Benefits
Blood lipid markers over 1 to 12 weeks of daily fruit
In small Iranian trials, dried jujube powder or fruit infusion (15 to 30 g a day) lowered total and LDL cholesterol or triglycerides more than the comparison group in adults with type 2 diabetes, teens with obesity and raised lipids, and adults with metabolic syndrome. Which lipid changed varied, most trials had no placebo, and a pooled analysis of 7 trials found no overall fall in total cholesterol and rated the evidence low quality.
Fasting blood sugar and HbA1c markers
In adults with type 2 diabetes, a jujube fruit infusion three times daily for 12 weeks lowered HbA1c more than diet alone (by 0.68 vs 0.44 points), and 30 g a day of dried fruit lowered fasting glucose more than diet advice alone. Two other trials of 30 g a day found no change in fasting glucose compared with placebo or with diet alone, so the results are not consistent.
Post-meal glucose when eaten before a rice meal
In 14 healthy young adults, cooked dried jujube eaten 30 minutes before a rice meal, with less rice so total carbohydrate matched, cut the post-meal glucose peak by about 25% versus rice alone; uncooked jujube did not. Eaten alone as a 50 g carbohydrate portion, dried jujube acted as a medium to high glycemic food (index 68 uncooked, 83 cooked). These were single test-meal sessions.
Fasting insulin and blood pressure readings
In 48 adults with type 2 diabetes and excess weight, 30 g a day of dried jujube fruit for 12 weeks lowered fasting insulin (by up to 4.6 mIU/L) and blood pressure (by up to 7 mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic) compared with diet advice alone. Oxidative stress markers did not differ. This was a single trial with no placebo, reported in two papers.
Bowel regularity and transit time
In 37 people with long-term constipation and slow transit, a liquid jujube extract (plant part not stated) for 12 weeks shortened transit time within the extract group, but 16 of 19 placebo patients dropped out, so no fair comparison was possible. In 62 children who finished a trial of a jujube fruit extract syrup, bowel movements became more frequent than with a standard laxative; there was no placebo.
Self-rated stress during an 8-week trial
In 60 adults with metabolic syndrome, 30 g a day of dried jujube powder for 8 weeks lowered self-rated stress scores more than placebo, a secondary outcome, while depression and anxiety scores did not change. No trial testing the fruit itself for sleep was found; the jujube sleep research uses the seed, a separate ingredient.
Vitamin C, fiber and sugar content
USDA data list about 69 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of raw jujube, and 218 mg vitamin C, 6 g fiber and 72.5 g carbohydrate per 100 g of dried Chinese jujube. So the 30 g a day used in trials supplies roughly 65 mg vitamin C, under 2 g of fiber and about 22 g of carbohydrate, most of it sugar. Vitamin C content varies by cultivar and drying.
Mechanism of action
Fruit polysaccharides (lab and animal work)
Jujube fruit polysaccharides have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating and prebiotic activity, and shifts in gut bacteria, in lab and animal studies. None of these effects has been measured directly in people taking the fruit.
Phenolics, flavonoids and triterpenic acids
Besides vitamin C, the fruit contains phenolics (about 132 to 197 mg per 100 g dry matter in four cultivars), flavonoids and triterpenic acids. Reviews link these to antioxidant and other activities, but that evidence comes from lab and animal work.
Food matrix and early insulin release
In a test-meal study in healthy adults, cooking softened the dried fruit's matrix, which raised its own glucose peak when eaten alone but, as a small preload before rice, triggered more insulin in the first 15 minutes without raising total insulin output, blunting the rise from the following meal.
Clinical trials
Randomized controlled trial in Yazd, Iran, of an infusion of dried Ziziphus jujuba fruit plus an energy-restricted diet versus the diet alone. (Yazdanpanah et al. 2017, Phytother Res)
116 adults over 30 with type 2 diabetes; infusion of 10 g fruit in 100 mL boiling water three times daily before meals for 12 weeks.
Compared with diet alone, the infusion group had larger falls in HbA1c (-0.68 vs -0.44%, p = 0.03), total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and lipid ratios; the triglyceride difference was borderline (p = 0.05). The control group drank no placebo, and both groups followed the same energy-restricted diet.
Triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Ziziphus jujuba fruit powder with diet and activity advice in both groups. (Sabzghabaee et al. 2013, Med Arch)
86 adolescents aged 12 to 18 with obesity and abnormal blood lipids in Isfahan, Iran; 70 completed. 5 g fruit powder or placebo powder three times daily for 1 month.
