Syrian Bean-caper
In short
Summary of findings for quick reference
Syrian bean-caper grows in dry country from southeastern Europe and Egypt through western and central Asia to China. Regional records chiefly concern the seed, alongside root, aerial parts, fruit and flower buds. None of these uses has been tested clinically.
Studied constituents include sulfated triterpenoid saponins and flavonoid glycosides. Laboratory work reports antimicrobial activity alongside null findings in individual enzyme and cell assays. Each finding applies to its particular extract and test. The well-documented human investigation concerns allergenic pollen.
In the EU the species has not been assessed as a medicinal plant. Neither the EMA nor Commission E has published a monograph on it, and it does not appear in the EU register of health claims. No safe dose has been established anywhere. Avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in children, as well as with kidney disease, regular medication, uncertain identification or material from contaminated ground.
Clinical evidence ↔ Historical significanceWe display two separate evidence categories: clinical evidence from modern trials and historical significance from documented healing tradition. Both are valuable, but they answer different questions.Read more
In every encyclopedia entry we evaluate two distinct categories of evidence. Clinical evidence as used in trials meets a narrower but scientifically essential bar. At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of plant species worldwide have only partially been captured and tested in modern studies.
Alongside the trial picture our researchers compile a comprehensive overview of where and since when a plant has been used across different traditions of natural medicine. When a plant has been used as a medicinal plant in many cultures across many generations, that historical significance deserves to be visible too.
Our position: a truly informative overview emerges only when both categories sit side by side. We communicate transparently what counts as what.
Overview
Syrian bean-caper, Zygophyllum fabago L., is a perennial herb in Zygophyllaceae. Its native range extends from southeastern Europe and Egypt through western and central Asia to China. Regional Iranian records describe seed decoction or powder, and external use of root and aerial parts. Food records concern fruit and pickled flower buds. Despite its name, it is not a caper bush.
None of these uses has been tested clinically. Laboratory findings concern particular extracts and assays, and the one well-documented human investigation concerns pollen allergy. Unresolved safety, conflicting toxicity reports, possible metal contamination and the risk of confusion with Peganum harmala make the plant unsuitable for self-treatment.
History
The botanical history is better dated than the medicinal tradition. Zygophyllum fabago was published on page 385 of Linnaeus’s Species Plantarum in 1753. Flora Iberica traces the naming history further back: Linnaeus replaced the older genus name Fabago in 1737 and explained his rejection of the bean association in 1738. The new name refers to leaflets paired like a yoke. These dates concern names and botany, not the beginning of medicinal use.
The medicinal record, by contrast, is young. Only publications of the past two decades set down what people do with the plant locally. In Kerman province they take the seed as a decoction or powder, in Iranian Azerbaijan they lay root and aerial parts on bee and scorpion stings, in Balochistan the plant counts among the medicinal plants of the region, and in northwestern China the fresh fruit is eaten as a snack. The Kerman survey even notes that this use had not previously been recorded in Persian ethnobotany. None of the sources cites an older text, Persian, Unani or Chinese, that names the species as a medicine.
Outside its native range the species has been on record for over 150 years. Spain's atlas of invasive plants cites an 1861 record on rubble heaps and waste ground at Aranjuez, and in 1926 and 1929 the journal Science reported it from the United States and from Colorado. Washington's species account explains why it is so hard to shift: it reproduces by seed, rhizomes and root fragments. Do not spread seeds or root fragments outside its native range.
Mechanism
Composition differs between bark, aerial parts and root. Feng and colleagues isolated the sulfated ursane saponins zygophylosides O and P from stem bark in 2008, followed by Q and R in 2009. The sulfate group is on a sugar in O and P and at position 24 of the triterpene skeleton in Q and R. Khan and colleagues isolated five sulfated ursane saponins from aerial parts in 2014, including zygofaboside A. Earlier bark studies described 27-nor-triterpenoid glycosides and glycosides of quinovic and cincholic acids. Yaripour and colleagues obtained the prenylated flavone glycoside zygocaperoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside from roots. A 2015 Chinese paper described thirteen compounds from aerial parts, seven sesquiterpenoids and six megastigmane-type norsesquiterpenoids. Another paper isolated beta-sitosterol from aerial parts using subcritical carbon dioxide. The seed, the plant part of the Iranian tradition, was not examined in any of these papers.
