© Frank Liebig · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Commons
Artichoke
CautionArtischocke · (Cynara scolymus)
Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Description
What reaches the plate is a flower head that has not yet opened: the fleshy bracts and the base of the artichoke are cut before the violet bloom unfolds. The thistle-like perennial grows over a metre tall and comes from the Mediterranean. Medicinally, however, it is not the bud that is used but the large, grey-green leaf. It contains the sesquiterpene lactone cynaropicrin, responsible for its pronounced bitterness, along with caffeoylquinic acids such as chlorogenic acid and cynarin, plus flavonoids. Leaf preparations are traditionally taken for fullness, bloating and sluggish digestion, especially after rich food: the bitter compounds stimulate bile flow and gastric juice. Before such use, gallstones and any obstruction of the bile ducts should be ruled out by a doctor, since the stimulated bile flow can otherwise trigger colic.
CONTRAINDICATED during pregnancy
Artichoke leaf preparations not recommended in pregnancy due to lack of safety data (EMA). Choleretic effect theoretically unfavourable.
CONTRAINDICATED during breastfeeding
Not recommended in lactation due to lack of data.
CONTRAINDICATED for children
Per EMA monograph only for adults and adolescents from 12 years. Not for children under 12.
Traditional use for dyspeptic complaints: fullness, flatulence, nausea and slow digestion — especially after fatty or rich meals. Cynaropicrin stimulates bile flow and gastric juice production; caffeoylquinic acids act choleretically and hepatoprotectively.
Preparation & dosage
FINISHED PREPARATION — TINCTURE or DRY EXTRACT (recommended form; standardised content ensures efficacy): Use standardised artichoke finished medicinal products per package leaflet. Tincture (1:5, ethanol 25 %): typically 1–3 ml in water 3× daily 15–30 min before meals. Dry extract (DEV 25–35:1): typically 320–640 mg per dose, 2–3× daily. The bitter taste stimulates saliva and bile flow already via oral mucosa — take just before eating.
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 2 weeks
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 12 years — Per EMA monograph for adults and adolescents from 12 years.
Bitter tea to stimulate digestion and bile flow for fullness and flatulence. Less widely used in practice than tinctures and capsules due to intense bitter taste.
Preparation & dosage
HOT INFUSION (very bitter — tincture/dry extract preferred in practice): 1.5–2 g finely cut artichoke leaves, pour 150–200 ml boiling water, cover, steep 10 min, strain. 2–3× daily 30 min before meals. Do not sweeten — the bitterness IS the mechanism of action (activation of bitter receptors).
- Dry amount
- 1.5–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 2 weeks
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 12 years — From 12 years.
Sources: [1]
Traditional folk medicinal use of artichoke leaves as a hepatoprotective. Caffeoylquinic acids (chlorogenic acid, cynarin) protect hepatocyte membranes from oxidative damage. Modern research confirms hepatoprotective action in animal models; clinical data in humans are limited.
Preparation & dosage
DRY EXTRACT as hepatoprotective: Use standardised finished preparations per package leaflet. Typically 320–640 mg dry extract 2–3× daily for 4–8 weeks for liver-support indication. Medical supervision recommended for liver disease.
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 8 weeks
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 18 years — For hepatoprotective indication adults only.
Use investigated in individual controlled trials for supportive lowering of mildly elevated cholesterol. Luteolin inhibits HMG-CoA reductase (cholesterol biosynthesis) in vitro. Effect is mild and not a replacement for statins.
Preparation & dosage
STANDARDISED DRY EXTRACT for supportive cholesterol lowering: typical daily dose 600–1920 mg (320–640 mg per dose, 2–3× daily) for 6–12 weeks. NOTE: This indication is NOT EMA-recognised as traditional use — based on individual RCTs. Rule out gallstones first, monitor cholesterol values medically. Not a replacement for statin therapy.
- Dry amount
- 0.6–1.92 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 12 weeks
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 18 years — Adults from 18 years only.
Freshly harvested artichoke flower buds eaten raw: flower bottoms and bract bases as raw food in small amounts. Inulin in flower bottoms and stalks (10–30 % dry weight) acts prebiotically, supporting growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Used in folk medicine as a digestive and mild detoxifying aid.
Traditionally drunk in Vietnam and Romania as a health tea ('Ceai de Anghinare') with bile-stimulating and digestive effects. Mild bitter taste and lower extract content make it suitable for everyday use.
Preparation & dosage
ARTICHOKE TEA FROM DRIED LEAVES — FOLK MEDICINE VIETNAM / ROMANIA: 1–2 g dried artichoke leaves with 200 ml hot water, steep 5 min, strain. 1–2 cups daily after meals. Milder and better tolerated than European bitter concentrates — commonly used as everyday health tea in Vietnamese cuisine.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 2×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Rule out gallstones and bile duct obstruction medically before use — artichoke stimulates bile flow and can trigger biliary colic in gallstone patients. Consult a doctor immediately for complaints lasting more than 2 weeks, suspected jaundice (yellow skin/eyes), severe abdominal pain or fever. Known Asteraceae allergy increases risk of cross-reaction. Pregnancy, lactation and children under 12: do not use.
