Ingredient spotlight: bhringaraj — the 62.5% shedding reduction in 24 weeks, the 5-AR inhibition mechanism, and what makes it the best-evidenced Ayurvedic hair botanical.
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
0:00
|
7:34
From Root to Ritual by Laritelle Organic.
In brief: Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba, also called Eclipta prostrata) is the most clinically evidenced Ayurvedic botanical for hair loss in this series. A 2025 prospective clinical trial published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences (Mote et al., January 2026) — 54 participants, 24 weeks — found standardised oral Eclipta alba extract reduced 60-second comb test hair counts by 6...
Read the full article: https://laritelleorganic.com/blogs/from-root-to-ritual/ingredient-spotlight-bhringaraj-the-62-5-shedding-reduction-in-24-weeks-the-5-ar-inhibition-mechanism-and-what-makes-it-the-best-evidenced-ayurvedic-hair-botanical
SPEAKER_00
In brief, Bringaraj, Eclipta Alba, also called eclipta prostrata, is the most clinically evidenced Ayurvedic botanical for hair loss in this series. A 2025 prospective clinical trial published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences, Mot et al. January 2026, 54 participants 24 weeks, found standardized oral eclipta alba extract reduced 60-second comb test hair counts by 62.5%, p. 0.0001. A 2023 laboratory study found eclipta alba extract comparable to five alpha reductus inhibitors including phinasteride in vitro. Wetololectone, the primary bioactive kumistan compound, has documented 5AR inhibition, anti-inflammatory, and antigen-promoting properties. The honest caveats are equally important. The 2025 trial was open label without a placebo control, and the 5AR comparison was in vitro, not in vivo. Here is the complete picture. What is Bringarage and what are its bioactive compounds? Bringorage is a small annual herb of the Asteraika, sunflower family, characterized by small white daisy-like flowers and dark green lanceolate leaves, growing naturally in tropical and subtropical regions across India, Southeast Asia, Brazil, and other moist environments. Site index equals sign 26 to 1 inches. Every part of the plant contains medicinally active compounds, though the leaves are most commonly used in hair formulations. The primary bioactive compounds relevant to hair. Wetalolactone. The 5AR inhibiting coumiston. Wetololactone is the compound most responsible for BCRE. Angara's pharmacological activity relevant to hair. It is a coumiston, a type of phytoestrogen and potent biological active, with documented 5-alpha reductase inhibitory activity. The 2023 Chakra Bordi et al. study, International Journal of Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance, confirmed eclipta alba extracts 5AR inhibitory activity in vitro, comparable to phinasteride in the laboratory setting. Wetilolactone also has documented anti-inflammatory activity through NFKB pathway inhibition, addressing the scalp-inflammatory environment that the P.I.Liff pathway series covered extensively. Ecliptine, luteolin, and flavonoids, the supporting cast, site index equal sign, 28 to 1 inches. The herb is rich in bioactive constituents including wet alolactone, ecliptine, luteoline, and flavonoids, which exhibit potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and vasodilatory properties that enhance the microcirculation of the scalp and promote healthy hair growth. Luteolin is a flavone with documented 5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity, addressing the same inflammatory pathway that frankincense's boswelic acids target in the facial care range. Ecliptine is an alkaloid specific to eclipta that contributes to the plant's overall hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory profile. The vasodilatory properties address scalp microcirculation, the same circulatory target as rosemary, peppermint, and go-to-cola, through complementary mechanisms. Phytoestrogens, the estrogen receptor component, site index equal sign, 29 to 1 inches, the phytos. Trogans in Bringarage could also be responsible for its hair-repelling action against DHT by competing with it at receptor sites. The phytoestrogen activity of Wadilolactone and other kumistons in eclipta alba means Bringarage operates through a dual mechanism. 5AR inhibition, reducing DHT production, and phytoestrogen activity, competing at androgen receptors. This makes Bringarage mechanistically more similar to a combination of saw palmetto and Clary Sage than to either one alone. The phytoestrogen mechanism is particularly relevant for women with hormonal hair loss at estrogen withdrawal transitions, the same population for whom Clary Sage's sclerol is most targeted. What did the 2025 clinical trial find? The Mod et al. study, published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences in January 2026, covering 2025 data, is the most significant recent clinical evidence for Bringarage specifically for hair loss. Site index equals sign, 24 to 1 inches. A prospective open label, pre-post-trial was conducted in adults aged 18, 55 years with increased hair shedding. Participants received standardized oral eclipta alba extract tablets for 24 weeks. Primary outcomes were hair shedding counts, 60 second comb test, and weekly diary totals assessed at baseline, week 12, and week 24. 54 participants were enrolled, 50 completed the study. Mean age was 34.6 years, with 58% female. Comb test counts decreased from 72.4 pouss, 18.6 hairs at baseline to 27.1 plus 11.8 at week 24, 62, 5%, p 0.0001. Weekly diary counts declined from 512.6 plus 104.2 to 205.4 plus 82.1. The weekly diary decline represents a 59.9% reduction in self-reported weekly shedding, broadly consistent with the objective comb test data. The patient global impression of change, PGIC, secondary outcome confirmed subjective improvement aligned with the objective counts. The honest caveat: this is an open label pre-post-trial, not a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Without a placebo arm, it is impossible to determine how much of the improvement reflects the treatment and how much reflects the natural resolution of hair shedding that might have occurred regardless, particularly relevant for telogen effluvium, which often resolves spontaneously. The result is impressive and the statistical significance is robust, but the study design means the effect size may be overstated compared to what a placebo-controlled trial would find. 62.5% reduction in 60-second comb test hair count at week 24 from 72.4 plus 18.6 to 27.1 plus 11.8 hairs, p 0.0001, the largest shedding reduction reported in any Ayurvedic botanical hair trial in this series. Comparable to finasteride in 5AR inhibitory activity. In vitro, 2023, Chakraborty et al. study. In vitro does not predict in vivo clinical equivalents. The comparison is mechanistic, not clinical. 1.000 plus years of Ayurvedic use for hair health, one of the most consistently documented traditional applications in the entire Ayurvedic Botanical Materia Medica 4.