Toothache plant
Spilanthes acmella is a traditional medicine for toothache, fever, and as an aphrodisiac; one study in rats suggests that it may increase testosterone, but it is an understudied herb.
Toothache plant is most often used for
Last Updated:November 18, 2022
Spilanthes acmella (Toothache Plant, Paracress) is a food product that has some history of medicinal usage related to its pain relieving properties. As the bioactives are absorbed topically and the leaves are used in salads, consumption of salads have been touted to help toothaches and other oral diseases where pain is a side-effect thereof.
It is currently in preliminary stages of research right now, with no human evidence. In rats, these pain relieving effects do appear to exist when applied to the skin (no evidence on oral consumption) and are fairly potent, but underperformed when compared to the reference drug.
Other properties of Spilanthese Acmella are as an aphrodisiac (which appears to be quite potent in rats, building up in efficacy over time rather than acute effects) and the diuretic effect, which only has one study on it currently but exhibited more potent effects than furosemide. The mechanism of diuresis appears to be similar to a loop diuretic.
Additionally, Spilanthes has been found to increase testosterone, FSH, and LH; similar effects were also noted with another herb containing the same molecular class of N-Akylamides (Anacyclus Pyrethrum) but currently this is one study.
- Jambu Oleoresin
- Acmella Oleracea
- Spilanthes Oleracea
- Toothache Plant
- Paracress
- Spilanthes Acmella
Based on the evidence in rats using 150mg/kg of an ethanolic extract, an estimated human dose is:
- 1,600mg for a 150lb person
- 2,200mg for a 200lb person
- 2,700mg for a 250lb person