Laboratory findings depend on the material tested. Extracts showed antimicrobial activity in culture assays. Sulfated saponins inhibited urease in a cell-free assay, but an IC50 could not be determined because too little isolated material was available. Radical-scavenging assays found antioxidant activity. The Turkish screening found no appreciable cholinesterase inhibition at 10 micrograms per millilitre. The 2017 Iranian paper reported no antiproliferative effect for its aerial-part extracts against the cancer cell lines tested. These are preclinical findings from cell cultures or cell-free assays. The brine shrimp used in a further assay is an animal larval model. None of this establishes a clinical effect.
No clinical study of medicinal ingestion or external application exists. The human data chiefly concern pollen allergy. Belchí-Hernández and colleagues reported this in 1997 and published an aerobiological and clinical study from Murcia in 1998. Across four seasons from 1993 to 1996, airborne pollen was measured from May to September. Of 1180 allergy patients, 181 reacted in skin tests, or 15.34 percent. Among 47 sensitised people divided into three groups, 13 of 15 bronchial, 14 of 16 nasal and 13 of 16 conjunctival challenges were positive. This describes that patient group rather than the general population. Immunoblotting identified profilin, while RAST inhibition tests showed cross-reactivity with Mercurialis, Ricinus, Olea and Betula pollen. A 2002 paper located allergenic proteins within the pollen grain.
A screening of 172 plant extracts found inhibition of human renal OAT1 and OAT3 transporters by whole-plant dichloromethane and n-butanol extracts. Zygophyllum fabago was absent from the final list of strong inhibitors with IC50 below 5 micrograms per millilitre. Environmental studies from southeastern Spain examine the species as a pioneer of contaminated soil. In one study its shoots contained about 750 milligrams of zinc per kilogram. Further work examined cadmium and zinc in shoots, roots and callus. The 2026 Kazakh paper found no detectable lead and little cadmium in its material. That individual sample finding cannot be transferred to other sites.
Zygophyllum fabago appears neither in the EMA inventory of herbal medicines nor in the Commission E monograph list (dated 31 July 1994) nor in the EU register of health claims. No authority at EU level or in Germany has therefore assessed its quality or safety. The 2026 Kazakh paper names the lack of standardised quality control and of pharmacopoeial monographs as a research gap.
Two cell studies show how much findings depend on the material. The 2017 Iranian study found no antiproliferative effect for its aerial-part extracts. A 2025 Kazakh paper examined six root and aerial-part extracts obtained with ethanol, ethyl acetate or hexane. The root ethyl acetate extract inhibited K562 leukaemia cells with an IC50 of 121.0 ± 2.5 micrograms per millilitre, while the aerial-part ethyl acetate extract gave 120.4 ± 3.1 micrograms per millilitre. The studies differ in their extracts and tested cell lines, so their findings are not directly comparable. Neither establishes a cancer treatment in humans.
