Home Ingredients Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Menyanthes trifoliata
Evidence Level
Preliminary
4 Clinical Trials
6 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), also called buckbean, is a plant of peat bogs and swamps in Europe, Asia and North America whose dried three-part leaves have long been used in Europe as a very bitter herb for appetite and digestion. Its bitterness comes from secoiridoid glycosides such as dihydrofoliamenthin and menthiafolin, with loganin as the quality marker. The European Medicines Agency accepts bogbean leaf as a traditional herbal medicine for temporary loss of appetite, mild digestive complaints such as bloating and flatulence, and minor joint and muscle aches, based only on long-standing use, and found no clinical studies. Other findings come from rats, mice and cell tests, several using the rhizome rather than the leaf. The EU monograph advises against bogbean with an active stomach or duodenal ulcer, in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and under age 18.

Studied Dose No human trial has tested bogbean. EU traditional use for appetite or mild digestive upset: tea of 0.4 to 1.6 g dried leaf in 150 ml boiling water 2 to 4 times daily (0.8 to 4.8 g a day), or powder 0.5 g 3 to 4 times daily; for minor aches, 1 to 2 g as tea or powder 3 times daily.
Active Compound Bitter secoiridoid glycosides (about 1% of the leaf in total), mainly dihydrofoliamenthin, foliamenthin and menthiafolin, with smaller amounts of the iridoid glycosides loganin and sweroside; flavonols such as kaempferol, quercetin, hyperoside, rutoside and trifolin; coumarins; phenolic acids such as chlorogenic and caffeic acid; small amounts of triterpenes such as betulinic acid; and polysaccharides. Loganin is the European Pharmacopoeia marker.

Benefits

Appetite as a traditional bitter taken before meals

The European Medicines Agency accepts bogbean leaf tea and powder as traditional herbal medicines for temporary loss of appetite, based only on long-standing use in Europe, with the tea taken 30 minutes before meals. Its assessment found no clinical studies of bogbean, so this use rests on tradition rather than trials.

Supported by Trial 1

Bloating and flatulence as a traditional digestive herb

The same EU monograph lists bogbean leaf tea, taken between meals, as a traditional remedy for mild digestive complaints such as bloating and flatulence. The agency judged this plausible from long use and from animal data on its bitter compound loganin, but no human study has measured digestive comfort with bogbean.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Minor joint and muscle aches in British herbal tradition

British herbal tradition used bogbean as a bitter and diuretic for muscle and joint aches, and the EU monograph accepts its tea, powder, liquid extract and tincture for minor joint and muscle pain on long use alone. No trial has tested this, and the monograph says swollen, red or feverish joints need a doctor.

Supported by Trial 3, Trial 4

Inflammation signals in rat and lab studies

In rats, a decoction of bogbean rhizome (the underground stem, not the leaf) taken by mouth halved paw swelling at about 1.7 g/kg, and in lab tests it blocked the enzyme elastase and the making of prostaglandins. These are animal and test-tube findings only and have not been tested in people.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 1

Kidney filtration after blocked blood flow in a rat study

In rats given an oral bogbean rhizome decoction, kidney filtration after 45 minutes of blocked blood flow to the kidney was more than 3 times higher than in untreated rats, while normal kidney function was unchanged. The authors linked this partly to blocking platelet activating factor. No human data exist.

Supported by Trial 1

Sleep measures in a mouse study

In mice, a bogbean extract (plant part not stated in the abstract) at 0.5 to 4 g/kg shortened the time to fall asleep, lengthened sleep and reduced movement in a dose-dependent way, and brain wave recordings showed more non-REM sleep. Bogbean is a folk sleep remedy in China, but no human study has measured sleep.

Supported by Trial 3

Mechanism of action

1

Bitter taste and digestive secretions

The European Pharmacopoeia requires bogbean leaf to have a bitterness value of at least 3,000, and handbooks place its bitterness between gentian and centaury. Bitters are thought to reflexively increase stomach juice and bile; in rats, injected loganin, one of its bitter compounds, increased bile secretion. No human study has measured this for bogbean.

