HOUTTUYNIA CORDATA LEAF EXTRACT

📋 Quick facts

Description: HOUTTUYNIA CORDATA LEAF EXTRACT — CIR reviewed: safe as used in cosmetics. Report: Scientific Literature Review: Safety Assessment of Houttuynia cordata-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.

Quick Facts:

• Category: other
• Also Known As: ドクダミ葉エキス

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Houttuynia cordata leaf extract has been traditionally used to treat intestinal worm infections
• Research tested the extract against a specific tapeworm species in laboratory rats
• The extract showed dose-dependent effects, with higher doses producing stronger results
• At the highest dose tested, the extract reduced tapeworm markers by over half
• The extract was less effective than the standard pharmaceutical treatment praziquantel

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Houttuynia cordata is a plant from the Saururaceae family whose leaves have been used in traditional medicine by Naga tribes in Northeast India for treating intestinal worm infections. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Parasitic Diseases investigated whether this traditional use had scientific support (J Parasit Dis, 2011). Researchers tested leaf extract against Hymenolepis diminuta, a tapeworm species, in laboratory rats that were deliberately infected with the parasite at different life stages. #1: The extract demonstrated dose-dependent anticestodal activity, meaning higher doses produced stronger effects against the tapeworms (J Parasit Dis, 2011). When rats were given the highest dose tested (800 mg/kg), the extract reduced egg counts in feces by 57.09% and overall worm burden by 75.00% (J Parasit Dis, 2011).

#2: The extract was most effective against mature tapeworms compared to earlier developmental stages (J Parasit Dis, 2011). For context, the standard pharmaceutical treatment praziquantel at a much lower dose (5 mg/kg) achieved greater reductions—80.37% for egg counts and 87.50% for worm load—meaning the extract was less potent than the established drug (J Parasit Dis, 2011). The researchers concluded these findings provide scientific rationale for the plant’s traditional use as an anthelmintic, though this research was conducted in laboratory rats with a specific tapeworm species, not in humans.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Yadav AK et al. (2011). Anticestodal activity of Houttuynia cordata leaf extract against Hymenolepis diminuta in experimentally infected rats. J Parasit Dis.

🧴 Products Containing HOUTTUYNIA CORDATA LEAF EXTRACT