Home Ingredients Dandelion Leaf (Taraxacum officinale)

Dandelion Leaf (Taraxacum officinale)

Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wigg., folium (Taraxaci folium)
Evidence Level
Preliminary
5 Clinical Trials
5 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Dandelion leaf is the leaf of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), collected before the plant flowers. Young leaves are eaten as a salad green, and the dried leaf is sold as a tea, liquid extract or capsule, mostly as a traditional herb for increasing urine flow. It is a different product from dandelion root, which has its own page. The European Medicines Agency's herbal committee accepts dandelion leaf as a traditional herbal medicine to increase urine output and flush the urinary tract in minor urinary complaints, with adequate fluid intake, based only on long-standing use; its assessors found no clinical studies. The only published human study of the leaf gave a fresh leaf extract to 17 volunteers for one day, with no control group. The leaf is rich in potassium, so Europe advises people with kidney failure, heart failure or diabetes to avoid it.

Studied Dose No controlled trial has confirmed an effective dose. The one human study used 8 mL of a fresh leaf ethanol extract three times in one day. Traditional use (EMA): 4 to 10 g dried leaf as tea or 4 to 10 mL liquid extract three times daily, or 5 to 10 mL fresh juice twice daily, for up to 2 weeks.
Active Compound No single active constituent is recognized. The leaf contains caffeic acid esters (chicoric, chlorogenic and monocaffeoyltartaric acids), flavonoid glycosides such as luteolin 7-glucoside, bitter sesquiterpene lactones (mainly taraxinic acid glucosyl ester) and a high potassium content, about 30 to 48 mg per gram of dried leaf in one field study cited by the EMA assessment report.

Benefits

Traditional use to increase urine flow and flush the urinary tract

Europe's herbal committee accepts dandelion leaf tea, liquid extract and fresh juice as a traditional herbal medicine to increase urine output and flush the urinary tract in minor urinary complaints, with adequate fluid intake. That acceptance rests only on long-standing use: its assessors found no clinical studies and said a well-established use could not be supported.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 5

Urination frequency over one day in a small volunteer study

In 17 volunteers who took 8 mL of a fresh leaf ethanol extract three times in one day, urination frequency rose in the 5 hours after the first dose and the ratio of urine volume to fluid intake rose after the second dose. The third dose changed nothing, and total daily urine volume did not change significantly. There was no control group or blinding, and volunteers recorded their own intake and output.

Supported by Trial 1

Urine and salt excretion in rats

In an older rat study summarized by Europe's assessors, water extracts of dandelion leaf given by stomach tube increased urine output more than root extracts did, with the strongest urine and salt excretion at a very high dose equal to 8 g of dried leaf per kg of body weight. Potassium excretion was especially high, which the assessors said may be due to the leaf's own potassium content.

Supported by Trial 5

Potassium supplied by the leaf and its tea

Dried dandelion leaf held about 30 to 48 mg of potassium per gram in one field study, and an infusion of 5 g of leaf in 200 mL of water contained 519 mg of potassium per liter. Europe's assessors calculated that the top traditional tea dose could supply up to about 3,100 mg of potassium a day, roughly two thirds of the US adult recommended intake at the time.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 5

Liver fat and liver enzyme markers in mice

In mice fed a high-fat diet, adding a dandelion leaf extract to the feed reduced fat build-up in the liver, body and liver weight, blood triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin and fasting glucose compared with the high-fat diet alone. In mice on a liver-damaging diet, the extract lowered ALT and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. No study has tested these outcomes in people.

Supported by Trial 3

Mechanism of action

1

Potassium load and salt excretion (proposed)

Europe's assessors suggest that any diuretic action of the leaf may be linked to its high potassium content, which is largely extracted into the tea. In rats, leaf extracts raised potassium excretion strongly. Whether ordinary tea amounts change urine output in people has not been shown in a controlled study.

2

Bitter sesquiterpene lactones

The leaf's bitter taste is linked mainly to taraxinic acid glucosyl ester and a related lactone. In lab work, the leaf extract and this compound activated Nrf2, a cell antioxidant switch, in human liver cells more strongly than a root extract did. Europe's assessors tie dandelion's allergy risk to the same class of compounds.