⏱ Max continuous use: 2 weeks
Artichoke leaf preparations not recommended in pregnancy due to lack of safety data (EMA). Choleretic effect theoretically unfavourable.
Not recommended in lactation due to lack of data.
Per EMA monograph only for adults and adolescents from 12 years. Not for children under 12.
Drug interactions
Arzneimittel mit biliärer Elimination
Choleretic properties may theoretically affect elimination of bile-excreted drugs. Medical consultation recommended with ongoing medication of bile-excreted substances.
Antidiabetika (Insulin, orale Antidiabetika)
Inulin from artichoke may marginally affect blood sugar. Blood glucose monitoring recommended in intensive antidiabetic therapy.
Contraindications
- Bile duct obstruction (cholestasis) — artichoke stimulates bile flow, can worsen obstruction.
- Gallstones (cholelithiasis) — only with medical advice.
- Liver disease with impaired liver function — only under medical supervision.
- Hypersensitivity to artichoke or other Asteraceae: mugwort, ragweed, chamomile, calendula.
- Pregnancy, lactation, children and adolescents under 12 years.
Harvested part: leaves (before flowering)
- Time of day:
- Dry morning after dew has dried, before midday heat. IMPORTANT: Harvest basal leaves BEFORE flowering — bitter compound (cynaropicrin) content is highest then. First harvest possible in 2nd year.
- Drying:
- Pick large healthy basal leaves (NOT the culinary flower buds!). Remove midrib (hard rib slows drying). Cut into 1–2 cm strips, dry in single layer in shade at max. 40 °C — higher temperatures volatilise cynaropicrin. Leaves are dry when they rustle and break.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Airtight, light-protected, dry. Use within 12 months — bitter compound content decreases over time.
- Time of day:
- Harvest flower buds for food/inulin use when fully developed, just before opening (maximum inulin content). Morning after dew has dried.
- Drying:
- FRESH USE as vegetable — no drying necessary. Flower bottoms and bract bases can be consumed fresh (raw in small amounts or steamed/cooked).
- Storage:
- 1 months — Fresh flower buds in refrigerator 1–2 weeks. Do not freeze without preparation.
- Cynaropikrin (Sesquiterpenlacton)BitterContent: ~2–4 %Leaf
Main bitter compound and key choleretic active. Guajanolide-type sesquiterpene lactone; responsible for the intensely bitter taste. Activates bitter receptors (TAS2R) in mouth and GI tract, stimulating bile and gastric juice secretion. More heat-labile than caffeoylquinic acids — fresh leaves have higher content.
- Caffeoylchinasäuren (Chlorogensäure, Cynarin, Dicaffeoylchinasäuren)Phenolic acidContent: ~2–4 %Leaf
Phenolic acids with choleretic, hepatoprotective and antioxidant action. Chlorogenic acid dominant; cynarin (1,3-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid) is now partly considered an extraction artefact — formed by esterification during processing. Inhibition of lipid peroxidation in hepatocyte membranes demonstrated in vitro.
- Flavonoide (Luteolin-7-glucosid / Cynarosid, Scolymosid, Apigenin-Glykoside)FlavonoidContent: ~0,1–1 %Leaf
Luteolin glycosides (cynaroside = luteolin-7-glucoside, scolymoside = luteolin-7-rutinoside) dominant. Luteolin inhibits HMG-CoA reductase (cholesterol biosynthesis) in vitro and has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties. Contribution to cholesterol-lowering effect of artichoke extracts.
- Sesquiterpene (Cynaratriol, weitere Guajanolide)SesquiterpeneLeaf
Further bitter sesquiterpene lactones besides cynaropicrin; contribute to the overall bitter compound profile. Cynaratriol is a degradation product of cynaropicrin.
- Inulin (Fructan-Typ-Polysaccharid)PolysaccharideContent: 10–30 %Root
Especially in roots and flower bottoms. Inulin is a prebiotic dietary fibre (β(2→1)-linked fructan chains) that selectively promotes Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the colon. Inulin contributes to the nutritive properties of artichoke; not relevant for EMA indications (leaf extract).
- Phytosterole (Taraxasterol, Spinasterol)OtherLeaf
Triterpenes and phytosterols in the leaf, including taraxasterol. Contribute to the overall antioxidant profile; not dominant pharmacologically at standard dosing.
- Ätherisches Öl (Spuren, u. a. β-Caryophyllen, Caryophyllenoxid)Essential oilContent: <0,1 %Leaf
Only traces of essential oil in the leaf; sesquiterpenes dominant. No therapeutic contribution at standard dosing.
- [1]MonographEMA/HMPC/194013/2017 — European Union herbal monograph on Cynara cardunculus L. (syn. Cynara scolymus L.), folium (Final)(accessed: 2026-05-18)
- [4]MonographMehmetoglu et al. (2025) — Protective effect of artichoke leaf and receptaculum extracts against hepatic encephalopathy in bile duct ligated rats. Metabolic Brain Disease. doi:10.1007/s11011-025-01701-y(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [5]MonographRondanelli et al. (2024) — Functional and Therapeutic Potential of Cynara scolymus in Health Benefits. PMC10974306(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [2]WikipediaArtischocke (Wikipedia DE)(accessed: 2026-05-21)
- [3]WikipediaArtichoke (Wikipedia EN)(accessed: 2026-05-21)