Celastrus paniculatus

The short answer is that the human evidence has not been gathered yet. A 2026 systematic review searched databases including PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science up to August 2024 and concluded that, despite preclinical evidence, randomized controlled trials in humans are absent [1]. A 2023 review reached the same point, noting the absence of any reported clinical studies and calling for clinical trials on memory [2].

The three outcomes below are the ones the animal studies on this page examined. Each has an outcome grade, and the evidence grading method explains what each grade requires. For compounds with human trials on these goals, see the memory and mood and stress hubs.

Does celastrus paniculatus improve memory?

As of November 11, 2026 we found no controlled human trial of Celastrus paniculatus on memory (PubMed and Europe PMC searches, November 11, 2026). Every memory finding we found comes from rodents.

In a study in rats and mice, an aqueous (water-based) seed extract was given by mouth at 350 and 1050 mg/kg in rats and 500 and 1500 mg/kg in mice [5]. In a raised plus-shaped maze and a passive avoidance test, with memory loss induced by sodium nitrite, the extract improved memory performance compared with control animals [5]. The authors linked this to reduced acetylcholinesterase activity in rat brain [5].

A 2026 study randomly assigned young male rats to five groups, including a group given seed extract at 80 mg/kg, with treatments given daily for 14 days [7]. Rats given the extract found the hidden platform in the Morris water maze faster and spent more time in the target area [7]. The study was funded by Thailand Science Research and Innovation and Burapha University [7].

The Morris water maze measures spatial memory in rodents [7], and the doses were given per kilogram of body weight [5][7]. A 2023 review says laboratory and animal studies are in line with the plant's traditional use for memory and thinking problems, but notes that no clinical studies have been reported [2]. Whether any of this applies to human memory has not been tested.

Does celastrus paniculatus reduce stress?

As of November 11, 2026 we found no completed controlled human trial of Celastrus paniculatus on stress (PubMed and Europe PMC searches, November 11, 2026). There is one registered human trial, but only its protocol has been published.

That protocol describes a randomized, active-controlled, double-blind equivalence trial in 70 adults aged 20 to 50 with generalized anxiety disorder, a clinical population, with a Hamilton anxiety rating (HAM-A) score below 24, meaning mild to moderate [4]. One group is to receive 500 mg capsules of processed seed powder twice a day for 60 days, and the other a prescription medicine used for anxiety [4]. Outcomes are the HAM-A scale, blood cortisol and a WHO quality-of-life score on days 0, 30, 60 and 90 [4]. The trial is registered as CTRI REF/2023/07/069880 [4], and it is funded by the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences, part of India's Ministry of AYUSH [4]. We found no results paper (PubMed and Europe PMC searches, November 11, 2026). Even with results, a comparison with a medicine in a clinical population would not show an effect on everyday stress in healthy adults.

The rest of the stress evidence is in animals. In rats kept in restrainers for 6 hours a day for 21 days, seed oil injected at 400 or 600 mg/kg improved maze performance and reduced anxiety-like behavior compared with stressed rats given a vehicle [6]. In mice exposed to six different stressors daily for 15 days, the seed oil was given at 50 and 100 mg/kg, alone and with a prescription antidepressant [8]. Injected doses and animal stress models do not tell us what happens when people take the seed by mouth.

Does celastrus paniculatus affect mood?

As of November 11, 2026 we found no controlled human trial of Celastrus paniculatus on mood (PubMed and Europe PMC searches, November 11, 2026). A 2022 review lists anti-depressant and anxiolytic activity among the plant's pharmacological activities [3], but reviews report no controlled human trials, so these findings come from animal and laboratory work [1][2].

The clearest example is the mouse study above. In mice under chronic unpredictable stress, the seed oil combined with the antidepressant, and the lower of two antidepressant doses given alone, reduced stress-related behavioral, biochemical and neurotransmitter changes more than the seed oil given alone or the higher antidepressant dose [8]. That design tells us little about the seed oil on its own, and nothing about mood in people.