2

Immune cell signaling in lab tests

When human dendritic cells matured in a water extract of bogbean, they made less IL-12p40 relative to IL-10, and T cells they activated released less IFN-gamma, IL-10 and IL-17. Polysaccharide fractions of the herb either stimulated or suppressed human blood immune cells, depending on the fraction. These are cell studies only.

3

Platelet activating factor and elastase in lab tests

In human white blood cells, a bogbean rhizome decoction blocked the response to platelet activating factor, but it was about 800 times weaker than a standard blocker, and a follow-up study suggested that elastase inhibition explains part of this. The EMA describes leaf water extracts as having weak antiplatelet activity.

4

Loganin absorption in rats

In rats, about 13.2% of oral loganin reached the bloodstream. It spread quickly to most organs, reached the highest levels in the kidney, which was its main exit route, and hardly crossed into the brain. The EMA notes that these data do not describe whole bogbean preparations, and no human data exist.

Clinical trials

1
Bogbean rhizome decoction and kidney function in rats (animal study)
PubMed

Animal study: oral water decoction of bogbean rhizome given to rats before and after 45 minutes of blocked kidney blood flow, plus a lab test of platelet activating factor responses in human white blood cells compared with standard blockers (Tunón et al. 1994, Phytomedicine)

Rats; isolated human neutrophils for the lab test.

Before the blocked blood flow, treated and untreated kidneys behaved alike. Afterward, kidney filtration in treated rats was more than 3 times higher than in untreated rats. In the lab test the decoction needed 160 micrograms per ml for half-maximal inhibition versus 0.2 for the strongest standard blocker. Rhizome, not leaf; not tested in people.

2
Bogbean rhizome decoction and swelling in rats (animal and lab study)
PubMed

Animal and lab study: oral bogbean rhizome decoction in two rat swelling models, plus test-tube assays of white blood cell responses, elastase, prostaglandins and leukotriene B4 (Tunón et al. 1995, Phytomedicine)

Rats; human white blood cells and enzyme assays in the lab.

The decoction halved paw swelling at about 1.7 g/kg by mouth and reduced ear swelling by 32% at 2.0 g/kg. In the lab it blocked elastase and prostaglandin production; leukotriene B4 was blocked only at concentrations that also damaged red blood cells. Not tested in people.

3
Bogbean extract and sleep in mice (animal study)
PubMed

Animal study: bogbean extract at 0.5, 2 and 4 g/kg tested in pentobarbital sleep, caffeine-induced sleeplessness and open field models, with brain wave and muscle recordings and a maximum tolerated dose test (Gong et al. 2025, J Ethnopharmacol)

Mice.

The extract shortened the time to fall asleep, lengthened total sleep and reduced movement in a dose-dependent way, and after one day it increased non-REM sleep and reduced wakefulness. No toxicity signs were seen at 30 g/kg. The abstract identifies 15 phenolic compounds in the extract. The abstract does not say which plant part was used. Not tested in people.

4
Bogbean water extract and human immune cells (lab study)
PubMed

Lab study: human monocyte-derived dendritic cells matured with or without water or ethanol extracts of bogbean or yarrow, then cultured with T cells from other donors (Jonsdottir et al. 2011, J Ethnopharmacol)

Human immune cells in culture; no people took bogbean.

The water extract did not change the cell surface markers measured but lowered the IL-12p40 to IL-10 ratio, and T cells cultured with these dendritic cells released less IFN-gamma, IL-10 and IL-17. The authors describe a more suppressive cell profile. The abstract does not say which plant part was used. Cell work only.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

