Pu Gong Ying
StarTaraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.
Traditionally used for
- Eye health
- Digestion
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity; Disperses Swelling and Dissipates Nodules; Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria; Clears Liver Heat and Brightens the Eyes
Traditional Chinese Uses
Pu Gong Ying (dandelion herb) is a bitter, cold herb used in Chinese medicine to clear Heat toxin and reduce inflammatory swellings. It is one of the most versatile and commonly used Heat-clearing herbs, applied for mastitis and breast abscesses, pulmonary infections, urinary tract infections, and general skin infections from Heat toxin accumulation. Its additional Stomach-soothing quality makes it gentle on the digestive system compared to other intense Heat-clearing herbs, and it is widely consumed as a medicinal tea and culinary green throughout China.
Western Herbalism Properties
Pharmacological Effects
- Antimicrobial: Decoction and aqueous extract strongly inhibited S. aureus, hemolytic streptococcus and Neisseria catarrhalis (MIC 1:10-1:640 for several others); synergized with trimethoprim; decoction/ethanolic extract inhibited or killed leptospira in vitro.
- Immunostimulating: Decoction increased human lymphoblast transformation in vitro.
- Choleretic and hepatoprotective: Intraduodenal injection or extract increased bile secretion >40% in rats (also after cholecystectomy); i.m. injection for 7 days lowered SGPT and fatty degeneration in rats.
- Other: Low concentrations stimulated and high concentrations inhibited isolated frog heart; decoction increased tone of isolated rabbit duodenum.
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 180.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Taraxacum mongolicum, the Mongolian dandelion or Pu Gong Ying, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae, native to northern and central China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia and adjacent parts of Russia, where it grows in meadows, roadside grasslands, field margins and waste ground. The plant has a thick, fleshy, often branched taproot 5 to 15 cm long that exudes white latex on cutting. The leaves form a basal rosette flat on the ground, are oblanceolate in outline, 4 to 20 cm long, and are deeply pinnatifid into backward-pointing triangular lobes with a large terminal segment; the surfaces vary from glabrous to sparsely cobwebby-hairy. Each scape is hollow, leafless and 10 to 25 cm tall, bearing a single solitary capitulum. The flowerhead is 2.5 to 4 cm across with bright yellow ligulate florets only and an involucre of two to three rows of green, often dark-tipped bracts, the outer ones recurved at maturity. The fruit is a pale-brown achene topped by a long white pappus, forming the familiar globular seed head.
Active Constituents
Chicoric acid (cichoric acid)
Dicaffeoyltartaric acid (hydroxycinnamic acid ester)Concentration: the assay marker for Taraxaci Herba in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, which requires not less than 0.45% of the dried herb
The compound on which the official quality standard for this drug rests, determined by HPLC at 327 nm. In an affinity-screening study it bound immobilised bacterial lipopolysaccharide with an apparent KD of 2.63 x 10-8 M, yet inhibited growth of Escherichia coli and Shigella only at 1024 µg/mL, so its contribution is better described as endotoxin-binding and anti-inflammatory than as directly antibacterial. Extraction is reduced by brewing in mineral-rich tap water rather than purified water.
Chlorogenic acid
Caffeoylquinic acidConcentration: a major phenolic acid of the herb; no pharmacopoeial minimum is set for it and reported content varies with origin and harvest stage
Showed the strongest apparent affinity of any Taraxacum mongolicum constituent tested for immobilised lipopolysaccharide (KD 7.42 x 10-9 M) while again showing little direct growth inhibition. Mass-spectrometry imaging of the plant shows the phenolic acids are compartmentalised rather than evenly distributed between root and leaf, which is one reason whole-herb and root-only preparations do not analyse alike.
Luteolin
FlavoneIdentified by activity-guided fractionation of whole-plant extracts as one of the two principal nitric-oxide-inhibiting constituents. It suppresses NF-kB signalling and modulates the MAPK pathway, downregulates iNOS- and COX-2-related protein expression, and promotes M2 macrophage markers.
Apigenin
FlavoneThe second major nitric-oxide-inhibiting constituent of the whole-plant extract, acting predominantly through NF-kB suppression rather than the broader MAPK modulation seen with luteolin. Molecular docking supports stable binding to iNOS and COX-2.
Taraxasterol
Pentacyclic triterpeneConcentration: one of about ten pentacyclic triterpenoids that make up the total triterpenoid fraction, alongside lupeol, beta-amyrin, taraxerol and their acetates
The most antiproliferative single constituent of the triterpenoid fraction against prostatic BPH-1 and WPMY-1 cells. In testosterone-propionate rats it lowered androgen levels, damped inflammation and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the TGFbeta1/Smad pathway. Its biosynthesis is controlled by 2,3-oxidosqualene cyclases, so content is strongly cultivar-dependent.
Sesquiterpene lactones (taraxinic acid glucoside type)
Germacranolide sesquiterpene lactoneResponsible for much of the bitterness of the fresh herb and for the Asteraceae-type delayed contact hypersensitivity seen in handlers and in patients using topical preparations. Sensitisation is cross-reactive across the family, so a patient reactive to chamomile, feverfew or ragweed may react to dandelion.
Inulin
Fructan polysaccharideConcentration: accumulates in the root and rises through the growing season, so autumn-harvested material is richer than spring material
A non-absorbed fermentable fibre; it accounts for the mild prebiotic and osmotic gastrointestinal effects of large doses of root-containing preparations rather than for any anti-infective action.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Loop and thiazide diuretics (e.g. furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide)
The only human diuresis data for the genus come from a single-arm pilot in 17 volunteers given a fresh-leaf hydroethanolic extract of Taraxacum officinale, not Taraxacum mongolicum: urination frequency rose significantly in the five hours after the first dose and the excretion ratio after the second, with no effect from the third. No controlled trial, and no study of the Chinese species, exists. The traditional indication of promoting urination and relieving stranguria is consistent with this, but the magnitude in humans is unquantified.
