Jujube

Ziziphus jujuba · Ziziphus spinosa · Suan zao ren

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Sleep quality¹ Insomnia² Menopausal insomnia³ Triglyceride lowering⁴ Fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes⁴ Facial hyperpigmentation^{5, 6}	Pregnancy⁷ Breastfeeding⁷

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), also called red date, is a fruit, and its seed from the wild variety (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, suan zao ren) is a classic sedative herb in Chinese medicine⁸. Seed compounds modulate GABAergic and serotonergic signaling⁸. Supplementation is used mainly for sleep quality and insomnia, and the fruit for lipid and glucose control and for menopausal sleep complaints, where the evidence is thinner. The typical patient is a postmenopausal woman with poor sleep.

A trial of jujube seed capsules in postmenopausal women found better sleep quality than placebo. A meta-analysis of a seed-based formula found sleep quality similar to benzodiazepine receptor agonists, but the studies carried a high risk of bias². For the fruit, a meta-analysis found lower triglycerides and body mass index, and lower fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes, on limited-quality evidence⁴. A 2026 randomized trial in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome found no difference in pregnancy rates but improved lipids and fasting glucose⁹. In colorectal cancer cell lines, a 2026 in-vitro study found a hydroalcoholic extract suppressed proliferation and migration; no human trial has tested this. Products come as capsules, liquids, and powders, with 403 products listing jujube; see Form comparison.

Per those labels, people taking prescription medications are directed to consult a health care practitioner before use⁷.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

49 sources, 40 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources