Written from the studies on PubMed, searched on 13 Nov 2026. Every number below comes from a study listed under Sources. One source is a study that is not on PubMed; it is marked under Sources.
The claim
Posts online say that eggplant peel extract helps with melanoma.
Where research stands
We found no study on this claim in PubMed, and no trial of it that is still running in the trial registers we search.
We searched PubMed for eggplant peel extract, aubergine peel extract, eggplant extract, Solanum melongena peel extract, Solanum melongena extract, aubergine extract together with melanoma.
We know of 1 study on it that is not on PubMed. What it found is below.
What the studies found
One lab study tested an extract of aubergine (eggplant) skin. It was published in 2013 in a journal that PubMed does not list. [1] The researchers put the extract on human melanoma cells and on normal human skin cells, grown in dishes, for 48 hours. [1] It killed more of the melanoma cells than of the normal skin cells, and it was more selective in this than four cancer drugs tested on the same cells. [1] An extract of the fruit without its skin worked less well. [1] The study did not test the extract in animals or in people. [1]
Verdict
It has only been tested on cells in a lab dish, in one study. There is no study of it in animals or in people with melanoma. [1]
Unproven means: it was only tested in animals or cells, or there is too little or mixed data from people. How we rate claims
What this means for you: Results in animals or in cells often do not hold in people. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- Dichloroacetate, 2-Deoxyglucose and a Hydroalcoholic Extract from the Skin of the Fruit of Solanum melongena (Aubergine) Induce Selective Anticancer Activity against Melanoma Cells2013 · WebmedCentral CANCER 4(7):WMC004326 · In the lab · Not on PubMed
