Appetite Stimulant

In Ayurveda bilva is deepana, which kindles the digestive fire, and pachana, which aids digestion. The unripe fruit is listed for indigestion and poor appetite.

Its main traditional action is binding the stool rather than stimulating appetite. No study measures appetite.

In Persian folk medicine barberry is used for poor appetite and an upset stomach ^{5Reference 5Mokhber-Dezfuli et al. · 2014ReviewPhytochemistry and pharmacology of Berberis species — reviewView study →}. The Eclectics gave it in small doses as a tonic for intestinal indigestion ^{6Reference 6Felter et al. · 1898Berberis.—Barberry — materia medica entryView study →}.

The bitterness is berberine. Its research concerns lipids, glucose and infection, not appetite.

Barberry is avoided in pregnancy, and its berberine interacts with cyclosporine and CYP3A4 drugs.

South and Southeast Asian folk medicine uses the fruit as a digestive bitter to sharpen appetite and settle sluggish digestion.

The one human study that measured appetite found no effect from a single dose of freeze-dried fruit in five overweight men ^{7Reference 7Kasbia et al. · 2009RCTNo effect of acute, single-dose oral Momordica charantia on glycemia, energy expenditure and appetite — randomised pilot study in non-diabetic overweight menView study →}.

Western herbalists class blue vervain as a bitter nervine. Its bitterness is why they give it for poor appetite and sluggish digestion, and its relaxing action suits appetite lost to tension.

It has also been used in convalescence ^{8Reference 8North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Verbena hastata (blue vervain) — description, distribution, ethnobotany — species databaseView study →}. No study has tested the bitter action.

Nineteenth-century writers added poor appetite to buchu’s uses ^{9Reference 9Brendler T · 2022ReviewBuchu (Agathosma betulina and A. crenulata): Rightfully Forgotten or Underutilized? — reviewView study →}. The Eclectic physicians used it as an aromatic stimulant for poor appetite, flatulence and nausea ^{10Reference 10Moolla A · 2008ReviewMoolla A, Viljoen AM. (2008). ‘Buchu’ — Agathosma betulina and Agathosma crenulata (Rutaceae): a review. J Ethnopharmacol. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18725278/View study →}.

No study has tested the appetite use.

In Ayurveda, vacha is pungent, bitter and heating, used as a carminative and bitter for sluggish digestion, gas and colic ^{13,14,15Reference 13Rajput SB et al et al. · 2014ReviewAn overview on traditional uses and pharmacological profile of Acorus calamus Linn. (Sweet flag) and other Acorus species — reviewView study →Reference 14Khwairakpam AD et al et al. · 2018ReviewAcorus calamus: a bio-reserve of medicinal values — reviewView study →Reference 15Bhat SD et al et al. · 2012AnimalAnticonvulsant activity of raw and classically processed Vacha (Acorus calamus Linn.) rhizomes — animal in vivoView study →}. Western herbalism also treats it as a warming aromatic bitter and digestive stimulant.

The only gut research uses isolated organ strips to test antispasmodic action ^{16,17Reference 16Gilani AU et al et al. · 2006In vitroAntispasmodic effect of Acorus calamus Linn. is mediated through calcium channel blockade — in vitroView study →Reference 17Keller K et al et al. · 1985In vitroSpasmolytische wirkung des isoasaronfreien kalmus1 — in vitroView study →}. No study measures appetite or secretion.

Only low-asarone material is used, and only short-term.

In small doses before meals the bark was used as a bitter stomachic to promote appetite and digestion ^{21,22Reference 21A Modern Herbal · 1931Buckthorn (Californian). https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/buckth80.htmlView study →Reference 22European Medicines Agency · 2020Assessment report on Rhamnus purshiana DC., cortex, final, revision 1 — regulatory assessmentView study →}.

At ordinary doses it is a stimulant laxative. No study has tested appetite or digestive tone.

It is not for pregnancy, breastfeeding or children under twelve.

Western herbalists use cassia as a warming aromatic digestive for cold, sluggish digestion, nausea and loss of appetite.

Its research is metabolic, and no study has measured appetite.

Western practice treats cinnamon as a carminative and digestive stimulant for sluggish, cold digestion, poor appetite and wind.

It is rarely used alone. Its usual job is to warm a formula and make bitter remedies easier to take.

No study has measured the appetite use.

A cup of infusion made from the vine wood or leaf is taken as a digestive aid and appetite stimulant in Amazonian and Brazilian use ^{26Reference 26Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}. It is also listed for poor appetite among its folk uses ^{27Reference 27Fern · 2024Tynanthus panurensis — range, habitat and uses — species databaseView study →}.

No study has tested it.

In Chinese medicine ding xiang warms the middle burner. It is used for poor appetite and cold abdominal pain alongside vomiting and hiccup.

Western practice treats it as a warming carminative for sluggish digestion ^{28,29Reference 28Batiha GE et al. · 2020ReviewSyzygium aromaticum L. (Myrtaceae): Traditional Uses, Bioactive Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological and Toxicological Activities — [review]View study →Reference 29Orwa C et al. · 2009Syzygium aromaticum — [species database]View study →}. No study has tested its effect on appetite.

European folk medicine used the flowers as a bitter tonic for weak digestion and appetite.