Evidence
| Outcome | Class | Grade | Effect | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional digestive and antiparasitic use of the seedThe Kerman survey lists orally taken seed decoction for worms, as a laxative and stomach remedy, and for nausea, under the name Gich. Shahrbabak records orally taken seed powder for parasites as Ghich. These are uses reported in interviews. The sources establish neither efficacy nor a safe dose.Respondents from rural communities in Iran | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional use only | |
| Traditional external use on skin, wounds and insect bitesYaripour and colleagues describe how Azeri-speaking communities around Tabriz, Mianeh, Khoy and Urmia lay root and aerial parts on bee and scorpion stings against pain and swelling, under the name Memeli Üzerlik. The article also summarises older regional reports on skin complaints and wounds. None of these uses has been tested clinically.Azeri-speaking communities in northwestern Iran and compiled regional records | TraditionalTraditional use. Long-standing folk practice or EMA HMPC traditional-use monograph. | DEvidence quality grade D. Preliminary signal. A single small trial, pilot result, or laboratory or animal model. Clinical relevance unclear. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Traditional use only | |
| Antibacterial and antifungal activity of extractsA Balochistan screening reported inhibition of Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. Kazakh studies also found antimicrobial activity, with markedly different results depending on extract and assay. The 2026 work tested organisms including Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur. Some minimum inhibitory concentrations were 250, 500 or 1000 micrograms per millilitre, with many above 1000. A 2025 paper reported values below 9 micrograms per millilitre for ethyl acetate extracts against E. coli and C. albicans. These culture tests do not establish treatment of human infections.Bacterial and fungal cultures (in vitro only) | EmergingEmerging research. Early small trials suggest an effect but await replication. | IEvidence quality grade I (Insufficient). Not enough evidence to draw a conclusion. More research needed. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | In vitro only | |
| Cholinesterase inhibition (null finding)A Turkish screening tested a Zygophyllum fabago extract against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. It showed no appreciable inhibition at 10 micrograms per millilitre. This null result applies to the tested extract and concentration.Cell-free enzyme assay (in vitro only) | InsufficientInsufficient data. No reliable trials or traditional sources available. | IEvidence quality grade I (Insufficient). Not enough evidence to draw a conclusion. More research needed. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | No effect in the laboratory | |
| Airborne pollen sensitisation and respiratory symptomsIn Murcia, 181 of 1180 allergy patients tested positive to the pollen in skin tests, or 15.34 percent. This is not a prevalence estimate for the general population. Among 47 sensitised people divided into three challenge groups, 13 of 15 bronchial, 14 of 16 nasal and 13 of 16 conjunctival tests were positive. Pollen was airborne from May to September. What the study documents is allergic harm.Allergy clinic patients in Murcia, southeast Spain (1180 skin tested) | ClinicalClinically established. Randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses confirm the effect in humans. | FEvidence quality grade F. Evidence of harm at typical dose. Use not recommended. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Documented harm from pollen exposure | |
| Inhibition of the renal drug transporters OAT1 and OAT3A screening tested 172 extracts from 37 plants in cells expressing human OAT1 or OAT3. At 5 micrograms per millilitre, the whole-plant dichloromethane extract left 46 percent of OAT1 uptake and 53 percent of OAT3 uptake relative to control. The n-butanol extract left 60 percent for each transporter. Zygophyllum fabago was absent from the final list of strong inhibitors with IC50 below 5 micrograms per millilitre. This supports a theoretical interaction concern, without demonstrating a clinical interaction.Transporter-expressing cell lines (in vitro only) | EmergingEmerging research. Early small trials suggest an effect but await replication. | IEvidence quality grade I (Insufficient). Not enough evidence to draw a conclusion. More research needed. This is an evidence rating, not a product endorsement. | Theoretical interaction signal |
The studies that matter.
An allergy clinic in Murcia skin-tested 1180 patients with the pollen, and 181 of them, or 15.34 percent, reacted. Among 47 sensitised people, 13 of 15 bronchial, 14 of 16 nasal and 13 of 16 conjunctival challenges were positive, and the pollen was airborne from May to September. It is the only clinical study of the species, and what it documents is harm. The figures describe allergy patients and cannot be carried over to the general population.