3

Bile flow in animals

Older animal studies summarized by Europe's assessors found that a leaf decoction raised bile output by up to 40% in rats when given into the small intestine, and doubled it for 30 minutes in dogs when injected. These were not oral studies in people. Europe lists blocked bile ducts and gallstones among the reasons not to use the leaf.

4

Drug-metabolizing liver enzymes in rats

Rats that drank a 2% dandelion tea for four weeks had lower activity of the liver enzymes CYP1A2 (15% of control) and CYP2E, and higher activity of the detoxifying enzyme UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (244% of control), while CYP2D and CYP3A were unchanged. Whether tea drinking does this in people is unknown.

Clinical trials

1
Fresh Dandelion Leaf Extract and Urination Over One Day (no control group)
PubMed

Single-group pilot study: volunteers recorded fluid intake and urine output for 2 baseline days, a dosing day with 8 mL of a fresh leaf hydroethanolic extract three times, and 24 hours after dosing; the extract was supplied at no cost by its maker. (Clare et al. 2009, J Altern Complement Med)

17 volunteers analyzed. The full text describes healthy women aged 18 to 65; 28 people enrolled and 11 did not finish, citing difficulty measuring fluid intake and output.

Urination frequency rose significantly (p < 0.05) in the 5 hours after the first dose, and the excretion ratio (urine volume to fluid intake) rose (p < 0.001) in the 5 hours after the second dose. The third dose failed to change any measure, and neither total daily fluid intake nor total daily urine volume differed significantly from the baseline day; the authors could not rule out a bladder-irritant effect. There was no placebo or control group and no blinding, and Europe's 2019 review noted self-monitoring and no correction for water in food. No adverse events were recorded.

2
Patch Testing With Asteraceae Herbal Teas, Including Dandelion, in Allergic Patients
PubMed

Patch-test study in which patients with a known contact allergy to sesquiterpene lactones were recalled and tested with water extracts of 8 Asteraceae herbal teas, parthenolide and other sesquiterpene lactones. (Lundh et al. 2006, Contact Dermatitis)

20 patients with a known contact allergy to sesquiterpene lactones, from a Swedish dermatology research group.

18 of the 20 patients had positive reactions to the Asteraceae teas, mainly to those based on German chamomile, dandelion and wormwood. This was a skin test, not a study of drinking the tea, but it shows that people with this allergy often react to dandelion tea extracts.

3
Dandelion Leaf Extract in High-Fat-Fed Mice (animal study)
PubMed

Mouse feeding study: C57BL/6 mice received normal chow, a high-fat diet, or the high-fat diet with dandelion leaf extract at 2 or 5 g per kg of feed. (Davaatseren et al. 2013, Food Chem Toxicol)

C57BL/6 mice; no human participants.

Compared with the high-fat diet alone, the extract reduced liver fat accumulation, body and liver weight, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, insulin, fasting glucose and HOMA-IR, and increased AMPK activation in liver and muscle. Not tested in people.

4
Dandelion Tea and Liver Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes in Rats (animal study)
PubMed

Rat study: female Wistar rats (5 per group) drank 2% dandelion, peppermint or chamomile tea, green tea extract, caffeine solution or water for four weeks before liver enzyme activity was measured. (Maliakal et al. 2001, J Pharm Pharmacol)

Female Wistar rats; no human participants.

Dandelion tea lowered CYP1A2 activity to 15% of control and CYP2E activity to 48% of control, and raised UDP-glucuronosyl transferase activity to 244% of control. CYP2D, CYP3A and glutathione S-transferase did not change. The relevance to people drinking dandelion tea is unknown.

5
Dandelion Leaf and Root Extracts and Urine Output in Rats (animal study)
PubMed

Laboratory-animal study of dandelion extracts on urine output and body weight; PubMed has no abstract, so the details here come from the EMA assessment report. (Rácz-Kotilla et al. 1974, Planta Med)

Male rats given extracts by stomach tube (50 mL per kg of body weight); no human participants.