The abstract reports significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol (P = 0.007) and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.004) with jujube than with placebo, but the group values it prints are hard to interpret. Changes in BMI and the other lipids were not significant.
Randomized controlled trial in Tehran, Iran (registered IRCT20181210041913N1) of 30 g/day dried Ziziphus jujuba fruit versus diet advice alone. (Farhadnejad et al. 2022, Clin Nutr ESPEN)
48 adults aged 30 to 65 with type 2 diabetes (24 per group); 30 g dried fruit daily for 12 weeks.
Fasting glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol fell (by about 7% to 14% from baseline) significantly more than in the control group. hs-CRP fell within the jujube group but not significantly versus control, and BMI, HDL and IL-6 did not differ. A later paper from the same trial reported lower fasting insulin and blood pressure but no change in oxidative stress markers.
Parallel-group randomized controlled trial of dried Ziziphus jujuba powder (plant part and source not stated in the abstract) versus placebo, with lipid, glucose, waist and blood pressure as primary outcomes and mental health scores as secondary outcomes. (Parastouei et al. 2024, Complement Ther Med)
60 adults with metabolic syndrome (30 per group); 30 g dried jujube powder or placebo daily, split between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., for 8 weeks.
Jujube did not lower fasting glucose, total or LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, or depression and anxiety scores. Versus placebo, waist circumference (-3.98 vs -0.51 cm), triglycerides and HDL cholesterol improved, as did the stress score (a secondary outcome). The authors note weaknesses in blinding and in testing the purity and potency of the powder.
Single-blind randomized controlled trial of powder made from whole dried Ziziphus jujuba fruit, seed included, plus a low-calorie diet versus the diet alone; fasting glucose was the primary outcome. (Borzooei et al. 2026, Food Sci Nutr)
88 adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Tehran, Iran (80 completed); 30 g of the powder daily, as compressed cubes, for 12 weeks.
The primary outcome, fasting glucose, did not differ between groups (p = 0.12). Secondary outcomes ALT, AST, total and LDL cholesterol and ultrasound steatosis grade improved more with jujube; triglycerides, HDL and GGT did not differ. Groups differed at baseline in weight, BMI and waist (adjusted for in the analysis). There was no placebo, no side effects were reported, and the authors call for larger placebo-controlled trials.
Randomized crossover test-meal trials (registered ChiCTR2200057371) of air-dried jujube eaten alone or as a preload before rice. (Wei et al. 2025, Foods)
Two groups of 14 healthy adults aged 18 to 26 in Beijing, China; portions of dried jujube giving 50 g available carbohydrate alone, or 15 g of available carbohydrate (about 21 g of dried fruit) as a preload 30 minutes before a rice meal reduced to 35 g carbohydrate, so total carbohydrate matched the 50 g rice-only control.
Eaten alone, cooked dried jujube gave a 34.5% higher glucose peak than uncooked; measured glycemic index was 68 uncooked and 83 cooked, not significantly different. As a preload, cooked jujube cut the post-meal glucose peak by 25.17% versus rice alone and raised insulin in the first 15 minutes without increasing total insulin; the uncooked preload did not significantly lower the peak. No participant reported discomfort.
Controlled clinical trial of a liquid Ziziphus jujuba extract versus placebo; the abstract does not state the plant part or dose. (Naftali et al. 2008, Digestion)
37 patients with chronic idiopathic constipation and prolonged transit time in Israel (18 extract, 19 placebo).
Transit time (retained marker particles) fell from 12.2 to 3 in the extract group by week 11. Symptom severity ratings went from 6 to 2 on extract and from 6.2 to 5 on placebo; the abstract reports no between-group test. Dropout for severe constipation was 2 of 18 on extract and 16 of 19 on placebo, so few placebo patients finished, which limits the comparison.
Double-blind randomized clinical trial at a hospital clinic in Rasht, Iran, of a syrup made from a water-ethanol extract of dried Ziziphus jujuba fruit compared with the laxative polyethylene glycol. (Keihanian et al. 2025, Sci Rep)
90 eligible children aged 2 to 10 with functional constipation; 30 on syrup and 32 on polyethylene glycol completed 3 months. Syrup 1 to 5 mL/kg/day (about 5 to 25 mg/kg of extract).
The syrup group had better treatment response scores, more frequent bowel movements, fewer soiling episodes and lower pain scores than the polyethylene glycol group. Liver and kidney tests did not change, and the few self-limiting side effects occurred only with polyethylene glycol. There was no placebo group.