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Has toothache plant been studied for heart health?

Not in people. As of 7 November 2026, PubMed lists no human study of toothache plant (Acmella oleracea, also called Spilanthes) for heart disease, heart rhythm or blood pressure. That work is in lab dishes and rats only (grade D). The closest human trial gave a spilanthol extract by mouth to 279 men with high blood fats: cholesterol fell, but so did protective HDL cholesterol. No interaction studies with heart medicines were found.

Last reviewed

How we grade evidenceEditorial policy

What the studies found

  • Grade D. Heart and blood vessel effects have been seen only in lab and animal work. Extracts relaxed strips of rat artery in a dish. An extract injected into rats steadied an irregular heartbeat set off by adrenaline. In hypertensive rats, 60 days of extract by mouth did not change blood pressure. (Wongsawatkul 2008; de Souza e Silva 2025; Rodrigues 2023)
  • Grade C. Blood fats, a heart risk marker, have one human trial. In 279 men with high cholesterol or triglycerides, capsules of a spilanthol extract taken for 3 months lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL compared with placebo. HDL, the protective kind, fell too, and the reported drops (52.87% in total cholesterol with exercise) are unusually large. (Mishra 2024)
  • Grade C. The other capsule trials by mouth tested men's health, all by the same three researchers. In 298 randomized men with erectile problems, sexual function scores rose more than with placebo after 1 month, and a trial in 546 healthy men reported larger muscle gains. (Patnaik 2022; Mishra 2025)
  • Grade D. Most other human studies used it in the mouth, its traditional use. In 10 people with dry mouth from opioid painkillers, toothpicks infused with spilanthol raised saliva flow more than flavored toothpicks alone. (Davis 2017)

Who should be careful

  • No interaction studies with blood pressure, heart rhythm, blood thinner or cholesterol medicines were found. Don't stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own.
  • A changed sense of taste was the most common side effect in the capsule trials. (Patnaik 2022)
  • In rats, 60 days of the extract raised liver enzymes moderately; no human liver data were found. (Rodrigues 2023)
  • Call emergency services for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden breathlessness, and see a doctor soon for a racing or skipping heartbeat.
  • If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18, ask a clinician first.

Try first

  • For heart health, the 2018 cholesterol guideline puts a heart-healthy lifestyle first for everyone, then uses your estimated 10-year risk to decide on medicine. Ask for a blood pressure and cholesterol check. (Grundy 2018)

Sources

  1. Wongsawatkul O, et al. Vasorelaxant and antioxidant activities of Spilanthes acmella Murr. Int J Mol Sci. 2008. PubMed 19330100 · doi:10.3390/ijms9122724
  2. de Souza E Silva AP, et al. Antiarrhythmic Effects of Supercritical Extract of Acmella oleracea in Rats: Electrophysiological Evidence and Cardioprotective Potential. Plants (Basel). 2025. PubMed 41012000 · doi:10.3390/plants14182848
  3. Rodrigues ET, et al. Pharmacological Characteristics of the Hydroethanolic Extract of Acmella oleracea (L) R. K. Jansen Flowers: ADME/Tox In Silico and In Vivo Antihypertensive and Chronic Toxicity Evaluation. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2023. PubMed 37159592 · doi:10.1155/2023/1278720
  4. Mishra KG, et al. Anti-hyperlipidemic effects of 500 mg spilanthol supplementation in people with dyslipidemia - a randomized, parallel-group placebo-controlled trial. J Complement Integr Med. 2024. PubMed 39112016 · doi:10.1515/jcim-2024-0235
  5. Patnaik N, et al. Randomized, Triple-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Spilanthes acmella for the Management of Erectile Dysfunction. Cureus. 2022. PubMed 35541293 · doi:10.7759/cureus.23989
  6. Mishra KG, et al. The effects of spilanthol supplementation on muscle size and strength in healthy men - a randomized parallel-group placebo-controlled trial. J Complement Integr Med. 2025. PubMed 40323176 · doi:10.1515/jcim-2024-0272
  7. Davis B, et al. The effect of toothpicks containing flavoring and flavoring plus jambu extract (spilanthol) to promote salivation in patients -diagnosed with opioid-induced dry mouth (xerostomia). J Opioid Manag. 2017. PubMed 29199399 · doi:10.5055/jom.2017.0402
  8. Grundy SM, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2019. PubMed 30586774 · doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625