Water extracts of the leaf raised urine output more than root extracts. The highest diuretic and salt-excretion indices came at a dose equal to 8 g of dried herb per kg of body weight, far above human traditional amounts. Potassium excretion was very high, which the EMA report links to the leaf's potassium content of about 4.25%.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Allergic reactions may occur, at unknown frequency. Do not use if you are allergic to dandelion or to other plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), such as chamomile or wormwood.
Europe advises people with kidney failure, heart failure or diabetes to avoid it because its potassium could raise blood potassium (hyperkalemia); the top traditional tea dose could supply about 3,100 mg of potassium a day.
Do not use with blocked bile ducts, bile duct inflammation (cholangitis), liver disease, gallstones, an active peptic ulcer or any other bile duct or gallbladder disease; Europe lists all of these as contraindications.
People with a contact allergy to sesquiterpene lactones often react to dandelion tea extracts on patch testing, and eating or drinking daisy-family plants has been suspected of causing body-wide skin flares in sensitized people, though that evidence is mostly anecdotal.
Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or for children under 12, because safety has not been established; genotoxicity has not been adequately tested, and reproductive toxicity and cancer risk have not been tested.
More frequent urination is expected, so drink enough fluid. See a doctor if fever, painful urination, cramps or blood in the urine appear, or if symptoms last longer than 2 weeks.

Important Drug interactions

Europe's herbal monograph reports no interactions; the points below are precautions from the EMA assessment report and animal work.
Medicines that can raise blood potassium, including ACE inhibitors, potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone, beta-blockers, NSAIDs, trimethoprim, heparin, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, ketoconazole, pentamidine and digitalis drugs: the EMA assessment report says dandelion leaf tea should be avoided with these because of its potassium load.
Lithium: the EMA assessment report notes a theoretical risk that diuretic herbs such as dandelion could cause dehydration and lithium toxicity; ask the prescriber first.
Drugs cleared by the liver enzyme CYP1A2 or by glucuronidation: in rats, four weeks of dandelion tea lowered CYP1A2 activity and raised UDP-glucuronosyl transferase activity; whether this happens in people is unknown.

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Frequently asked questions about Dandelion Leaf (Taraxacum officinale)

How is dandelion leaf different from dandelion root?

They are different parts of the same plant, sold as separate products. The leaf is the part Europe accepts as a traditional herb for increasing urine flow, and in rats leaf extracts raised urine output more than root extracts. In people, a fresh leaf extract increased how often volunteers urinated in an uncontrolled one-day study, without a significant change in total daily urine volume, while a controlled study of a root powder found no increase in urine output.

Does dandelion leaf tea get rid of water weight?

That has not been shown in a controlled human study. The only human study, with no control group, found more frequent urination for a few hours after the first dose of an extract and no change after the third, and total urine volume over the day did not rise significantly. Any extra urine is water, not fat, and Europe's traditional use requires drinking plenty of fluid alongside the tea.

Why does the potassium in dandelion leaf matter?

The leaf is high in potassium, and much of it passes into the tea. Europe's assessors estimated that the top traditional tea dose could supply about 3,100 mg of potassium a day. Healthy kidneys normally clear extra potassium quickly, but Europe's monograph advises people with kidney failure, heart failure or diabetes to avoid it, and its assessment report adds people taking medicines that raise potassium.

Has dandelion leaf been tested for body weight?

Not in a published human trial. A trial registered in Egypt compared 500 mg dandelion leaf extract capsules three times a day with the weight-loss drug orlistat in 120 women for 12 weeks; it is listed as completed in 2024, but no results have been posted or published. Lower body weight and liver fat have been reported only in mice fed a high-fat diet.

What is Dandelion Leaf?

Dandelion leaf is the leaf of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), collected before the plant flowers. Young leaves are eaten as a salad green, and the dried leaf is sold as a tea, liquid extract or capsule, mostly as a traditional herb for increasing urine flow.

What is Dandelion Leaf used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Dandelion Leaf under a health category. What the research covers: Europe's herbal committee accepts dandelion leaf tea, liquid extract and fresh juice as a traditional herbal medicine to increase urine output and flush the urinary tract in minor urinary complaints, with adequate fluid intake.

What is the recommended dosage of Dandelion Leaf?