Belchí-Hernández J, Moreno-Grau S, Sánchez-Gascón F, Bayo J, Elvira Rendueles B, Bartolomé B, Moreno JM, Martinez Quesada J, Palacios Peláez R. Sensitization to Zygophyllum fabago pollen. A clinical and immunologic study. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1998.tb03883.xA Chinese laboratory tested 172 extracts from 37 plants on kidney cells carrying the human transporter OAT1 or OAT3. At 5 micrograms per millilitre the whole-plant dichloromethane extract left 46 percent of OAT1 uptake and 53 percent of OAT3 uptake, the butanol extract 60 percent of each. Zygophyllum fabago was not among the strong inhibitors identified at the end. A cell result of this kind justifies caution for people on regular medication. An interaction in people has not been shown.
Hang Lu, Zhiqiang Lu, Xue Li, Gentao Li, Yilin Qiao, Robert P. Borris, Youcai Zhang. Interactions of 172 plant extracts with human organic anion transporter 1 (SLC22A6) and 3 (SLC22A8): a study on herb-drug interactions. doi:10.7717/peerj.3333Between 2017 and 2019 a team interviewed 217 herbal healers in Kerman province about their medicinal plants. For Zygophyllum fabago, called Gich there, they named the seed as a decoction taken by mouth: for worms, as a laxative and stomach remedy, for nausea and to promote milk, with three to four mentions per use. The authors note that this use had not previously been recorded in Persian ethnobotany. An interview survey documents use and says nothing about efficacy or safety.
Seyed Hamzeh Hosseini, Hossein Bibak, Abdollah Ramzani Ghara, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Abolfaz Shakeri. Ethnobotany of the medicinal plants used by the ethnic communities of Kerman province, Southeast Iran. doi:10.1186/s13002-021-00438-zA Kazakh group described material from southeastern Kazakhstan in 2026, from leaf anatomy to elemental content. Most extract fractions did not inhibit the test organisms at up to 1000 micrograms per millilitre, while the ethyl acetate fraction inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 250 and Enterococcus faecalis at 500. In the brine shrimp assay no larvae died at up to 10 milligrams per millilitre of ethanolic extract, and lead was not detectable in the sample. These are laboratory and sample findings and no safety clearance for people.
Ostemirkyzy Darika, Kapsalyamova Elmira, Daryono Hadi Tjahjono, Mombekov Serzhan, Ustenova Gulbaram, Kantureyeva Aigerim, Shulenova Gaukhar, Alimova Urziya, Zhaimbayeva Elmira, Botabayeva Rauan. Pharmacognostic Characterization, Phytochemical Profiling, and In Vitro Biological Evaluation of Zygophyllum fabago L. doi:10.3390/ijms27135907In 2017 a group from Tabriz, Urmia and Tehran isolated the flavone glycoside zygocaperoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside from the roots and tested leaf and flower extracts on three cancer cell lines and one normal line. None of the extracts inhibited cell growth to any notable degree, while the methanol extract was antioxidant. The introduction records the Iranian names Qeich and Memeli Üzerlik and the Azeri use on bee and scorpion stings. Cell findings of this kind say nothing about an effect in people.
Saeid Yaripour, Mohammad-Reza Delnavazi, Parina Asgharian, Samira Valiyari, Saeed Tavakoli, Hossein Nazemiyeh. A Survey on Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activity of Zygophyllum fabago from Iran. doi:10.15171/apb.2017.014
Usage
Forms and preparation
These records describe regional use. Unresolved safety makes them unsuitable as instructions. Iranian surveys list orally taken seed decoction or powder without an amount. Azeri-speaking records describe root and aerial parts applied externally to insect stings. Northwestern China has records of fresh fruit as a wild snack. Flora Iberica describes flower buds pickled in salt and vinegar and used as a caper substitute, while also calling the same species toxic. Seeds, roots, aerial parts, fruit and flower buds are different materials, and the chemical papers further distinguish bark from aerial parts. Findings for one material say nothing about the safety of another. No officially assessed preparation or quality standard exists, and a product name alone establishes neither identity nor quality.
Dosage
No safe dose, daily amount or duration can be derived from the sources. The Iranian surveys name seed decoction or powder taken by mouth but give no quantity, and neither the EMA nor Commission E has published a monograph with a dose. This entry therefore gives no dose and recommends no use.
