, numbered from the largest study down, and placed by how many people it studied (log scale). It shows who was studied and what was found, not advice about your dose.

Every graded row

1 row
Grade DBreast milk volume in the first month after birthBreast milk supplyMore milk vs comparatorsRCT
n 67 · 2006

Improved Milk volume rose 65% from day 14 to day 28 with torbangun (361 to 479 mL a day) vs 20% with fenugreek and 10% with the reference tablets; milk nutrient quality was not reduced. The torbangun group started about 100 mL a day lower than the other two groups, a difference the authors found not statistically significant.

Design
RCT, n = 67, 2006
Population
Healthy mothers of full-term babies, from day 2 after birth (North Sumatra, Indonesia)
Form
Torbangun leaf soup vs fenugreek capsules vs Moloco+B12 tablets (no placebo)
Dose
Soup from 150 g of leaves, 6 days a week
Duration
30 days, then 30 days follow-up
Source
Reference 1 · PubMed 16672214 (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.

One trial, no placebo

The only randomized trial of torbangun alone compared it with two other products rather than placebo, and the arms started at different milk volumes.1

How we got this: Trial design and baseline milk volumes from the trial's full text

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 soup made with 150 g of fresh leaves 6 days a week for 30 days to a decoction with 10 g of leaves blended with other herbs for 28 days. These are research doses, not recommendations.15

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 Torbangun and your picks, and between your picks.

Most cited:

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

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.

Not medical advice, and no dosing advice. An empty result means no row we cite names that pair, by name or through a drug class we can link the medicine to, not that a combination is safe. Where our sources name only a group of medicines we cannot match, the cabinet says so. Ask your pharmacist before you combine supplements and medicines.

Who should be careful

5 groups
Breastfeeding mothers with low supply
Galactagogues should not replace evaluation of feeding technique and other causes of low supply, and torbangun's safety for nursing infants has not been studied.5
People with liver concerns using blends
In a 120-mother trial of a torbangun, katuk and papaya leaf blend or katuk extract, about 3-5% had higher liver enzymes.4
Liver
LactMed describes one nursing mother using torbangun, fenugreek and goat's rue whose liver enzymes rose slightly and returned to normal after she stopped goat's rue and torbangun.5
Pregnancy
NCCIH notes that many dietary supplements have not been tested in pregnant women; the only torbangun trial started after birth, so use in pregnancy has not been studied.6
People on medicines
The cited sources describe no drug-interaction studies, so effects with blood thinners, diabetes drugs or sedatives are unknown.5
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.

Frequently asked questions

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

Common questions

7 answers
Does torbangun increase breast milk?

One small randomized trial reported more milk than with fenugreek or a reference tablet, but there was no placebo and the torbangun group started lower. LactMed calls the human studies poor quality and inadequate to establish activity.15

Does torbangun have side effects?

The 2006 soup trial abstract does not describe side effects. In a 120-mother trial of a blend with katuk and papaya leaves or katuk extract, about 3–5% had higher liver enzymes or nausea; no infant side effects were found.14

Does torbangun interact with medicines?

No interaction studies or case reports were found in LactMed or PubMed, so effects with other medicines are unknown rather than ruled out.5

Is torbangun safe while breastfeeding?

It has long traditional use in Indonesia, but there are no data on what passes into milk or on infant safety.5

Is torbangun the same as Coleus forskohlii?

No. Torbangun is Coleus amboinicus; Coleus forskohlii is a related plant sold for forskolin.5

How was it used in the study?

Mothers ate soup made from 150 g of fresh leaves 6 days a week for 30 days, starting on day 2 after birth.15

What did the Cochrane review conclude?

It found only one small study for each pairing of galactagogues, including torbangun, so it could not say whether any one works better.3

Sources

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

Sources cited on this page

6 sources
  1. 1Lactagogue effects of Torbangun, a Bataknese traditional cuisine.RCT Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2006 · PMID 16672214
  2. 2Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus Lour): a Bataknese traditional cuisine perceived as lactagogue by Bataknese lactating women in Simalungun, North Sumatera, Indonesia.Observational J Hum Lact, 2009 · PMID 18984829
  3. 3Oral galactagogues (natural therapies or drugs) for increasing breast milk production in mothers of non-hospitalised term infants.Systematic review Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020 · PMID 32421208
  4. 4Galactagogue activity of poly-herbal decoction from Indonesia: a randomized open label controlled trial.RCT J Complement Integr Med, 2024 · PMID 38644615
  5. 5Coleus. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)Database National Library of Medicine (NCBI Bookshelf), 2026 · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. 6Using Dietary Supplements WiselyFact sheet National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), 2019 · nccih.nih.gov

What changed

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

Change log

3 entries
Dated changes to this page
DateChangeWho and why
key facts, evidence notes, FAQAdded LactMed's reading of the 2006 trial (lower starting volume, no difference from the control group's baseline) and the 120-mother blend trial (PMID 38644615) to key facts; added FAQ on side effects and interactions. PubMed search through 2026 found no newer oral trial of torbangun alone; LactMed lists no drug interactions.Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
who should avoidPregnancy caution re-sourced to NCCIH (agency source) instead of the trial reportWriter: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: adversarial review
allInitial editorial evidence reviewWriter: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page

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