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Bakuchi (babchi)

Psoralea corylifolia · 补骨脂

Herbs & Roots. Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine.

Also called Babchi, Bu gu zhi, Malaytea scurfpea

Pinyin: Bǔ Gǔ Zhī

Sanskrit: बाकुची (Bakuchi)

Liver injury and sun sensitivity

Bakuchi is the seed of a pea-family plant, used for skin patches and kidney warmth, but its psoralens can harm the liver and make skin sensitive to sun.

Did you know? Psoralens, compounds found in this seed, are the basis of PUVA, a medical light therapy for psoriasis and vitiligo that is given under close supervision.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Skin. One 12-week trial of 44 people found a 0.5 percent bakuchiol cream reduced wrinkles about as much as 0.5 percent retinol. Dark spots improved in both groups, with no clear difference. Retinol caused more peeling. The trial was small, and it tested purified bakuchiol in cream, not the whole seed.See the research: 3 studies in people
Promising proof
Kidneys, bladder & UTIs. Chinese texts use it for kidney yang weakness, such as back weakness and frequent urination. Human studies are lacking.See the research: 1 study in people
Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Skin & hair, Kidneys & bladder

Traditional use

Ayurvedic texts use the seed for skin conditions, including white patches (svitra). Chinese medicine uses it to warm the kidneys and spleen, for back weakness and frequent urination.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Alterative, Tonic, Antifungal. Energy: warming.
Ayurveda: Calms Vata and Kapha. Can raise Pitta. Taste (rasa): pungent, bitter. Energy (virya): heating. After digestion (vipaka): pungent. Kushtaghna (skin), Rasayana (rejuvenative).
Chinese medicine: 补骨脂 Tonify yang. Nature: warm. Flavour: pungent, bitter. Enters the Kidney and Spleen channels.

How people take it

Bakuchiol creams are the best-studied form, usually at 0.5 percent. Traditional users apply seed oil or paste to skin patches, and Chinese herbalists use the seed in small, supervised doses.

Powder, oil and topical.

Where to get it

Grows in India and tropical Asia, and the seed is sold in Ayurvedic and Chinese herb shops. Bakuchiol serums and creams are sold in skin-care stores and online.

Be careful

Psoralens make skin much more sensitive to UV light, so burns and dark patches can happen, and long light therapy with psoralens is linked to skin cancer. Oral seed products have caused liver injury, sometimes with jaundice, usually within two months of use. Lab studies also show estrogen-like effects, so avoid it with hormone-sensitive cancers.

Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding; liver disease; children under 12; sun-sensitive skin; skin cancer history; hormone-sensitive cancer.

Mixing with other things

Don't mix
Alcohol (beer, wine, spirits)
Both can strain the liver. Alcohol may raise the chance of liver injury from Bakuchi.
Use caution
Antibiotics (doxycycline, Cipro and similar)
Some antibiotics, such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones, also raise sun sensitivity. Together they may increase the risk of burns.
Use caution
Water pills (furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide)
Thiazide water pills can also make skin sun-sensitive. Use sun protection and check with a doctor before combining.

The honest take

The bakuchiol in creams has real but small human research, mostly for wrinkles and dark spots. The whole seed is a different story: it has caused serious liver injury and sun burns. Ayurvedic and Chinese texts have a long history with it, but any use by mouth needs expert care.

Sources

Each “See the research” link opens PubMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's index of medical studies, showing only trials and reviews done in people. The number tells you how much a use has been tested, not whether it worked. The proof rating tells you that.

Study counts checked October 2026.