Special populations
Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in children. The papers reviewed provide insufficient safety data for these groups. The galactagogue seed use in an Iranian survey is a reported practice without safety assessment. It does not support a breastfeeding recommendation. People with kidney disease or regular medication should also avoid the plant because of the theoretical renal transporter interaction concern.
Safety
Drug interactions
The published screening of 172 plant extracts found inhibition of human renal OAT1 and OAT3 transporters by whole-plant dichloromethane and n-butanol extracts. These transporters help eliminate many medicines through the kidneys. Inhibition could alter elimination of such substrates. Zygophyllum fabago was absent from the final list of strong inhibitors with IC50 below 5 micrograms per millilitre. The cell result raises a possible interaction concern whose clinical extent is unknown. People taking regular medication should avoid this plant and discuss the issue with a doctor or pharmacist.
Contraindications
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid. The reviewed sources provide insufficient safety data for these groups. Kerman records a folk galactagogue seed use without evaluating its safety. Children: avoid. No safe paediatric dose or adequate safety assessment was found in the sources reviewed. Known sensitisation to Zygophyllum fabago pollen, or to profilin-containing pollens such as Mercurialis, Ricinus, olive or birch: avoid contact with the plant and its preparations. Kidney disease, or regular use of medicines cleared by the kidney: avoid, given the laboratory inhibition of the renal transporters OAT1 and OAT3. Never use material from mine spoil, waste heaps, roadsides or industrial land. The species can take up metals from contaminated soil, including zinc and cadmium. The mine spoil studied was also heavily contaminated with lead. Uncertain identification: never use. Peganum harmala shares the vernacular name üzerlik in parts of the range and is genuinely toxic.
Side effects
There is no safety record for ingestion or external use. Allergic effects from pollen are well documented: rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma in sensitised people, with positive bronchial, nasal and conjunctival challenges in the Spanish patient series. An ethanolic extract of Kazakh material showed no detectable toxicity in the brine shrimp assay up to 10 milligrams per millilitre under its test conditions. This does not clear it for human use. Flora Iberica explicitly calls Zygophyllum fabago hallucinogenic and toxic, and Spain's atlas of invasive plants calls the very bitter leaves toxic to people and livestock. Washington’s weed authority instead lists toxicity as not known. None of these sources identifies the substances involved or how toxic the plant really is to humans. This conflict is a reason to avoid eating the plant.
Look-alikes
Similar plants and look-alikes
Syrian rue (Peganum harmala), the üzerlik trap
In Iranian Azerbaijan, Zygophyllum fabago is called Memeli Üzerlik. Üzerlik alone also names Peganum harmala, Syrian rue, in that region. Both occur in the same dry region. Peganum harmala is poisonous: one analysis of dried seeds measured harmine and harmaline at about 4.3 and 5.6 percent by weight. Seed extracts strongly inhibited human monoamine oxidase A. Poisoning reports also involve ingestion for recreational intoxication. Peganum harmala has finely divided, deeply cut leaves and a rounded, three-chambered capsule. Zygophyllum fabago has two thick, undivided leaflets per leaf and an elongated, ribbed, five-angled capsule. A shared name cannot replace these distinguishing features.
True caper (Capparis spinosa)
True capers are the pickled flower buds of Capparis spinosa. Flora Iberica also describes Zygophyllum fabago buds as a caper substitute, but that does not make them equally safe. The true caper bush is a spreading, often thorny shrub with large white flowers and long stamens. Syrian bean-caper is a herb with smaller flowers and paired, fleshy leaflets. These features tell them apart, the shared name does not. Conflicting toxicity reports for Zygophyllum fabago are a reason not to collect and pickle its buds yourself.