No controlled trial has confirmed an effective dose. The one human study used 8 mL of a fresh leaf ethanol extract three times in one day. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Dandelion Leaf safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for Dandelion Leaf include: Allergic reactions may occur, at unknown frequency. Do not use if you are allergic to dandelion or to other plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), such as chamomile or wormwood. It may also interact with some medications. Dandelion Leaf is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Dandelion Leaf interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Europe's herbal monograph reports no interactions; the points below are precautions from the EMA assessment report and animal work. Medicines that can raise blood potassium, including ACE inhibitors, potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone, beta-blockers, NSAIDs, trime… If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Dandelion Leaf?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Dandelion Leaf as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 5 study summaries and 13 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(13 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Community herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wigg., folium. Final. European Medicines Agency. 2009;EMA/HMPC/579636/2008. Adopted 12 November 2009. Accessed October 2026..SourceUsed to support: Official EU regulatory monograph, not PubMed-indexed. Accepts dandelion leaf only as a traditional herbal medicine to increase urine output and flush the urinary tract as an adjuvant in minor urinary complaints, based exclusively on long-standing use, with adequate fluid intake. Doses: 4 to 10 g leaf as infusion or 4 to 10 mL liquid extract (1:1, 25% ethanol) three times daily, or 5 to 10 mL fresh juice twice daily; see a doctor if symptoms last over 2 weeks. Contraindicated in Asteraceae hypersensitivity, bile duct obstruction, cholangitis, liver disease, gallstones, active peptic ulcer and other biliary disease; avoid in renal failure, diabetes or heart failure because of possible hyperkalemia; not recommended under 12 or in pregnancy and lactation; allergic reactions of unknown frequency; no interactions reported.
  2. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Assessment report on Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wigg., folium. Final. European Medicines Agency. 2009;EMA/HMPC/579634/2008. Adopted 12 November 2009. Accessed October 2026..SourceUsed to support: Official EU assessment report, not PubMed-indexed. Lists leaf constituents and potassium content (30.37 to 47.73 mg/g in dried leaf; 519 mg/L in a 5 g per 200 mL infusion), estimates up to about 3,114 mg potassium a day at the top tea dose, summarizes rat diuretic and animal bile-flow studies, ties anaphylaxis and contact dermatitis risk to sesquiterpene lactones, advises avoiding the tea with potassium-raising drugs, notes a theoretical lithium risk, and states that no clinical studies were found, so only traditional use can be supported.
  3. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Addendum to assessment report on Taraxacum officinale Weber ex Wigg., folium. European Medicines Agency. 2019;EMA/HMPC/514842/2019. Adopted 20 November 2019. Accessed October 2026..SourceUsed to support: Official EU periodic review, not PubMed-indexed. Found 17 relevant new references from 2009 to 2019, mostly constituent and lab or animal studies plus one efficacy study in 17 volunteers, whose limits included no blinding, a small sample, self-monitoring of fluid intake and output and no correction for water in food. Concluded that no revision of the monograph was needed and found no new safety references.
  4. Clare BA, Conroy RS, Spelman K. The diuretic effect in human subjects of an extract of Taraxacum officinale folium over a single day. J Altern Complement Med. 2009;15(8):929-34. doi: 10.1089/acm.2008.0152.PubMedUsed to support: Uncontrolled pilot study in 17 volunteers taking 8 mL of fresh dandelion leaf hydroethanolic extract three times in one day: urination frequency rose after the first dose and the excretion ratio after the second, while the third dose changed nothing. No placebo or control group; the extract was donated by its maker.
  5. Rácz-Kotilla E, Rácz G, Solomon A. The action of Taraxacum officinale extracts on the body weight and diuresis of laboratory animals. Planta Med. 1974;26(3):212-7. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1099379.PubMedUsed to support: Animal evidence only; PubMed has no abstract, and the details used here are as summarized in the EMA assessment report: leaf water extracts given to rats raised urine output more than root extracts, with the highest diuretic and salt-excretion indices at a dose equal to 8 g dried herb per kg, and very high potassium excretion linked to the leaf's potassium content.
