Jiaogulan: The Adaptogen Known as the Herb of Immortality
- , by SANUSq Research team
- 9 min reading time
A humble climbing vine from the mountains of southern China carries an extraordinary nickname — the "herb of immortality" — and a growing body of research is starting to explain why. This guide sets out what the jiaogulan adaptogen actually is, why it has earned a place among the natural energy herbs people reach for when stress and tiredness bite, and what the human trials genuinely show.
What is jiaogulan?
Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum) is a leafy vine in the cucumber family, traditionally brewed as a tea in parts of China where unusually high numbers of people lived to a great age — hence its reputation as the "herb of immortality". It's sometimes called "southern ginseng" because it contains gypenosides, saponin compounds chemically similar to the ginsenosides in true ginseng, but jiaogulan actually contains many more of them. Alongside these, its leaves supply polysaccharides, flavonoids and other antioxidants that underpin most of its effects.
A comprehensive review of Gynostemma pentaphyllum catalogued its main bioactive compounds — especially the gypenosides — and the range of activities reported in laboratory and animal studies, including antioxidant, lipid-regulating, neuroprotective and hypoglycaemic effects (Su et al., 2021).
An adaptogen that both energises and calms
Jiaogulan is classed as an adaptogen — a plant that helps the body resist and adapt to stress while nudging it back toward balance. Adaptogens are prized for a seemingly paradoxical quality, and jiaogulan is a good example: people report that it lifts energy and stamina when they're flagging, yet also has a calming, centring effect when they're wound up. Rather than pushing the body in one direction like a stimulant, it appears to help regulate the systems that govern the stress response, which is why the same cup of tea can feel energising to one person and relaxing to another — or both, at different times, to the same person.
This balancing quality is what sets adaptogens apart from stimulants like caffeine, which push in one direction and often exact a rebound. Jiaogulan's effect is gentler and more regulatory, which is why it can be taken daily and why traditional users treated it as a long-term tonic rather than a quick fix.
Energy, stamina and fatigue: jiaogulan for natural energy
That reputation for restoring vitality has a plausible mechanism behind it. Jiaogulan's gypenosides activate an enzyme called AMPK — often nicknamed the body's "metabolic master switch" — which plays a central role in how cells produce and use energy. Its polysaccharides have shown anti-fatigue effects in animal studies, helping to sustain physical endurance. That matters when weighing up herbal energy boosters: jiaogulan's effect is aimed at how cells make energy in the first place rather than at the short-lived lift a stimulant provides. For anyone dealing with everyday tiredness and the wear of chronic stress — and hoping to boost energy naturally rather than simply override the problem — that combination of steadier energy and a calmer stress response is much of jiaogulan's appeal, and much of the reason it is grouped with the adaptogens for fatigue rather than with stimulants.
It's worth being realistic here: the strongest jiaogulan energy and anti-fatigue findings come from animal studies, while the clearest human evidence is in the metabolic trials below. Still, the mechanism is plausible and the traditional track record is long.
Metabolic health: weight, blood sugar and cholesterol
Some of jiaogulan's most interesting evidence is in metabolic health, where a handful of human trials — not just laboratory work — have been done.
In a 12-week randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 80 obese adults, a Gynostemma pentaphyllum extract significantly reduced total abdominal fat, body weight, body fat mass and BMI compared with placebo (Park et al., 2014).
In a randomised crossover trial in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, drinking jiaogulan tea improved insulin sensitivity and lowered fasting blood glucose compared with placebo (Huyen et al., 2013).
A systematic review of 22 randomised controlled trials in over 2,400 people with dyslipidaemia found jiaogulan had a lipid-lowering effect, comparable to some conventional options, though the authors noted variable trial quality and called for larger, rigorous studies (Dai et al., 2022).
Taken together, this points to jiaogulan as a promising support for metabolic wellbeing — helping with weight, blood sugar balance and cholesterol — while being honest that some of the evidence is early and the trials vary in quality.