Other Zygophyllum species, especially Zygophyllum eurypterum
Several Zygophyllum species resemble one another and have regional uses. The Kerman survey lists Zygophyllum eurypterum and Zygophyllum fabago under the same name, Gich, with the same seed uses. Zygophyllum propinquum is also used in Balochistan. A traditional record or laboratory finding for one of these species cannot be transferred to another. This entry concerns Zygophyllum fabago L.
Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
Tribulus terrestris also belongs to Zygophyllaceae. It usually grows close to the ground, with many small leaflets and a hard, spiny fruit. Zygophyllum fabago has two thick leaflets per leaf and an elongated, smooth capsule. Reliable identification remains necessary when material is offered as a supplement. Claims about Tribulus terrestris do not apply to Zygophyllum fabago.
FAQs
What is Syrian bean-caper and which parts are used?
Zygophyllum fabago is a perennial herb in Zygophyllaceae. Regional records describe seed decoction or powder, root and aerial parts for external use, fresh fruit as wild food and pickled flower buds as a caper substitute. The plant parts and uses must be distinguished. Unresolved safety means none of these records serves as an instruction.
Is Syrian bean-caper approved by any European regulator?
No. Neither the European Medicines Agency nor the German Commission E has published a monograph on Zygophyllum fabago, and the species does not appear in the EU register of health claims. In the United States, Washington State goes further and lists it as a Class A noxious weed under quarantine. Whether a particular product may be sold is a matter for national food and medicines law.
Why is it called a bean-caper, and can the buds really be pickled?
Flora Iberica describes flower buds pickled in salt and vinegar and used instead of capers. This explains the common name without establishing safe use. The same work calls the plant hallucinogenic and toxic. The older names Fabago and Zygophyllum also have their own botanical history: Linnaeus rejected the association with beans and preferred a name referring to the paired leaflets. So please do not pickle the buds yourself.
Can it be confused with another plant?
Yes. In northwestern Iran names overlap with Peganum harmala, a poisonous species whose seed constituents strongly inhibit monoamine oxidase A. Other Zygophyllum species may share the same local name. The true caper bush is also a different plant despite the name. Never use material whose identity is uncertain.
Is Syrian bean-caper safe?
Safety for ingestion and medicinal use remains insufficiently established. Flora Iberica calls the species hallucinogenic and toxic, while Washington’s weed authority lists toxicity as not known. A brine shrimp assay showing no detectable toxicity for one extract leaves human safety unresolved. Demonstrated pollen allergy, possible metal contamination and a theoretical drug interaction concern add to the reasons for caution. Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in children.
Why does this plant keep coming up in mining and heavy metal research?
The species can colonise acidic, metal-rich mine spoil. A southeastern Spanish study measured about 750 milligrams of zinc per kilogram in its shoots. Other work examined cadmium and zinc in plants and callus cultures, and the stabilisation of contaminated soil. This explains its ecological research value. Never eat material from such sites or use it as a home remedy because of possible contamination.
Is there any clinical evidence for the traditional uses?
No. Interviews document use and laboratory experiments examine extracts, but no clinical study of the recorded uses exists. The one well-documented human investigation concerns pollen allergy, which is to say harm.
39 sources.
