Pelargonium

Pelargonium sidoides · Umckaloabo · EPs 7630

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Acute bronchitis^1–4 Common cold^{2, 3, 5, 6} Acute cough^7–9 Acute rhinosinusitis^10–12 Pediatric respiratory infections¹³	Pregnancy and breastfeeding¹⁴ Hypersensitivity to extract¹⁵ Signs of liver injury¹⁵

Pelargonium sidoides is a South African root herb, used in Europe as a standardized extract, with antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity¹⁶. People take it to ease acute respiratory infections, chiefly acute bronchitis, the common cold, acute rhinosinusitis, and the cough that accompanies them^{5, 7}. Children with acute respiratory infections are a common user group^{13, 17}.

Evidence is most consistent for acute bronchitis and cough: placebo-controlled trials lowered bronchitis symptom scores, and a meta-analysis found earlier cough remission in bronchitis and the common cold^{1, 7}. A Cochrane review rated the quality of evidence low to very low³. A 2026 pragmatic trial in Swiss primary care found no significant difference in symptom duration or antibiotic use versus usual care⁴. In a 2020 retrospective cohort study of outpatients, initial treatment with Pelargonium root extract was associated with fewer later antibiotic prescriptions¹⁸. Of 73 products listing Pelargonium, most sampled are liquids; see Form comparison.

The most consequential caution is liver injury: the European Medicines Agency traditional-use monograph reports hepatotoxicity and hepatitis cases and says to stop the product and consult a medical doctor if signs occur¹⁵. Two of 30 supplement labels note a theoretical bleeding risk with anticoagulants such as warfarin and direct those patients to a health care professional¹⁹.

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

In the full monograph

60 sources, 56 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