[Efficacy of Artichoke] Western Blossom? 3 Benefits of Artichokes

[Efficacy of Artichoke] Western Blossom? 3 Benefits of Artichokes

Artichoke, the efficacy confirmed in human application tests is as follows
Artichoke Benefits
1. Functional indigestion improvement
2. Liver health · Blood triglyceride · Cholesterol improvement
3. Improvement of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients

Hello. This is pharmacist Jinny.

I'm not a big fan of consuming natural foods for health care, but I also don't believe that foods that have been used for medicinal purposes all over the world for a long time are ineffective. It is not recommended because it is difficult to quantify the active ingredient when consumed as a natural food, so there is a risk of under- or over-consumption, and other ingredients contained in the food are also consumed together.

However , looking at all the ingredients, there are foods that are recommended to be consumed as natural foods. The representative food is artichoke. Artichoke , which is known in the West and is loved by many in Korea, is a low-calorie food of about 50 kcal per 100 g, has a low sugar content , and contains 10 types of vitamins and 8 types of minerals [1] None.

In addition, artichokes are rich in dietary fiber and contain bioactive substances such as chlorogenic acid, cinarine, and apigenin [2], which is why they are in the spotlight as a superfood. Furthermore, in Europe and Australia, quantified artichoke in the form of tablets or capsules is used as an adjuvant treatment for digestive disorders, biliary tract diseases, and lipid metabolism improvement [3]. 

Today, let's take a look at the results of academic studies on the benefits of eating artichokes, as to what kind of research results are still being used today as well as for medicinal purposes.

[1] USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Release 1 April, 2018, Full Report (All Nutrients) 11007, Artichokes, (globe or french), Raw 

[2] Wang, M., Simon, JE, Aviles, IF, He, K., Zheng, QY, & Tadmor, Y. (2003). Analysis of antioxidative phenolic compounds in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.). Journal of agricultural and Food Chemistry, 51(3), 601-608.

[3] Mahboubi, M. (2018). Cynara scolymus (artichoke) and its efficacy in management of obesity. Bulletin of faculty of pharmacy, Cairo University, 56(2), 115-120.
1. Improvement of functional indigestion

In general, artichoke is known to aid digestion by promoting the secretion of bile . It is widely used , and its range of use includes typical symptoms of indigestion such as satiety, nausea, and flatulence. 


The benefits of artichokes were already proven in 2003 in a scientifically designed double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Holtmann and the researchers reported that in a human application study on 244 patients with functional dyspepsia (dyspepsia that occurred without any special abnormalities in the digestive system) , it was confirmed that the ingestion of artichoke improved the feeling of satiety and bloating and the improvement of the quality of life. are doing
"In the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia, artichoke leaf extract showed significantly better results than placebo . The therapeutic effect was not limited to symptom improvement, but also significantly affected the quality of life following the disease. Therefore, artichoke leaf extract The supplementation of chemotherapy may be an effective treatment for patients with functional dyspepsia. ”
References :  Holtmann, G., Adam, B., Haag, S., Collet, W., Grünewald, E., & Windeck, T. (2003). Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia: a six - week placebo - controlled, double - blind, multicentre trial. Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 18(11 ‐ 12), 1099-1105.
2. Improvement of liver health, blood triglycerides, and cholesterol

I mentioned earlier that artichoke stimulates the secretion of bile . Bile is synthesized from cholesterol in the liver and secreted into the small intestine through the bile duct, and it not only helps the absorption and breakdown of fat, but also stimulates insulin secretion to promote metabolism. However , if the secretion of bile is not smooth, bile accumulates in the liver cells and threatens the health of the liver.


Because of this, there has been tentative academic speculation that artichokes may also benefit liver health. Rangboo and researchers (2016) conducted a human application test on 60 non-alcoholic fatty liver patients to verify this hypothesis. Improvements in cholesterol levels are reported.
"There was an improvement in liver enzymes in the artichoke group. Blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in the artichoke group compared to the control group. ...This study investigated the potential of artichoke in patients with fatty liver. It suggests an effect on hepatoprotective activity and improvement of hyperlipidemia. ”
Reference papers: Rangboo, V., Noroozi, M., Zavoshy, R., Rezadoost, SA, & Mohammadpoorasl, A. (2016). The effect of artichoke leaf extract on alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in the patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. International journal of hepatology, 2016.
3. Improvement of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients

As explained in the introduction, artichokes are rich in vitamins and minerals, bioactive phenolic compounds such as chlorogenic acid, cynarin, and apigenin, and dietary fiber . Each of these ingredients has been deduced to be widely beneficial in antioxidants, liver protection, blood sugar suppression, and metabolic syndrome prevention. Also, many of the benefits have been proven, as just mentioned.


Academic research is now directed towards whether artichokes may also help improve blood pressure. In 2021, Moradi and researchers reported to the academic community the results of a comprehensive analysis of a total of 8 human trials involving 552 subjects. It shows that this has been confirmed.
"When hypertensive patients were given artichoke, there was a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure."
Reference paper :  Mahboubi, M. (2018). Cynara scolymus (artichoke) and its efficacy in management of obesity. Bulletin of faculty of pharmacy, Cairo University, 56(2), 115-120.

Today, we reviewed the results of academic research on artichoke, a superfood that can be consumed as a natural food or in the form of quantified capsules or tablets. Considering the nutrients contained in artichokes and research results comprehensively, I thought that it is a food that healthy people can consume on a daily basis, but it is a food that has significant benefits when consumed by adults with high risk of adult diseases or metabolic syndrome . 

However, in a human application test, artichoke improved satiety (early fullness) and bloating, but had no effect on epigastric pain or nausea. Turns out it didn't work. Therefore, please use it according to your own health condition.

I hope you have a healthy body and mind. More than that, it was Jinny.
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