The EU monograph lists no known side effects at traditional doses, and the EMA found no reports for bogbean in the EudraVigilance or WHO adverse event databases.
Large doses: herbal handbooks report that excessive doses may irritate the digestive tract, causing diarrhea, griping pains, nausea and vomiting, though the EMA assessment report notes that no original case data were cited.
Stomach: the EU monograph lists an active stomach or duodenal ulcer and allergy to bogbean as reasons not to use it. Bitters are thought to increase stomach secretions.
Bowel: the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, cited in the EMA assessment report (not in the monograph itself), advises against bogbean in diarrhea, dysentery or colitis; anyone with dysentery symptoms should see a doctor promptly.
Not recommended under 18 or during pregnancy and breastfeeding, because safety data are lacking.
Adequate genotoxicity tests have not been done, and reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity have not been tested. In an older Ames test, alcohol extracts and tinctures of the leaf showed weak to moderate mutagenic activity, possibly from quercetin, while a dry water extract did not.
The EU monograph advises seeing a doctor if digestive symptoms last more than 2 weeks, if aches last more than 4 weeks, or if symptoms worsen.
In mice, no signs of toxicity were seen after a bogbean extract dose of 30 g/kg.

Important Drug interactions

The EU monograph reports no interactions, but no interaction studies have been done.
Warfarin and other blood thinners: a pharmacist review lists bogbean among herbs that may in theory raise bleeding risk with warfarin, and lab tests found weak antiplatelet activity. No case has been reported; ask a clinician before combining.
Stomach acid: bitters such as bogbean are thought to increase stomach secretions, which works against acid-reducing treatment; anyone using acid-reducing medicine should ask a clinician first.
Sedatives: in mice, a bogbean extract lengthened sleep induced by the sedative pentobarbital. Whether this matters in people is unknown, so take care when combining it with sleep medicines.
Tinctures and liquid extracts contain alcohol (45% and 25% ethanol in the EU-listed forms); choose a tea or powder if alcohol must be avoided.

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Frequently asked questions about Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Why is bogbean tea timed differently for appetite and for bloating?

The EU monograph says to drink bogbean tea 30 minutes before a meal for poor appetite, but between meals for bloating and flatulence. The idea behind the first is that tasting a bitter before eating prompts stomach juice and bile. No study has tested whether timing changes the effect of bogbean.

How does bogbean compare with gentian root and centaury?

All three are traditional European bitters with EU monographs for poor appetite and mild digestive complaints, and older pharmacy bitter tinctures combined them. Handbooks place bogbean's bitterness between gentian and centaury. Gentian has a few small human studies; for bogbean and centaury the EMA found no clinical studies. Only bogbean's EU monograph also covers minor joint and muscle aches.

Do the rat studies on bogbean apply to the leaf sold as tea?

Not directly. The rat studies on kidney filtration and paw swelling used a decoction of the rhizome, the underground stem, at gram-per-kilogram doses, while EU products use the leaf. Lab findings on immune cells used extracts in a dish. None of these were tested in people.

Has bogbean been studied for sleep?

Only in animals. Bogbean is a folk sleep remedy in China, and in one mouse study a bogbean extract shortened the time to fall asleep and lengthened sleep. The EMA assessment report also summarizes a mouse study in which loganin, one of its bitter compounds, lengthened sleep. No human study has measured sleep with bogbean.

Why should people with a sensitive stomach or loose stools be careful with bogbean?

The EU monograph says not to use bogbean with an active stomach or duodenal ulcer, a warning carried over from registered EU products, and bitters are thought to increase stomach secretions. The EMA assessment report, not the monograph, cites British guidance against it with diarrhea or colitis and handbook reports that large doses can cause diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. Persistent symptoms call for a clinician.

What is Bogbean?

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), also called buckbean, is a plant of peat bogs and swamps in Europe, Asia and North America whose dried three-part leaves have long been used in Europe as a very bitter herb for appetite and digestion.

What is Bogbean used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Bogbean under a health category. What the research covers: The European Medicines Agency accepts bogbean leaf tea and powder as traditional herbal medicines for temporary loss of appetite, based only on long-standing use in Europe, with the tea taken 30 minutes before meals.

What is the recommended dosage of Bogbean?

