Formulation:

Artichoke extract is often derived from the leaves of the artichoke plant, but it may also include or be derived from the head, whole plant, hearts, and bud. Most of the beneficial activity is believed to come from the phenolic compounds (96 mg of gallic acid equivalent per 100 grams of the raw plant) artichoke contains. Formulation approaches include juices, aqueous extractions, and dried extractions. As an extraction, it may be taken as powder, tablets, or capsules. Standardized extracts tend to mention a drug-to-extract ratio, but there is no clear optimal formulation.

Range of dosages studied:

Dosage varies by the indication and formulation used. The range of dosages used in human studies spans from 4.33 to 3,000 mg per day.

Effective Dosages:

Blood Lipids and Cardiovascular Health

Adults: Multiple formulations and dosages have shown some effectiveness in a variety of adult populations that include both people with diagnosed conditions (high cholesterol, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes) and individuals without any known health conditions. Formulations include whole plant and leaf extractions, frozen juice, powders, tablets, and capsules in ranges that span from 50 to 3,000 mg per day over 4–12 weeks in divided and singular administrations.

Liver Health

Adults: Multiple formulations and dosages have shown some effectiveness in adult populations, particularly in individuals with liver disease. Formulations include whole plant and leaf extractions, leaf juice, dry extracts, powders, and tablets in ranges that span from 50 to 2,700 mg per day over 4 to 32 weeks. The most effective dosage for improving enzyme levels indicative of liver damage appears to be less than 500 mg per day, taken over durations of 8 weeks or more.

Digestive Health

Adults: For adults with functional dyspepsia, a dose of 1,920 mg per day as a dried leaf extract (drug-to-extract ratio of 3.8:1 to 5.5:1) may be effective for symptom relief when taken over 6 weeks.

Other Considerations:

A wide range of dosages suggests that artichoke is bioactive in a variety of conditions, but there is no clear agreement on which is the optimal dosage. It is unclear whether artichoke extract needs to be taken alongside a meal or not.