Arjunolic Acid
Compiled from published pharmacological and botanical literature. Not independently verified by Herbuno. Spotted an error or have a correction? Flag it below →
| Chemical Class | Pentacyclic triterpenoid saponin (oleanane-type) |
| Molecular Formula / CAS | C₃₀H₄₈O₅ · CAS 465-00-9 |
| Primary Botanical Source(s) | Arjuna bark (Terminalia arjuna) |
| Plant Part | Bark; also reported in the heartwood |
| Typical Content | A principal triterpenoid saponin of arjuna bark, alongside arjunic acid and related glycosides |
| Solubility / Format | Available as standardised extract powders at multiple potency grades |
| Sourcing Status | Product-live — genuine match via Herbuno’s arjuna bark extract line |
| Buy from Herbuno | Arjunolic Acid 20% Powder (Arjuna Extract) · Arjunolic Acid 1% Powder |
Name origin: Arjunolic acid takes its name directly from its source tree, arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), itself named for Arjuna, the warrior-hero of the Mahabharata, reflecting the tree’s longstanding esteemed place in Indian botanical tradition. Traditional use: Arjuna bark has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for over three centuries specifically as a cardiac tonic, prepared as a bark decoction for conditions modern medicine would recognise as angina, heart failure and hypertension — one of the more direct lines from traditional indication to modern research focus in the HerbIQ index. Research trajectory: Early 20th-century phytochemical work identified arjuna bark’s triterpenoid and flavonoid constituents, and clinical research from the 1990s onward has tested whole bark extract directly against cardiovascular endpoints including angina frequency and heart failure symptoms; more recent research has isolated arjunolic acid specifically to study its antioxidant, hepatoprotective and metabolic activity independent of the whole-bark cardiac research. Commercial source: Arjuna bark is the standard commercial source of arjunolic acid, and Herbuno’s standardised extracts reflect this well-established, genuine botanical match.
Evidence for Arjunolic Acid Applications
Arjunolic acid is one of several triterpenoid saponins characteristic of arjuna bark, alongside arjunic acid, arjungenin and related glycosides, and is credited with much of the bark’s antioxidant activity through free-radical scavenging and metal-chelating properties that protect cellular components from oxidative damage. A comprehensive review describes arjunolic acid as a multifunctional phytomedicine with documented cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic and wound-healing activity across a substantial preclinical literature (Hemalatha et al. 2010). Claim strength: Moderate.
Isolated arjunolic acid has shown consistent hepatoprotective activity across multiple drug-induced liver injury models. In a rat model of cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity, arjunolic acid pretreatment improved liver function and histopathology, suppressed oxidative stress markers, and reduced hepatic inflammation and apoptosis markers including TNF-alpha and caspase-3 expression (Sherif 2021). Comparable protective effects have been separately documented against acetaminophen- and atorvastatin-induced liver injury, suggesting a consistent underlying antioxidant mechanism across different hepatotoxic insults. Claim strength: Moderate.
In cellular and rodent models of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), arjunolic acid isolated directly from arjuna heartwood reduced triglyceride accumulation and lipotoxicity in palmitate-oleate-treated HepG2 cells, with corresponding benefit observed in high-fat-diet-fed rats, positioning arjunolic acid as a candidate for further research in metabolic liver disease specifically rather than solely drug-induced injury models (et al. 2018). Claim strength: Emerging.
Beyond hepatoprotection, arjunolic acid has also been studied for renal protective effects following atorvastatin-induced oxidative damage, and for benefit in type 1 diabetes models through modulation of hyperglycaemia-activated MAPK, PKC and NF-κB signalling cascades. This breadth of organ-protective research across liver, kidney and metabolic contexts reflects arjunolic acid’s underlying antioxidant mechanism applied to multiple injury models rather than a single, narrowly validated application. Claim strength: Emerging.
Formulators should note that most of arjuna bark’s well-known cardiovascular clinical trial evidence — including studies in angina, congestive heart failure and hypercholesterolaemia — was conducted using whole bark extract or bark powder rather than isolated arjunolic acid, so cardiovascular claims tied specifically to isolated arjunolic acid content should be distinguished from the broader whole-bark clinical literature, which reflects the combined activity of arjunolic acid alongside arjunic acid, flavonoids and other bark constituents. Claim strength: Moderate.
Dosage & Formulator Specification
No standardised human clinical dosing range exists for isolated arjunolic acid specifically; published rodent research has used oral doses in the range of 20 mg/kg body weight for hepatoprotective effects, while the separate whole-bark clinical literature has typically used 500 mg of arjuna bark extract two to three times daily.
Analytical quantification of arjunolic acid is performed by HPLC or LC-MS, and because it co-occurs with the structurally similar arjunic acid and arjungenin in arjuna bark, formulators should request arjunolic-acid-specific chromatographic data rather than an aggregate “triterpenoid saponin” figure that could not distinguish between these related compounds.
Because most of arjuna bark’s cardiovascular clinical evidence comes from whole bark extract rather than isolated arjunolic acid, formulators making cardiovascular claims should be precise about which body of evidence (whole-bark clinical trials versus isolated-compound preclinical research) supports the specific claim being made, and should not conflate the two.
Regulatory positioning for arjunolic acid follows established arjuna bark botanical-ingredient precedent in most markets, given arjuna’s centuries-long traditional medicinal use; no arjunolic-acid-specific regulatory limit exists. Formulators should note that arjunolic acid’s research base is predominantly preclinical (cell and animal models) rather than human clinical trials, distinct from the more clinically-tested whole-bark cardiovascular literature.
Frequently Asked Questions — Arjunolic Acid
Not exactly. Most of the well-known clinical research on arjuna bark for angina, heart failure and cholesterol used whole bark extract or powder, which contains arjunolic acid alongside arjunic acid, flavonoids and other constituents. Isolated arjunolic acid has its own separate research base, focused mainly on antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity in preclinical models.
Its hepatoprotective (liver-protective) effect against drug-induced liver injury is the most consistently documented activity across multiple studies, including protection against cisplatin, acetaminophen and atorvastatin-induced liver damage in animal models, generally attributed to its antioxidant mechanism.
Isolated arjunolic acid’s research base is predominantly preclinical (cell culture and animal models) rather than human trials. The human clinical trial evidence for arjuna relates mainly to whole bark extract, tested in conditions such as angina and heart failure.
Arjuna bark contains several related triterpenoid saponins including arjunic acid and arjungenin, plus flavonoids such as arjunone and luteolin, tannins, and oligomeric proanthocyanidins. Formulators should request compound-specific analytical data rather than assuming a fixed ratio between these constituents.
Related compounds: Ursolic Acid, Gallic Acid