What the evidence does not show

The evidence does not show any effect in people, because the controlled trials have not been done or published [1][2]. The registered trial above may change that once results appear [4].

Some human use is described only secondhand. A 2016 rat paper says the plant was used for cognitive problems in children with intellectual disability [6], but we did not find that report in PubMed or Europe PMC (searches, November 11, 2026), so we could not assess its design.

Mixtures are a separate question. One uncontrolled study gave 40 people with essential hypertension a six-herb powder that includes jyotishmati, together with a second product, for 1 month [11]. With six herbs, a second product and no control group, the study cannot show what Celastrus paniculatus itself does [11]. A blend's results cannot be credited to one of its ingredients. Other herbs used in Ayurveda, such as bacopa monnieri, have their own pages and graded evidence.

We did not grade attention or focus, because we found no human or animal attention data (PubMed search, November 11, 2026).

As of November 11, 2026 we found no pharmacokinetic study of Celastrus paniculatus in people or animals, so onset and half-life are unknown (PubMed search, November 11, 2026). A 2019 review of the genus says toxicity, bioavailability and pharmacokinetic studies, along with clinical trials, are still needed [10].

Studies have used three main forms. The registered trial protocol uses processed seed powder in 500 mg capsules [4]. Animal studies used a water-based seed extract given by mouth [5], a seed extract [7], and the seed oil, which was sometimes injected [6][8]. A 2026 review calls for standardization of product quality [1], and no study we found compared one form with another.

There are no controlled human safety data, because no randomized controlled trials in humans have been reported [1]. The registered trial protocol plans to record adverse events and report them to its ethics committee, but no results are available [4]. As of November 11, 2026 we found no LiverTox chapter and no NIH ODS fact sheet for Celastrus paniculatus (NCBI Books and ODS list searches, November 11, 2026).

The main safety signal comes from a 1990 study in rats given an oily seed extract [9]. The testes of treated rats showed germ cell depletion and arrest of sperm production [9]. In rats injected with 0.2 ml every other day for 30 days, the livers showed focal necrosis (small areas of dead tissue), which was gone 45 days after treatment ended [9]. The authors described the effect on fertility as potentially useful as an antifertility agent, and the liver changes as reversible with time [9]. A 2022 review also lists anti-fertility activity among the plant's pharmacological activities [3]. These are animal findings with injected doses, and they have not been studied in people.

A 2026 systematic review covers the plant's toxicological profile, and its abstract states that randomized controlled trials in humans are absent; the abstract does not describe human safety findings [1]. The full text is not openly available, so its toxicology section was not verified as of November 12, 2026. Our own searches found no published human case report of harm and no FDA recall or adverse-event report naming the plant (PubMed, and FDA food recall and adverse-event databases, November 12, 2026). A 2019 review of the genus says toxicity studies, along with pharmacokinetic studies and clinical trials, are indispensable for judging safety [10]. The absence of reported harm here reflects missing studies, not evidence of safety.

As of November 11, 2026 we found no human interaction study and no pharmacokinetic study of Celastrus paniculatus, so its effect on how medicines are absorbed or cleared is unknown (PubMed searches, November 11, 2026). A 2019 review of the genus says pharmacokinetic studies are needed to judge safety [10].

What exists is limited to animal and design data:

• Antidepressants such as fluoxetine: in stressed mice, the seed oil was tested together with fluoxetine, and the combinations reduced stress-related changes more than the seed oil alone [8]. No study we found has tested this combination in people.
• Sertraline: the registered human trial uses sertraline as the comparison treatment, not in combination, and it excludes people treated with sertraline for two or more weeks in the previous three months [4].
• Medicines that act on acetylcholine: no source we found names this interaction. We list it because a rat study reported reduced acetylcholinesterase activity with seed extract [5], and no study we found has tested whether this matters for people taking such medicines.

If you take any of these medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before combining them with celastrus paniculatus.