Tephrosia Purpurea Seed Extract

Tephrosia purpurea seed extract is an anti-inflammatory extract obtained from the seeds of the Tephrosia purpurea, a flowering plant that occurs in tropical regions all over the world. It is used in Indian Ayurvedic traditional medicine for the treatment of ulcers.

An industrially-produced extract was patented in 1995 as a skincare ingredient with anti-aging properties (this claim has not been researched further, so we don’t know for certain). The patent holder claims that the oligosaccharides called stachyose and ciceritol are responsible for this activity.

However, the seed extract also contains various flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and which are beneficial for problematic and inflammation-prone skin.

As a fun fact – Tephrosia purpurea contains biochemicals called rotenoids, which are very toxic to insects and fish, but harmless to mammals and humans. For this reason, the leaves of the Tephrosia have been used by indigenous tribes for years as a means of catching fish.