No human trial has tested bogbean. EU traditional use for appetite or mild digestive upset: tea of 0.4 to 1.6 g dried leaf in 150 ml boiling water 2 to 4 times daily (0.8 to 4.8 g a day), or powder 0. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Bogbean safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for Bogbean include: The EU monograph lists no known side effects at traditional doses, and the EMA found no reports for bogbean in the EudraVigilance or WHO adverse event databases. It may also interact with some medications. Bogbean is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Bogbean interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: The EU monograph reports no interactions, but no interaction studies have been done. Warfarin and other blood thinners: a pharmacist review lists bogbean among herbs that may in theory raise bleeding risk with warfarin, and lab tests found weak antiplatelet activity. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Bogbean?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Bogbean as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 4 study summaries and 10 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(10 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Medicines Agency. European Union herbal monograph on Menyanthes trifoliata L., folium (EMA/HMPC/637833/2018). European Medicines Agency. 2021;Final monograph dated 5 May 2021 (not PubMed-indexed)..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed: EU regulatory monograph. Traditional herbal medicinal product, exclusively on long-standing use, for (1) temporary loss of appetite, (2) relief of mild digestive disorders such as bloating and flatulence, and (3) relief of minor articular and muscular pain. Posology for 1 and 2: tea 0.4 to 1.6 g in 150 ml boiling water 2 to 4 times daily (0.8 to 4.8 g a day); for 1, decoction 0.5 to 1.5 g in 150 ml 3 times daily (1.5 to 4.5 g a day); powder 0.5 g 3 to 4 times daily (1.5 to 2.0 g a day). For 3: tea or powder 1.0 to 2.0 g 3 times daily, liquid extract (1:1, 25% ethanol) 1 to 2 ml or tincture (1:5, 45% ethanol) 1 to 3 ml 3 times daily. Appetite: 30 minutes before meals; bloating: between meals. See a doctor after 2 weeks (digestive) or 4 weeks (pain). Contraindications: hypersensitivity; active gastric or duodenal ulcer. Not recommended under 18 or in pregnancy and lactation. Interactions: none reported. Undesirable effects: none known. No overdose reported. Adequate genotoxicity tests not performed; reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity not tested.
  2. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Medicines Agency. Assessment report on Menyanthes trifoliata L., folium (EMA/HMPC/637830/2018). European Medicines Agency. 2021;Final assessment report dated 5 May 2021 (not PubMed-indexed)..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed: EU regulatory assessment. Ph. Eur. 1605 requires a bitterness value of at least 3000 and loganin as marker. Constituents: secoiridoid glycosides dihydrofoliamenthin, foliamenthin, menthiafolin, smaller amounts of loganin and sweroside, total bitter substances about 1%; flavonols (kaempferol, isorhamnetin, quercetin, hyperoside, rutoside, trifolin); coumarins; phenolic acids; small amounts of triterpenes; sterols; tannins; polysaccharides. Bitterness between gentian and centaury (Schulz and Haensel). British Herbal Pharmacopoeia: bitter, diuretic, for rheumatism. Historic Tinctura amara combined bogbean with gentian, centaury, wormwood and other bitters. Loganin increased bile secretion in rats (intravenous); leaf water extracts showed weak antiplatelet activity and mild prostaglandin inhibition in vitro. Loganin oral bioavailability 13.2% in rats, highest tissue levels in kidney, hardly crosses the blood-brain barrier. Older Ames test: dry extract not mutagenic, ethanolic extract and tinctures weakly or moderately mutagenic, possibly from quercetin. Clinical data: none; no adverse events in EudraVigilance or WHO databases. Contraindication of active gastric or duodenal ulcer; BHP and ESCOP advise against use in diarrhea, dysentery or colitis; excessive doses reported to cause diarrhea, griping pains, nausea and vomiting, without original data. Children limited to adults in line with other bitter monographs.
