Bhringraj is one of the most searched Ayurvedic plants, and one of the most often confused. The name is used for two different plants: the white-flowered Eclipta prostrata, which is the bhringraj of the classical texts and of pharmacopoeias, and a yellow-flowered plant sold as yellow (“peela”) bhringraj. Here is how to tell them apart in the field, and why that stops working once the plant is powdered.
The Plant: Eclipta prostrata
True bhringraj is Eclipta prostrata L. (synonym Eclipta alba), a small herb of the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is also called false daisy, karisalankanni and keshraja. The Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards monograph for the dried herb (Ecliptae Herba) and the Singapore NParks flora describe it as follows.
| Feature | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Hairs | White, stiff hairs over the whole plant |
| Stem | Cylindrical, ridged lengthwise, 1–5 mm across, green to greenish-brown |
| Leaves | Simple, in opposite pairs, almost stalkless; long and lance-shaped with a pointed tip; edges entire or shallowly toothed; about 3–10 cm long and 0.5–2.5 cm wide |
| Flower heads | Small, about 6 mm across (2–8 mm in the dried herb), like a tiny daisy: white ray florets around a greenish centre |
| Fruit | Flattened achenes, 2–3 mm long, pale brown to brown |
The white flower heads are the quickest check. Everything else about the plant is fairly plain, which is why it is easy to mistake for other small weeds of damp ground when it is not in flower.
Yellow Bhringraj Is a Different Plant
Yellow bhringraj, sold as peela or pila bhangra, is Sphagneticola calendulacea (synonym Wedelia chinensis). It belongs to the same family but a different genus. According to eFlora of India and other Indian flora records, it is a mat-forming perennial with clearly yellow flower heads, much larger than Eclipta’s: about 1 cm across or more, with 8–12 broad ray florets.
- Flower colour: white in Eclipta prostrata, yellow in Sphagneticola calendulacea.
- Flower size: a few millimetres in Eclipta; about a centimetre or more in the yellow plant.
Both have a place in traditional use, but they are not interchangeable as raw material. A specification for bhringraj extract names Eclipta prostrata, and the material has to be shown to be that.
Why Powders and Extracts Need a Lab Test
Once the plant is dried, cut and ground, flower colour and leaf shape are gone. Identity is then confirmed in the laboratory. Microscopy of the powder is one tool. Thin-layer chromatography is the standard one: the Hong Kong monograph identifies the herb by HPTLC against a wedelolactone reference standard. For an extract, ask for an HPTLC or TLC identity test against reference material on every batch, alongside the wedelolactone assay. See wedelolactone standardisation, HPLC vs UV for how that assay is read.
What a Buyer Should Ask For
- The botanical name on the specification and the certificate: Eclipta prostrata L., aerial parts.
- An identity test on each batch (HPTLC or TLC against reference), not only at supplier approval.
- The wedelolactone figure and its method.
- The part used and the drug-to-extract ratio for a non-standardised extract.
Our bhringraj extract is Eclipta prostrata, with identity confirmed by TLC/HPTLC. The bhringraj extract sourcing guide covers the rest of the checklist.
Bhringraj extract with the identity tested
Tell us the grade, the quantity and the destination market. We send the specification and a reference certificate.