- Saeid Yaripour, Mohammad-Reza Delnavazi, Parina Asgharian, Samira Valiyari, Saeed Tavakoli, Hossein Nazemiyeh. A Survey on Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activity of Zygophyllum fabago from Iran.. 2017. doi:10.15171/apb.2017.014
- Seyed Hamzeh Hosseini, Hossein Bibak, Abdollah Ramzani Ghara, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Abolfaz Shakeri. Ethnobotany of the medicinal plants used by the ethnic communities of Kerman province, Southeast Iran.. 2021. doi:10.1186/s13002-021-00438-z
- Hossein Bibak, Farzad Heydari, Mohammad Sadat-Hosseini. Exploring the power of data mining for uncovering traditional medicinal plant knowledge: A case study in Shahrbabak, Iran.. 2024. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0303229
- Zaidi MA, Crow SA Jr. Biologically active traditional medicinal herbs from Balochistan, Pakistan.. 2005. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.07.023
- Khan SS, Khan A, Khan A, Wadood A, Farooq U, Ahmed A, Zahoor A, Ahmad VU, Sener B, Erdemoglu N. Urease inhibitory activity of ursane type sulfated saponins from the aerial parts of Zygophyllum fabago Linn.. 2014. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2013.09.009
- Alia Ahmed, Amjad Hameed, Shazia Saeed. Biochemical profile and bioactive potential of thirteen wild folk medicinal plants from Balochistan, Pakistan.. 2020. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231612
- Xiaohuan Jia, Yongxia Zhao, Yunyue Zhu, Xin Zeng, Xuehui Liang, Jian Xie, Faming Wu. Ethnobotany of wild edible plants in multiethnic areas of the Gansu-Ningxia-Inner Mongolia junction zone.. 2022. PMID:35945554
- He JH, Niu YF, Li JX, Wang LB, Zi TP, Yu S, Tao J. [Studies on terpenoids from Zygophyllum fabago].. 2015. doi:10.4268/cjcmm20152318
- Belchí-Hernández J, Moreno-Grau S, Bayo J, Rosique C, Bartolomé B, Moreno JM. Zygophyllum fabago L: a new source of allergenic pollen.. 1997. doi:10.1016/s0091-6749(97)70075-7
- Belchí-Hernández J, Moreno-Grau S, Sánchez-Gascón F, Bayo J, Elvira Rendueles B, Bartolomé B, Moreno JM, Martinez Quesada J, Palacios Peláez R. Sensitization to Zygophyllum fabago pollen. A clinical and immunologic study.. 1998. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1998.tb03883.x
- Castells T, Arcalís E, Moreno-Grau S, Bayo J, Elvira-Rendueles B, Belchí J, Seoane-Camba JA, Suárez-Cervera M. Immunocytochemical localization of allergenic proteins from mature to activated Zygophyllum fabago L. (Zygophyllaceae) pollen grains.. 2002. doi:10.1078/0171-9335-00223
- Ostemirkyzy Darika, Kapsalyamova Elmira, Daryono Hadi Tjahjono, Mombekov Serzhan, Ustenova Gulbaram, Kantureyeva Aigerim, Shulenova Gaukhar, Alimova Urziya, Zhaimbayeva Elmira, Botabayeva Rauan. Pharmacognostic Characterization, Phytochemical Profiling, and In Vitro Biological Evaluation of Zygophyllum fabago L.. 2026. doi:10.3390/ijms27135907
- Mamurova A, Kairanova G, Beyatli A, Smagulova G, Yedilova A, Zhaldybayev K, Zhumalina K, Toregeldiyeva A. Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic activities of different solvent extracts of Zygophyllum fabago L.. 2025. doi:10.1590/1519-6984.293666
- Burnham SH. ZYGOPHYLLUM FABAGO IN THE UNITED STATES.. 1926. doi:10.1126/science.64.1648.120-a
- Rogers CF. ZYGOPHYLLUM FABAGO IN COLORADO.. 1929. doi:10.1126/science.69.1797.600
- Hang Lu, Zhiqiang Lu, Xue Li, Gentao Li, Yilin Qiao, Robert P. Borris, Youcai Zhang. Interactions of 172 plant extracts with human organic anion transporter 1 (SLC22A6) and 3 (SLC22A8): a study on herb-drug interactions.. 2017. doi:10.7717/peerj.3333
- Conesa HM, Faz A, Arnaldos R. Initial studies for the phytostabilization of a mine tailing from the Cartagena-La Union Mining District (SE Spain).. 2007. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.05.041
