Artichoke Leaf

Cynara scolymus · Cynara cardunculus · Artichoke leaf extract

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Dyspepsia symptoms¹ Blood cholesterol^{2, 3} Elevated triglycerides^{2, 3} Liver enzymes in fatty liver⁴ Hepatic steatosis⁵ Blood pressure^6–8 Glycemic markers^{6, 9}	Bile duct obstruction¹⁰ Gallstones¹ Asteraceae family allergy¹

Artichoke leaf (Cynara scolymus, Cynara cardunculus) is the leaf of the globe artichoke, prepared as extracts, powders, and infusions for herbal use, while the flower heads are eaten as food¹¹. Uses follow from that: dyspepsia with fullness, bloating, and flatulence, which the European Medicines Agency recognizes as a traditional use¹; blood lipids; and liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

A meta-analysis of randomized trials reports lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, with no significant change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol². In NAFLD, pooled trials show lower alanine and aspartate aminotransferase^{4, 12}. Dyspepsia support rests on an open-label study and a ginger-combination trial, both reporting symptom improvement^{13, 14}. A 2025 structured review of digestive food supplements, artichoke products among them, found most label claims rested on traditional use rather than robust clinical substantiation. Products listing artichoke leaf are sold mainly as capsules and liquid extracts; see Form comparison.

The bile-flow effect underlies the main contraindication: the European Medicines Agency monograph excludes bile duct obstruction and gallstones¹. Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or with gallstones¹⁰.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

54 sources, 43 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources