Vartaku
Solanum melongena
Vartaku (Solanum melongena) is a plant drug, also called Vrintakah and Baimgana. Chlorogenic acid (3-CQA, major phenolic) has moderate bioavailability (~25-35%). Solasodine (steroidal alkaloid) is moderately absorbed but has dose-dependent toxicity. Solanine/alpha-solanine content must be monitored for safety.
| Botanical name | Solanum melongena |
|---|---|
| Family | Solanaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Solanales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 2930617 · Wikidata Q7540 · NCBI Taxonomy 4111 |
| Sanskrit | वृन्ताकः (vṛntākaḥ) |
|---|---|
| Hindi | बैंगन (baiṃgana) |
| Tamil | கத்தரி |
Sources: Flowers of India, Solanum melongena ('Brinjal') page: 'Hindi: बैंगन Baingan, बंग Bang, भण्टा Bhanta, भाटा Bhata'; Flowers of India, Solanum melongena ('Brinjal') page: 'Tamil: அச்சத்தி Accatti, காளினியம் Kaliniyam, கத்தரி Kattari, நமைக்காய் Namai-K-Kay, பண்டாகி Pantaki, பிரு Piru'; wisdomlib entry for Vrintaka/Vṛntāka: denotes the eggplant, Solanum melongena, citing Caraka-saṃhitā (under śāka), Bhāvaprakāśa (16th c.) and Rājanighaṇṭu (13th c.), with the etymology from vṛnta 'pedicel' because the calyx stays attached to the pedicel. How we source.
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 2002 to 2022, every one with a DOI.
- 1Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- 6Other clinical studies and reviews
- 5Laboratory and animal studies
A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Vartaku |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Katu, Tikta | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Laghu, Tikshna | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Ushna | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Katu | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Cooked vegetable (Shaka), Svarasa (juice), Churna (dried fruit powder), Capsule, Lepa (paste for external use)
Standard Dosage: 50-100 g cooked vegetable daily; 3-6 g dried fruit powder twice daily; 20-40 mL juice daily
Optimal Timing: As cooked vegetable with meals; dried preparations after meals
Storage: Fresh fruit at 8-12 deg C (cold injury below 7 deg C). Dried products in airtight, light-resistant containers at 15-25 deg C. Anthocyanin-containing products in opaque packaging.
Marker Compounds: Nasunin, Chlorogenic acid, Caffeic acid, Solasodine, alpha-Solanine (limit test), Delphinidin, Rutin, Quercetin
Synergistic Combinations
- Methi (fenugreek) - combined glycemic support in dietary formulation
- Haridra (turmeric) - traditionally combined in cooked preparation
- Nimba (neem) - traditionally combined in dietary formulations
- Karvellaka (bitter gourd) - traditionally paired in dietary preparations
Published research
Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses1
- 2022. Concentration of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in eggplant vegetable (Solanum melongena) irrigated with wastewater: a systematic review and meta-analysis and probabilistic health risk assessmentInternational journal of environmental health research. PMID 33588645 · doi:10.1080/09603123.2021.1887461
Other clinical studies and reviews6
- 2021. Solanum melongena allergy (A comprehensive review)Experimental and therapeutic medicine. PMID 34434275 · doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10495
- 2021. Effect of eggplant (Solanum melongena) on the metabolic syndrome: A reviewIranian journal of basic medical sciences. PMID 34094022 · doi:10.22038/ijbms.2021.50276.11452
- 2021. Doubled Haploids in EggplantBiology. PMID 34356540 · doi:10.3390/biology10070685
- 2021. Genetic Diversity and Utilization of Cultivated Eggplant Germplasm in Varietal ImprovementPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 34451758 · doi:10.3390/plants10081714
- 2020. Heterosis Breeding in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): Gains and ProvocationsPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 32213925 · doi:10.3390/plants9030403
- 2018. Health benefits and bioactive compounds of eggplantFood chemistry. PMID 30064803 · doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.06.093
Laboratory and animal studies5
- 2021. Pest categorisation of Leucinodes orbonalisEFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority. PMID 34804235 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6890
- 2020. Terpenes and lignans from the roots of Solanum melongena LNatural product research. PMID 30600708 · doi:10.1080/14786419.2018.1533828
- 2016. Identification and characterization of CBL and CIPK gene families in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)Molecular genetics and genomics : MGG. PMID 27287616 · doi:10.1007/s00438-016-1218-8
- 2014. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of microwave-assisted Solanum melongena extractsTheScientificWorldJournal. PMID 24683354 · doi:10.1155/2014/719486
- 2002. Proximate and mineral compositions of cooked and uncooked Solanum melongenaInternational journal of food sciences and nutrition. PMID 11939104 · doi:10.1080/09637480220132111
Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.
Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.
Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.