Its documented folk use is mainly for the eyes ^{32Reference 32Pinke et al. · 2022ReviewIconic arable weeds: the significance of corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas), cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), and field larkspur (Delphinium consolida) in Hungarian ethnobotanical and cultural heritage — ethnobotanical reviewView study →}. No study has examined its effect on digestion or appetite.

In Western herbal medicine the seed is listed for poor appetite. In Chinese medicine xiao hui xiang is warm, enters the Stomach channel, and is given for cold-stomach patterns with “indigestion, weak appetite and vomiting” ^{37,38Reference 37Bone et al. · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy (2nd ed.)Reference 38Bone · 2003A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs}.

Classical sources give it “to improve appetite in the underweight and to reduce it in the overweight” ^{37Reference 37Bone et al. · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy (2nd ed.)}.

No human or animal study has tested appetite stimulation. The only appetite data, one small crossover and one PCOS diet trial, concern suppression and were weak or null ^{39,40Reference 39Bae et al. · 2015RCTFennel and fenugreek tea drinking suppresses subjective short-term appetite in overweight women — randomised crossover trialView study →Reference 40Nadjarzadeh et al. · 2021RCTHypocaloric high-protein diet supplemented with fennel on androgenic/anthropometric indices in overweight women with PCOS — RCTView study →}.

Western herbalists used fenugreek seed as a nutritive tonic for convalescence and poor appetite.

The research runs the other way. In 18 obese adults, 8 g of isolated fenugreek fiber increased fullness and reduced hunger ^{41Reference 41Mathern et al. · 2009RCTEffect of fenugreek fiber on satiety, blood glucose and insulin response and energy intake in obese subjects — randomized crossover trialView study →}, though lunch intake did not fall.

Native American peoples of eastern North America used the rhizome to improve the appetite and as a tonic, alongside its uses for dyspepsia and liver trouble ^{51Reference 51Ford · 1997Hydrastis canadensis — flora treatment (Ranunculaceae, family treatment by AView study →}.

It is given as a bitter for dyspepsia and poor appetite. No study has measured appetite.

Goldenseal is for short-term use only.

Greater celandine is taken as a liver and digestive bitter ^{23Reference 23Bone K · 2013Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy}. Western herbalism lists it for indigestion and poor appetite.

Its studied digestive action is on bile flow ^{24,25Reference 24Niederau C · 1999RCTThe effect of chelidonium- and turmeric root extract on upper abdominal pain due to functional disorders of the biliary system — a placebo-controlled double-blind randomised studyView study →Reference 25Vahlensieck U et al. · 1995AnimalThe effect of Chelidonium majus herb extract on choleresis in the isolated perfused rat liver — animalView study →}, not appetite.

It can injure the liver, usually within weeks, and is best avoided internally.

Ayurveda ranks haritaki as a principal digestive, given for slow digestion, bloating and ama. Poor appetite is among its Ayurvedic indications.

In rats, oral fruit extract increased gastric emptying more than a single injected dose of metoclopramide ^{61Reference 61Tamhane et al. · 1997AnimalEffect of oral administration of Terminalia chebula on gastric emptying: an experimental study — ratView study →}. That is a motility effect in animals, not a measure of appetite.

In Chinese medicine tai zi shen replenishes qi and strengthens the Spleen ^{52,53Reference 52Hu DJ et al. · 2019ReviewChemistry, pharmacology and analysis of Pseudostellaria heterophylla: a mini-review — [review]View study →Reference 53Yang Y et al. · 2025ReviewChemical Properties, Preparation, and Pharmaceutical Effects of Cyclic Peptides from Pseudostellaria heterophylla — [review]View study →}. It is used for fatigue, poor appetite and weakness after serious illness ^{52,54Reference 52Hu DJ et al. · 2019ReviewChemistry, pharmacology and analysis of Pseudostellaria heterophylla: a mini-review — [review]View study →Reference 54Li H et al. · 2025ReviewAdvances in Pseudostellaria heterophylla Research: Current Status and Future Directions — [review]View study →}.

It is used where a gentle restorative is wanted. No study measures appetite.

Its older traditional record describes a liver and bile herb and does not mention appetite.

No study has addressed its effect on appetite.

A randomized trial of seed powder improved appetite in patients infected with Helicobacter pylori ^{56Reference 56Yousefnejad H et al. · 2023RCTNigella sativa powder for Helicobacter pylori infected patients — a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trialView study →}.

The effect may follow from easing the infection rather than from a direct action on appetite, and it has not been replicated.

Pliny wrote that spearmint’s smell stirred the appetite, and it was eaten with food to aid digestion ^{59Reference 59Grieve · 1931A Modern Herbal — “Mints: Spearmint.” (historical/traditional reference). https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mints-39.htmlView study →}.

In Ayurveda pudina is a cooling aromatic digestive for nausea and poor appetite. No study measures appetite.

Brazilian practice lists the root as an appetite stimulant, among a long list of tonic uses ^{26Reference 26Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}. It is also taken for low vitality and convalescence ^{26Reference 26Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals}.

No study has tested the appetite use.

Matthiolus recorded tarragon as an appetite stimulant in the 16th century. In Central Asia, including Russia, it is used to aid digestion and improve appetite ^{60Reference 60Ekiert H et al. · 2021ReviewArtemisia dracunculus (tarragon): a review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology — reviewView study →}.

No study has examined its effect on appetite or digestion.