Active Ingredient Dandelion (taraxacum Officinale)

a plant genus of the family asteraceae. members contain chicoric and chlorogenic acids and germacrane- and eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes.

Source:

medlineplus herbs and supplements: dandelion (taraxacum officinale)

Medical Condition	Uses based on scientific evidence	Grade*
diabetes mellitus without mention of complication	there is limited research on the effects of dandelion on blood sugar levels in animals. effects in humans are not known.	c
mechanical complication of other specified prosthetic device implant and graft	research in laboratory animals suggests that dandelion root may possess anti-inflammatory properties. there is a lack of well-conducted human studies currently available in this area.	c
neoplasms	limited animal research does not provide a clear assessment of the effects of dandelion on tumor growth. there is a lack of well-conducted human studies currently available in this area.	c
other and unspecified noninfectious gastroenteritis and colitis	there is a report with several patients that suggests that a combination herbal preparation containing dandelion improved chronic pain associated with colitis. because multiple herbs were used, and this study was not well-designed or reported, the effects of dandelion are not clear.	c
other nonspecific findings on examination of urine	dandelion leaves have traditionally been used to increase urine production and excretion. animal studies report mixed results, and there is a lack of reliable human research in this area.	c
viral hepatitis b with hepatic coma	one human study reports improved liver function in people with hepatitis b after taking a combination herbal preparation containing dandelion root, called jiedu yanggan gao (also including artemisia capillaris, taraxacum mongolicum, plantago seed, cephalanoplos segetum, hedyotis diffusa, flos chrysanthemi indici, smilax glabra, astragalus membranaceus, salviae miltiorrhizae, fructus polygonii orientalis, radix paeoniae alba, and polygonatum sibiricum ).	c

*Key to grades
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;
B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.