Antioxidant and heart support
Underlying many of these benefits is jiaogulan's antioxidant activity. Its gypenosides and polysaccharides help neutralise free radicals and temper oxidative stress, the low-grade cellular wear that contributes to ageing and chronic disease. Through its effects on cholesterol, blood pressure and antioxidant defence, jiaogulan is traditionally valued as a heart and longevity tonic — the thread that ties the jiaogulan longevity tradition, and its "herb of immortality" reputation, to its modern research.
A broader tonic
In traditional Chinese medicine jiaogulan was valued as a general tonic rather than a single-purpose remedy, used to support the lungs and breathing, aid digestion, calm the mind and bolster overall vitality. Modern laboratory and animal research echoes this breadth: studies have explored jiaogulan's effects on liver health (including fatty liver), immune balance and the brain, where its gypenosides show neuroprotective activity. Much of this remains early, mechanism-focused work rather than proof of benefit in people, so it's best read as context for jiaogulan's longevity-tonic reputation rather than a list of treatments — but it helps explain why researchers interested in longevity supplements keep returning to this unassuming vine.
How to take jiaogulan
Traditionally it's simply brewed as a tea, with a mild, slightly sweet-then-bitter taste, and the traditional jiaogulan tea benefits come from drinking it that way steadily, day after day. For a consistent daily dose without the brewing, capsules are a convenient alternative. As an adaptogen, jiaogulan tends to work best taken steadily over time rather than as a one-off. It's generally considered safe and well tolerated, but if you take medication — especially for blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol, given its effects on all three — or are pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your healthcare professional first.
Bring the herb of immortality into your day
The traditional adaptogen tea, in convenient capsule form for a consistent daily dose.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main jiaogulan benefits?
It's an adaptogen used to support energy and stamina, calm the stress response, and promote metabolic health — with human trials pointing to benefits for weight, blood sugar and cholesterol. Its antioxidant gypenosides underpin its traditional use as a heart and longevity tonic.
Is it really the "herb of immortality"?
The nickname comes from regions of China where jiaogulan tea was a daily drink and longevity was notably common. It's a lovely story rather than a promise — but the herb's genuine antioxidant and metabolic effects give the tradition some grounding.
Does jiaogulan energise you or relax you?
Both — that's the adaptogen quality. Rather than acting as a stimulant, it seems to help regulate the stress-response systems, so it can lift energy when you're depleted and calm you when you're tense. Many people describe the effect as "balanced" rather than buzzy.
Can jiaogulan help with weight, blood sugar or cholesterol?
Human trials are encouraging on all three: a randomised trial showed reduced abdominal fat and body weight, another improved insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes, and a systematic review found a lipid-lowering effect. It's best seen as supportive alongside diet and lifestyle, not a replacement for prescribed treatment.
Is jiaogulan safe?
It's generally well tolerated with a long history of use as a tea. Because it can influence blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, check with your healthcare professional if you take medication for those, and avoid it in pregnancy and breastfeeding unless advised otherwise.
How is jiaogulan different from caffeine or ginseng?
Unlike caffeine, it doesn't stimulate then crash — as an adaptogen it helps regulate rather than push. Compared with ginseng it shares similar saponin compounds (hence "southern ginseng") but tends to be gentler, and many people find it easier to take daily without over-stimulation.
References
- Su C, Li N, Ren R, et al. Progress in the medicinal value, bioactive compounds, and pharmacological activities of Gynostemma pentaphyllum. Molecules. 2021;26(20):6249. PMID 34684830
- Park SH, Huh TL, Kim SY, et al. Antiobesity effect of Gynostemma pentaphyllum extract (actiponin): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014;22(1):63–71. PMID 23804546
- Huyen VTT, Phan DV, Thang P, Hoa NK, Östenson CG. Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea improves insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic patients. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2013;2013:765383. PMID 23431428
- Dai N, Zhao FF, Fang M, Pu FL, Kong LY, Liu JP. Gynostemma pentaphyllum for dyslipidemia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2022;13:917521. PMC9459123
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