Cynara scolytnus L. (Compositae), commonly called the Globe Artichoke, Artichoke and Cynara; in French, Artichaut; in German, Artischocke and Artischockenblätter.
* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Name
Cynara scolytnus L. (Compositae), commonly called the Globe Artichoke, Artichoke and Cynara; in French, Artichaut; in German, Artischocke and Artischockenblätter.
Source
Artichokes originally came from the Mediterranean, but are now grown in Europe and America. The artichoke is a member of the family Compositae, along with other common herbal remedies such as árnica, German chamomile, feverfew, tansy, and yarrow.
History
Dried powdered artichoke, containing fragments of the leaves, has traditionally been used to treat liver disease. Herbalists classify artichoke (along with boldo leaf and fumitory, chicory, thistle, and mugwort) as a "cholagogue," substances that can make the gallbladder contract and release bile. The human body produces hormones capable of doing just that, but it is not clear whether any of the herbal products recommended as "cholagogues" really have that ability. Extracts of the powdered plant contain large amounts of tannin and numerous enzymes. In the past, extracts of artichoke were used to curdle milk for cheese-making.
Traditional Claims
During the 17th and 18th centuries, right side abdominal discomfort, for whatever cause, was usually blamed on a defective gallbladder. Thus the interest in "cholagogues" substances to promote bile flow and normalize gallbladder function.
Commission E Recommendations
Artichoke is used to treat dyspepsia (upset stomach).
Proven Effects
Many of the traditional claims may well be true. Liver cells grown in test tubes and exposed to carbon tetracfrloride (a cleaning fluid that causes liver damage in humans) quickly die, but two of the organic acids contained in artichokes, caffeic and quinic acids, prevent damage from occurring. The flavonoids and polyphenols contained in artichoke leaves are potent antioxidants, and are being investigated as water-soluble protectors against lipid peroxidation and other free radical-mediated cell injury. Claims about the ability to increase bile flow may also be true. When artichoke extract was introduced directly into the gallbladder of patients suspected of having gallbladder disease (via a tube passed through the intestines), compared to placebo, there was a very significant increase in bile flow.
Other alleged actions, including artichoke's effectiveness as a diuretic, have been harder to prove, and the therapeutic value of frequently used lipid-lowering agents, such as the essential phospholipids (EPL), pyridoxal-phosphate (PP) and cynarin are still a matter of debate. Clinical trials with EPL, PP and cynarin in patients with high cholesterol have yielded inconclusive results, but in the test tube, at least, cynarin has impressive antioxidant and hepatoprotective actions.
Dosage
The typical dose for extracts and tinctures is 300 to 1,200 milligrams per day. When whole powdered artichoke is being used, the dose may range from 1.5 to 6 grams per day.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Concerns
Artichoke-based products seem to be very safe. The only cause for concern might be the presence of an, as yet unidentified, component that has adverse effects on platelets and blood clotting. When 62 volunteers took an artichoke extract for two years, the ability of their platelets to aggregate (the first phase of the clotting process), was reduced by 51 percent. It is difficult, to say whether such a reduction could become clinically important, but patients who have already been diagnosed with any bleeding disorder, or those taking anticoagulants, should probably not take artichoke supplements.
Warnings
None, except for the above noted patients with blood clotting disorders.
Drug Testing
None of the chemicals found in artichoke should interfere with standard workplace urine drug screening tests.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
