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Kacip fatimah

Labisia pumila

Herbs & Roots. Pacific & Southeast Asia and Folk & home remedies.

Also called Selusuh Fatimah

Hormone effects not well studied

Kacip fatimah is a small forest herb from Malaysia that Malay women have used for generations around childbirth and for women's health.

Did you know? Its Malay name, kacip fatimah, roughly means 'Fatimah's betel cutter.' A kacip is the small tool used to slice betel nut.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

Cholesterol. A small six-month placebo-controlled pilot trial in postmenopausal women found lower triglycerides (a blood fat) with a water extract. A larger 16-week trial of about 200 women did not show a heart-risk benefit, so the evidence is mixed.See the research: 1 study in people
Promising proof
Women's health. Used for generations around childbirth and for menstrual problems. No good human trials on postpartum recovery or periods have been found.See the research: 1 study in people
Traditional proof
Women's health. A 2020 placebo-controlled trial of a kacip fatimah and tongkat ali blend in 119 peri- and menopausal women reported fewer hot flushes, but it was industry-linked. Studies of the herb alone on menopause symptoms are few and unclear.See the research: 1 study in people
Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Hormones & reproduction, Heart & vessels, Liver

Traditional use

Malay women have taken it as a decoction (a brew of boiled herb) to help recovery after childbirth and regain strength. It is also used for menstrual problems.

How it is classified

Herbal actions: Tonic, Hormone balancer. Energy: neutral.

How people take it

Traditionally the herb is boiled into a drink. Modern products are capsules or water extracts. The six-month trial in postmenopausal women used 280 mg a day of a water extract. No standard dose is set, so follow the label and ask a doctor.

Decoction, tea and capsule.

Where to get it

Grows wild as a small plant in the shaded rainforest understory of Malaysia and nearby parts of Southeast Asia. Sold as dried herb, teas, capsules and extracts in Malaysian shops and online.

Be careful

Few safety studies exist, and its effect on hormones is not well understood. Because it was traditionally used around childbirth, it could affect the uterus, so avoid it in pregnancy. Avoid it with a hormone-sensitive cancer unless a doctor says otherwise, and ask a doctor first if you use hormone medicines, including birth control.

Avoid if: pregnancy; breastfeeding; hormone-sensitive cancer.

Mixing with other things

Works well together
Combined with kacip in the Nu-Femme menopause product, which was tested as one blend in a placebo-controlled trial.
Use caution
Birth control (the pill and other hormonal birth control)
Its hormone effects are not well studied. Ask a doctor before combining it with birth control pills or other hormone therapy.

The honest take

Kacip fatimah is a traditional Malay herb with a long history of use around childbirth. Human research is very small so far, and results are mixed: one six-month pilot found lower triglycerides, while a larger 16-week trial did not show a heart-risk benefit. Menopause results so far come from blends or are unclear, so larger trials are needed.

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.