  3. Tunón H, Bohlin L, Ojteg G. The effect of Menyanthes trifoliata L. on acute renal failure might be due to PAF-inhibition. Phytomedicine. 1994;1(1):39-45. doi: 10.1016/S0944-7113(11)80021-8.PubMedUsed to support: Rat study: an oral water decoction of bogbean rhizome did not change normal kidney function, but after 45 minutes of renal ischemia treated rats had a glomerular filtration rate more than 3 times higher than untreated rats. In vitro, the decoction inhibited PAF-induced exocytosis in human neutrophils (IC50 160 micrograms/ml versus 0.2 for WEB 2170). Rhizome, not leaf; not tested in people.
  4. Tunón H, Bohlin L. Anti-inflammatory studies on Menyanthes trifoliata related to the effect shown against renal failure in rats. Phytomedicine. 1995;2(2):103-12. doi: 10.1016/S0944-7113(11)80054-1.PubMedUsed to support: Rat and lab study of a bogbean rhizome decoction: inhibited carrageenan paw edema (ID50 about 1.7 g/kg orally) and ear edema (32% at 2.0 g/kg orally); inhibited fMLP-induced exocytosis and elastase (IC50 0.16 mg/ml each), suggesting the earlier PAF result is partly elastase inhibition; inhibited prostaglandin (IC50 0.37 mg/ml) and LTB4 biosynthesis, the latter at concentrations that were also hemolytic. Not tested in people.
  5. Gong R, Jiang H, Hu J, Liu G, Gao L, Zhang Q, Wei Y, Geng C, Wei S. Evaluation of the sedative-hypnotic effects of Menyanthes trifoliata L. extract in mice. J Ethnopharmacol. 2025;340:119227. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.119227.PubMedUsed to support: Mouse study: bogbean, described as a sleeping herb in Chinese ethnomedicine, extract at 0.5, 2 and 4 g/kg reduced sleep latency, extended sleep and reduced locomotor activity dose-dependently in pentobarbital, caffeine-insomnia and open field tests, and increased NREM sleep after one day on EEG/EMG. 15 phenolic compounds identified. No toxicity signs at 30 g/kg. Not tested in people.
  6. Jonsdottir G, Omarsdottir S, Vikingsson A, Hardardottir I, Freysdottir J. Aqueous extracts from Menyanthes trifoliate and Achillea millefolium affect maturation of human dendritic cells and their activation of allogeneic CD4+ T cells in vitro. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011;136(1):88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.04.006.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells: an aqueous bogbean extract did not change surface molecules but reduced the IL-12p40/IL-10 ratio, and allogeneic CD4+ T cells co-cultured with these cells secreted less IFN-gamma, IL-10 and IL-17. No human intake tested.
  7. Kuduk-Jaworska J, Szpunar J, Gasiorowski K, Brokos B. Immunomodulating polysaccharide fractions of Menyanthes trifoliata L. Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2004;59(7-8):485-93. doi: 10.1515/znc-2004-7-806.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study: polysaccharide fractions (about 0.5% of the dry herb) isolated from bogbean; in tests with human blood lymphocytes and granulocytes, fractions B-4 and B-5 stimulated immune cells while D-5 and A-3 were suppressive and anti-inflammatory. No human intake tested.
  8. Junior P. [Further investigations regarding distribution and structure of the bitter principles from Menyanthes trifoliata]. Planta Med. 1989;55(1):83-7. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-961835.PubMedUsed to support: Phytochemistry (German, English abstract): methanol extracts of bogbean leaves, stems and rhizomes contained dihydrofoliamenthin, menthiafolin and loganin as main compounds, while foliamenthin was lacking in these samples.
  9. Martz F, Turunen M, Julkunen-Tiitto R, Lakkala K, Sutinen ML. Effect of the temperature and the exclusion of UVB radiation on the phenolics and iridoids in Menyanthes trifoliata L. leaves in the subarctic. Environ Pollut. 2009;157(12):3471-8. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.06.022.PubMedUsed to support: Field study in northern Finland: bogbean leaves have a high iridoid content; excluding UVB did not change the total of extractable compounds but lowered the share of flavonols and raised iridoids, and low minimum temperatures lowered flavonol content. Shows leaf composition varies with growing conditions.
  10. Heck AM, DeWitt BA, Lukes AL. Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2000;57(13):1221-7; quiz 1228-30..PubMedUsed to support: Review: lists bogbean among herbal products that may potentially increase bleeding risk or potentiate warfarin, noting that nearly all such information comes from in vitro data, animal studies or individual case reports and needs confirmation.