Can dandelion tea have an impact on cancer cells?

Dandelions have drawn a lot of interest lately and have been traditionally used to treat a variety of illnesses. The Asteraceae family plant Taraxacum officinale, contains significant concentrations of L-chicoric acid and flavonoid chemicals, which have strong anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties, are present in all dandelion organs, including the roots, leaves, and flowers. In Asia, Europe, and North America, dandelion is used as traditional folk medicine to treat a variety of illnesses.

According to empirical research, dandelion extract has potent anti-metastasis properties on cancer cells, including glioblastoma cells, and can both stop the growth and kill cancer cells. Dandelion has been demonstrated to have a strong anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effect on not only breast cancer cells but also stomach cancer cells.

What does the study say?

Along with retinoic acid, several studies have demonstrated the potential anticancer effects of polyphenolic chemicals found in plant extracts. Moreover, curcumin, quercetin, and polyphenol are examples of other naturally occurring substances that prevent tumor metastases. In recent years, a lot of research has been done on dandelion extracts' potential antidepressant and anti-inflammatory properties. An aqueous dandelion root extract (DRE) has been shown to have anti-cancer potential in various cancer cell models by recent study from the National Library of Medicine using in-vitro systems, with no harm to non-cancer cells. The in-vitro investigations demonstrated that DRE caused cancer cells to undergo selective apoptosis, allowing for the separation of malignant cells from non-cancerous cells.

Although certain anti-cancer benefits have been demonstrated in laboratory research on mice's cells and on cells that are not part of living organisms, these findings have not been confirmed in people. In laboratory experiments, it demonstrated more cancer cell death and decreased tumor development in mice administered the extract. Crucially, though, the extract was not tested on humans in this study.



According to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center website, "Dandelion has not been shown to treat or prevent cancer." Additionally, it warns that dandelions may actually accelerate the formation of some hormone-sensitive malignancies due to their influence on the activity of the hormone oestrogen.

Is dandelion root a proven cure for cancer?

A previous case report of a 70-year-old man with acute myelomonocytic leukemia resistant to chemotherapy and who "responded" to dandelion root tea was published by the trial's principal investigator, Caroline Hamm, MD. The man's complete blood count (a blood test that measures levels of blood cells that can be harmed by cancer or cancer treatment) normalized after about two years, suggesting that the tea was effective. As long as he drank at least three cups of dandelion root tea every day, the patient apparently stayed in remission two years later (i.e., four years following diagnosis). There have been three further reports of patients with blood malignancies taking the tea; nevertheless, in two of these cases, there was a death or relapse. In 2017, dandelion root was cited by Dr. Hamm as something that people should never pursue in lieu of conventional cancer therapy but as a means of prevention only.