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Herb library · Spice · Murraya koenigii

Curry leaf

The glossy, aromatic leaves fried in oil to begin South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes. Small trials of a curry-leaf mouthwash and of the leaf powder for blood pressure have been run; neither is strong evidence yet.

Traditional use

Kirtikar and Basu's 1918 survey records that Indian physicians used the bark and root as stimulants and applied them to eruptions and the bites of poisonous animals, that the green leaves were eaten raw for dysentery (Roxburgh), that an infusion of the toasted leaves was given to stop vomiting (Ainslie, writing of South India), and that in Bombay the leaves were given in a decoction with bitters for fever (Dymock). In South Indian and Sri Lankan kitchens the fresh leaves are a daily seasoning, and a hair oil of curry leaves boiled in coconut oil is a common household preparation.

What studies show

  • Limited

    Gum inflammation: in a 14-day randomized trial in 45 adults with mild to moderate gingivitis, all of whom had a dental cleaning, a curry-leaf mouthwash did as well as the standard chlorhexidine mouthwash, and both did better than cleaning alone. It was small and short.

  • Insufficient

    Blood pressure: a small 2023 study in rural India reported lower blood pressure in people with hypertension given curry-leaf powder than in a comparison group. It gives few details of its design, and the difference was small.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionIf you have high blood pressure, do not replace your medicine with curry leaves.
  • PregnancyAs a cooking herb it is a food. No safety information for concentrated extracts in pregnancy or breastfeeding was found.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using curry-leaf extracts or supplements if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving them to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“An infusion of the toasted leaves is used to stop vomiting (Ainslie). In the Punjab, the leaves are applied to bruises (Stewart).”
K. R. Kirtikar and B. D. Basu, Indian Medicinal Plants (1918), Part 1, p. 260. See the page of Indian Medicinal Plants, Part 1, p. 260 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Indian Medicinal Plants, Part 1, p. 260

Sources

  1. Comparative evaluation of efficacy of Murraya koenigii and chlorhexidine gluconate in the treatment of gingivitis: A randomized controlled clinical trial (J Indian Soc Periodontol, 2018) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Effect of curry leaves in lowering blood pressure among hypertensive Indian patients (Bioinformation, 2023) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.