Apocynum venetum leaf extract, known in Japan as rafuma (羅布麻), is one of the most widely notified ingredients in Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system for sleep-related benefits, yet it remains little known to brands outside Japan. That combination — heavy domestic use, low international visibility — is exactly why brands building a sleep-themed range ask us about it once they learn it exists.
This guide is for brand owners planning an oral apocynum leaf product made in Japan. It covers what the human trials show, how Japan frames the ingredient, and how to formulate the product.
Health supplements are foods, not medicines, and are not a substitute for medical treatment. Nothing here is a claim that any product prevents, treats or cures a disease.
💬 Planning an apocynum leaf product made in Japan? We check the full formula against Japanese food law first. See Japan-made supplement OEM.
What the research shows
Small human studies of apocynum venetum leaf extract, on its own and combined with GABA, report effects on sleep depth and stress, measured by EEG and questionnaire, though the trials are small and short.
| Study | Design/What was analysed | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Human EEG study, J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2015 (PMID 26052150) | Oral intake of GABA (100 mg) and apocynum venetum leaf extract (50 mg), alone and combined, in humans, assessed by electroencephalogram and questionnaire | GABA shortened sleep latency by 5.3 minutes; apocynum venetum leaf extract increased non-REM sleep time by 7.6%; combined intake shortened sleep latency by 4.3 minutes and increased non-REM sleep time by 5.1%; questionnaire results showed subjects noticed the effects |
| Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, International Journal of Translational Medicine 2025 (DOI 10.3390/ijtm5020023) | 476 healthy adults seeking improvement in self-reported anxiety and stress, given 50 mg/day apocynum venetum leaf extract or placebo for 6 weeks; 370 completed at least one follow-up assessment | Significant difference between groups in the rate of improvement in perceived stress and sleep disturbance; the active group was significantly more likely to reach a minimal clinically important difference in perceived stress, and marginally more likely to reach one for anxiety; no significant difference in reported side effects between groups |
The 2015 study is a small mechanistic trial without a stated sample size in its abstract, using objective EEG measures over a short intake period. The 2025 trial is larger, but was funded by ingredient manufacturers with a commercial interest in apocynum venetum leaf extract, and its anxiety result was only marginally significant. Both studies used the isolated leaf extract at similar low daily doses (50 mg), which is worth noting given how differently dosed some botanical ingredients are between trials.
Checked against the published abstracts on 25 September 2026.
What Japanese products say
Apocynum leaf extract, standardised for hyperoside and isoquercitrin content, is one of the most heavily used ingredients in Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system for sleep depth and waking satisfaction, with more than a hundred notified products.
Under Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system, the notifying business is responsible for the scientific evidence behind its stated function and submits it to the Consumer Affairs Agency before sale. Apocynum leaf extract has been notified by many businesses for functions describing support for sleep depth and the feeling of satisfaction on waking, generally standardised to a stated content of hyperoside and isoquercitrin, the leaf’s characteristic flavonoid glycosides. The high number of notifications reflects how established the ingredient is in Japan’s domestic sleep-support category, though each individual notification carries its own specific evidence and wording rather than a single unified claim.
💬 Need an evidence summary for your regulatory adviser that separates Japanese notifications from independent trial evidence? We prepare it with the manufacturing documents. Tell us your market.
Wording that stays on safe ground
Describe apocynum leaf by the specific measures studied — sleep depth, non-REM sleep time, perceived stress — not by sleep disorders as conditions.
| Safer wording | Wording to avoid |
|---|---|
| ”Studied for sleep depth and everyday stress” | Names of sleep disorders such as insomnia, or “cures sleeplessness" |
| "Contains apocynum leaf extract” with the amount per serving and its hyperoside/isoquercitrin content | ”Clinically proven” without naming the study and its limits |
| Noting that a 2025 trial was funded by ingredient manufacturers | Presenting funded trial results as independently confirmed |
How apocynum leaf is formulated
Apocynum leaf is typically supplied as a standardised extract in milligram doses, which fits most common dosage forms.
| Dosage form | Why brands choose it | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Tablet or hard capsule | Small, precise dosing at the low milligram amounts used in trials | Standard choice for this ingredient in Japan |
| Drink or powder stick | Evening-routine products | Taste and extract solubility |
| Combination with GABA | Trial evidence suggests the two work in a complementary way on different sleep measures | Confirm each ingredient’s status and dosing separately |
Decisions that shape the specification:
- Standardisation. Ask the supplier for the extract’s hyperoside and isoquercitrin content, since Japanese notified products are typically standardised to these markers.
- Amount per serving. Match the amount to a study you intend to cite; both trials above used 50 mg/day.
- Companion ingredients. Apocynum leaf is often combined with GABA or other relaxation ingredients in Japanese products. Every ingredient in such a formula needs its own check against Japanese food law.
- Your market’s status for apocynum leaf. Its status as a food ingredient differs between countries. Confirm it before you commit to a formula.
The check that comes first
Every ingredient must be permitted in foods in Japan, or a Japanese factory cannot make the product.
Apocynum leaf extract is well established as a food ingredient in Japan through its extensive Foods with Function Claims use. Companion herbs are where a relaxation or sleep formula more often needs a closer check. See the Japan-made supplement OEM page, and compare with our GABA and L-theanine guides.
Before you ask for a quotation
A factory can quote accurately once the amount, the standardisation, the form, the companions and the packaging are fixed.
- Apocynum leaf extract amount per serving and its hyperoside/isoquercitrin content
- Dosage form
- Companion ingredients and their amounts
- Packaging
- Countries you will sell in, and apocynum leaf’s status there
- First order and annual volume
💬 Ready to design a Japan-made apocynum leaf product? Send us the concept — amount, form, companion ingredients and the countries you will sell in.
Frequently asked questions
1. What is apocynum leaf, and why is it called rafuma in Japan?
Apocynum leaf comes from Apocynum venetum, a plant whose Japanese name, rafuma, derives from its Chinese name. It is one of the most widely notified ingredients in Japan’s Foods with Function Claims system for sleep-related benefits.
2. Does apocynum leaf extract improve sleep?
Small human trials report effects on sleep depth and non-REM sleep time by EEG measurement, and on perceived stress and sleep disturbance by questionnaire in a larger 2025 trial. The larger trial was funded by ingredient manufacturers, and its anxiety result was only marginally significant.
3. Does Japan have a functional claim for apocynum leaf?
Yes. More than a hundred Foods with Function Claims notifications have used apocynum leaf extract, typically for support of sleep depth and waking satisfaction, standardised to hyperoside and isoquercitrin content.
4. Does apocynum leaf work the same way as GABA?
No. A 2015 human study found the two affect different sleep measures — GABA shortened sleep latency (time to fall asleep), while apocynum leaf extract increased non-REM sleep time — and suggested they work in a complementary way when combined.
5. Which dosage form suits apocynum leaf best?
Tablets and capsules are common at the low milligram doses used in Japanese notified products; drink and powder formats are also used for evening-routine products.
Sources: “The Improvement of Sleep by Oral Intake of GABA and Apocynum venetum Leaf Extract”, J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2015, PMID 26052150; “A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial to Assess the Effects of Apocynum venetum L. on Sleep and Stress in Those Expressing Feelings of Anxiety”, International Journal of Translational Medicine 2025, DOI 10.3390/ijtm5020023; Consumer Affairs Agency Foods with Function Claims notification database entries using apocynum leaf extract standardised for hyperoside and isoquercitrin. Checked on 25 September 2026.