  6. Davaatseren M, Hur HJ, Yang HJ, Hwang JT, Park JH, Kim HJ, Kim MJ, Kwon DY, Sung MJ. Taraxacum official (dandelion) leaf extract alleviates high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver. Food Chem Toxicol. 2013;58:30-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.04.023.PubMedUsed to support: Animal evidence only: in high-fat-fed mice, dandelion leaf extract at 2 or 5 g per kg of feed reduced liver fat, body and liver weight, serum triglycerides, cholesterol, insulin, fasting glucose and HOMA-IR, and increased AMPK activation.
  7. Davaatseren M, Hur HJ, Yang HJ, Hwang JT, Park JH, Kim HJ, Kim MS, Kim MJ, Kwon DY, Sung MJ. Dandelion leaf extract protects against liver injury induced by methionine- and choline-deficient diet in mice. J Med Food. 2013;16(1):26-33. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2012.2226.PubMedUsed to support: Animal evidence only: in mice on a methionine- and choline-deficient diet, dandelion leaf extract at 200 or 500 mg/kg daily lowered serum ALT, liver triglycerides, malondialdehyde, TNF-α and IL-6 and raised reduced glutathione.
  8. Maliakal PP, Wanwimolruk S. Effect of herbal teas on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2001;53(10):1323-9. doi: 10.1211/0022357011777819.PubMedUsed to support: Animal evidence only: four weeks of 2% dandelion tea in rats lowered liver CYP1A2 activity to 15% and CYP2E to 48% of control and raised UDP-glucuronosyl transferase to 244% of control, with no change in CYP2D, CYP3A or glutathione S-transferase.
  9. Lundh K, Hindsén M, Gruvberger B, Möller H, Svensson A, Bruze M. Contact allergy to herbal teas derived from Asteraceae plants. Contact Dermatitis. 2006;54(4):196-201. doi: 10.1111/j.0105-1873.2006.00709.x.PubMedUsed to support: Patch testing in 20 patients with sesquiterpene lactone contact allergy: 18 reacted to water extracts of Asteraceae herbal teas, mainly German chamomile, dandelion and wormwood.
  10. Paulsen E. Systemic allergic dermatitis caused by sesquiterpene lactones. Contact Dermatitis. 2017;76(1):1-10. doi: 10.1111/cod.12671.PubMedUsed to support: Review: evidence that eating Compositae (daisy-family) plants causes body-wide allergic dermatitis in sensitized people is mostly anecdotal, though a few clinical reports and oral challenges confirm it can happen; dandelion is listed among the species suspected of causing such reactions.
  11. Esatbeyoglu T, Obermair B, Dorn T, Siems K, Rimbach G, Birringer M. Sesquiterpene Lactone Composition and Cellular Nrf2 Induction of Taraxacum officinale Leaves and Roots and Taraxinic Acid β-d-Glucopyranosyl Ester. J Med Food. 2017;20(1):71-78. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2016.0105.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study: taraxinic acid β-d-glucopyranosyl ester is the main sesquiterpene lactone of the leaf extract; the leaf extract and this compound activated Nrf2 in human liver cells more strongly than root extract, and the leaf extract induced heme oxygenase 1.
  12. Gavin J, Caulfield C, Egan B. Co-Ingestion of a Commercially Available Dandelion Root Powder Elicited No Additional Diuretic Effect Over 4 Hr Compared to Ingestion of Water Alone in Physically Active Young Adults. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2026;36(5):523-531. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2026-0001.PubMedUsed to support: Open-label crossover in 14 active young adults: about 2.1 g of a commercial dandelion root powder taken with 1 L of water did not raise 4-hour urine output compared with water alone (p = 0.13). A root product, cited here to contrast with the leaf data.
  13. October 6 University (sponsor); ClinicalTrials.gov. Anti-obesity Effects of Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale L.) in Premenopausal Obese Women: Impacts on Appetite, Energy Intake and Lipid Metabolism (NCT06625736). ClinicalTrials.gov. 2024;NCT06625736. First posted 3 October 2024; last updated 3 October 2024. Accessed October 2026..SourceUsed to support: Trial registry record, not PubMed-indexed. A randomized trial in Egypt in 120 women aged 18 to 45 comparing 500 mg dandelion leaf extract capsules three times daily with orlistat 120 mg three times daily for 12 weeks, with body weight and fat mass as primary outcomes. Listed as completed in September 2024, with no results posted; no matching publication was found in PubMed in October 2026.