Adrue

BotanicalBest with a meal

What is it

Adrue is the common name for the tuber of Cyperus articulatus, a sedge plant traditionally used in Caribbean and South American herbal medicine for digestive complaints and nausea.

Evidence for 1 use

AI-assisted evidence assessment — talk to your doctor before relying on any single supplement.

Nausea and dyspepsia (traditional)

Mixed Evidence

Traditional use suggests benefit for nausea and indigestion, but no controlled human trials have been published. Evidence is limited to ethnobotanical reports.

How it works

Adrue contains volatile oils and bitter compounds thought to act on the digestive tract by reducing smooth muscle spasm and stimulating gastric secretions. Traditional use focuses on its mild sedative and antiemetic properties, attributed in part to constituents shared across the Cyperus genus such as cyperene and various sesquiterpenes. Robust mechanistic data in humans is lacking, so most claims rely on ethnobotanical reports rather than clinical pharmacology.

Dosage

No established RDA, AI, or UL. Traditional preparations use the dried rhizome as a tea or tincture; specific dose ranges are not standardized in modern supplement labeling, and DSLD does not report a median dose.

When and how to take it

No timing baseline established. Traditionally taken as a tea after meals to settle digestion; no specific time-of-day or food-status requirement is documented.

2 commercial forms

Compare the main delivery options and what they’re best suited for.

Dried rhizome

The whole or sliced rhizome is the most traditional form, brewed as a tea.

Used in teas and decoctions; absorption of active constituents not characterized.

Tincture/liquid extract

Liquid extracts allow flexible dosing but vary widely in concentration.

Alcoholic extraction may concentrate volatile oils.

Safety

Human safety data are limited. Adrue is generally regarded as well tolerated at culinary or traditional tea doses, but long-term safety, drug interactions, and toxicity thresholds have not been established. Quality control of botanical material varies between products.

Who should be cautious

Pregnancy and lactation: avoid due to lack of safety data. People with chronic GI conditions or those on medications affecting gastric motility should consult a clinician before use.

Interactions

No significant interactions reported in the published clinical literature, though formal interaction studies are absent.

Frequently asked questions

What is adrue used for?⌄

Traditionally for nausea, indigestion, and as a mild sedative. There is little modern clinical evidence to confirm these uses.

Is adrue safe?⌄

Short-term traditional use appears well tolerated, but rigorous safety data are lacking. Avoid in pregnancy and consult a clinician for chronic conditions.

References

Adrue on Wikidata — Wikidata link

Adrue on NIH DSLD (US supplement label database) — NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database link

Research on Adrue (PubMed search) — PubMed link

Track Adrue with Pilora

Set up dose reminders, check interactions, and join the community in the Pilora iPhone app.

Coming to App Store
Evidence-based·How we grade evidence

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This page is educational, not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Evidence grades are AI-assisted assessments — talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement, especially if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, on medications, or managing a chronic condition.