- Lefèvre I, Correal E, Lutts S. Impact of cadmium and zinc on growth and water status of Zygophyllum fabago in two contrasting metallicolous populations from SE Spain: comparison at whole plant and tissue level.. 2010. doi:10.1111/j.1438-8677.2009.00296.x
- Kabas S, Arocena JM, Acosta JA, Faz A, Martínez-Martínez S, Zornoza R, Carmona DM. Syrian bean-caper (Zygophyllum fabago L.) improves organic matter and other properties of mine wastes deposits.. 2014. doi:10.1080/15226514.2013.783552
- Orhan I, Sener B, Choudhary MI, Khalid A. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of some Turkish medicinal plants.. 2004. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2003.11.016
- Herraiz T, González D, Ancín-Azpilicueta C, Arán VJ, Guillén H. beta-Carboline alkaloids in Peganum harmala and inhibition of human monoamine oxidase (MAO).. 2010. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2009.12.019
- Herraiz T, Guillén H, Arán VJ, Salgado A. Identification, occurrence and activity of quinazoline alkaloids in Peganum harmala.. 2017. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.03.010
- Feng YL, Li HR, Xu LZ, Yang SL. 27-nor-triterpenoid glycosides from the barks of Zygophyllum fabago L.. 2007. doi:10.1080/10286020600782157
- Feng YL, Wu B, Li HR, Li YQ, Xu LZ, Yang SL, Kitanaka S. Triterpenoidal saponins from the barks of Zygophyllum fabago L.. 2008. doi:10.1248/cpb.56.858
- Feng YL, Li HR, Rao Y, Luo XJ, Xu LZ, Wang YS, Yang SL, Kitanaka S. Two sulfated triterpenoidal saponins from the barks of Zygophyllum fabago L.. 2009. doi:10.1248/cpb.57.612
- Ostemirkyzy Darika, Kapsalyamova Elmira, Daryono Hadi Tjahjono, Ustenova Gulbaram, Eva Susanty Simaremare. ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF Β-SITOSTEROL FROM ZYGOPHYLLUM FABAGO L. HERB USING SUBCRITICAL CO₂ EXTRACTION.. 2026. PMID:42069423
- Sheng-Dan Wu, Li Lin, Hong-Lei Li, Sheng-Xiang Yu, Lin-Jing Zhang, Wei Wang. Evolution of Asian Interior Arid-Zone Biota: Evidence from the Diversification of Asian Zygophyllum (Zygophyllaceae).. 2015. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138697
- J. Güemes, P. Sánchez Gómez. Zygophyllum L. and Zygophyllum fabago L., Flora Iberica volume IX, pages 154 to 156. Source
- Eduardo Sobrino Vesperinas, Elías D. Dana Sánchez, Mario Sanz Elorza. Zygophyllum fabago L., Atlas de las plantas alóctonas invasoras en España. 2004. Source
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. Syrian Bean-Caper, Zygophyllum fabago. Source
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Zygophyllum fabago L., Plants of the World Online. Source
- Abdul Ghafoor. Zygophyllum fabago, Flora of Pakistan. Source
- Yingxin Liu, Lihua Zhou. Zygophyllum fabago, Flora of China. Source
- European Medicines Agency. EMA herbal medicines register, current official export. 2026. Source
- Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte. BfArM. List of Commission E monographs, status 31 July 1994, corrections to 11 January 2002.. 2002. Source
- European Commission. European Commission. EU Register of nutrition and health claims, current policy item data.. 2026. Source
- V. Hammiche, R. Merad. Peganum harmala L., Poisons Information Monograph 402. 1997. Source
- G. Gintzburger, K. N. Toderich, B. K. Mardonov, M. M. Mahmudov. Capparis spinosa, Rangelands of the arid and semi-arid zones in Uzbekistan. 2003. Source
- Duncan M. Porter. Tribulus terrestris, Flora of North America volume 12. Source
Legal notice: The depiction of historical significance and traditional use is context within our encyclopedia and not a health claim for any product, not a treatment promise, and not a substitute for medical advice. What may be stated on product labels, product pages, or in advertising is governed by the applicable legal requirements.