Clinical note: Not a reason to avoid the combination, but review fluid intake and check electrolytes if a patient on a diuretic takes large or prolonged doses, particularly in hot weather or with intercurrent diarrhoea.
Lithium
Lithium clearance follows sodium handling, so any agent that induces natriuresis or volume depletion can raise concentrations of a drug with a narrow therapeutic index. There is no study of dandelion with lithium in humans or animals; the concern is extrapolated entirely from the herb's diuretic reputation and the single-arm human data on Taraxacum officinale leaf.
Clinical note: If a lithium-treated patient wishes to take this herb regularly, check a lithium level a week or two after starting and again after stopping, and warn about the symptoms of toxicity.
Insulin and oral hypoglycaemic agents
Network pharmacology with LC-MS/MS pharmacokinetics in rats attributes dandelion's antidiabetic activity to hesperidin, protocatechuic acid and syringic acid acting on lipid-atherosclerosis and AGE-RAGE pathways, and shows all three reach plasma with long half-lives. That is a mechanistic and animal finding only; no human glycaemic study of Taraxacum mongolicum exists, and the effect size in people is unknown.
Clinical note: No dose change is needed on starting the herb, but a patient on insulin or a sulfonylurea who is already prone to hypoglycaemia should monitor as usual for a week or two after any substantial change in herbal intake.
Warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists
Taraxaci Herba is the whole plant, leaves included, and dandelion leaf is eaten as a salad green; leafy greens are the dominant dietary source of phylloquinone. No interaction study of any Taraxacum species with warfarin has been published, and a standard decoction dose is unlikely to matter. The risk, such as it is, lies with patients who eat the fresh herb in quantity on some days and not others.
Clinical note: Consistency matters more than avoidance: tell an anticoagulated patient to keep intake steady rather than to stop, and check the INR after any marked change in how much fresh dandelion they are eating.
Western dandelion products labelled Taraxacum officinale
The Chinese Pharmacopoeia drug Taraxaci Herba is Taraxacum mongolicum, Taraxacum borealisinense or several congeneric species, and is assayed on chicoric acid. Western dandelion supplements are Taraxacum officinale and are usually root, not whole herb. The two share the principal phenolic acids but differ in the balance of triterpenes and in the plant part supplied, so the literature is not freely interchangeable and a patient may be taking a quite different preparation from the one prescribed.
Clinical note: Ask which product the patient actually has. Where the intended action is the traditional clearing of heat-toxin from the whole herb, a Western root capsule is not a substitute.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 10–15 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】10～15g。 【性味与归经】苦、甘，寒。归肝、胃经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
The combination strongly clears heat and resolves toxin while dispersing swelling, giving a focused action on hot, toxic sores and abscesses.
For red, swollen, painful boils and carbuncles of toxic-heat type. Cold and bitter; use with care where the spleen and stomach are weak.
Core pair of a classical formula — Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin, Yi Zong Jin Jian
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 4 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
3
0 verified · 3 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Bioactive Extracts and Constituents from Taraxacum mongolicum: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Enzyme-Inhibitory, and Molecular Docking Studies
- An LPS-Immobilized Affinity Screening Platform Identifies Lipopolysaccharide Binding Phytochemicals from Taraxacum mongolicum
- Taraxacum mongolicum total triterpenoids and taraxasterol ameliorate benign prostatic hyperplasia by inhibiting androgen levels, inflammatory responses, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the TGFβ1/Smad signalling pathway
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Bioactive Extracts and Constituents from Taraxacum mongolicum: Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Enzyme-Inhibitory, and Molecular Docking Studies
Whole-plant extracts of Taraxacum mongolicum were fractionated and screened. The methanol fraction gave the strongest antioxidant activity and the most effective inhibition of nitric oxide production, and the extracts also inhibited alpha-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase. Activity-guided analysis identified luteolin and apigenin as the key nitric-oxide-inhibiting compounds: luteolin acted through NF-kB inhibition with MAPK modulation, apigenin mainly through NF-kB suppression, and both promoted M2 macrophage markers. This is one of the few studies performed on the Chinese pharmacopoeial species rather than on Taraxacum officinale.
An LPS-Immobilized Affinity Screening Platform Identifies Lipopolysaccharide Binding Phytochemicals from Taraxacum mongolicum
An immobilised-lipopolysaccharide affinity platform enriched fourteen candidate constituents from a Taraxacum mongolicum extract, mostly phenolic acids and flavonoids. Six representatives all interacted with immobilised LPS by surface plasmon resonance; chlorogenic acid (KD 7.42 x 10-9 M) and chicoric acid (KD 2.63 x 10-8 M) were the strongest. Direct antibacterial activity was weak, chicoric acid giving an MIC of 1024 µg/mL against both Escherichia coli and Shigella. The finding reframes the herb's traditional heat-toxin action as endotoxin binding rather than bacterial killing.
Taraxacum mongolicum total triterpenoids and taraxasterol ameliorate benign prostatic hyperplasia by inhibiting androgen levels, inflammatory responses, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the TGFβ1/Smad signalling pathway
The total triterpenoid fraction of Taraxacum mongolicum, made up of ten pentacyclic triterpenoids and one phytosterol, reduced androgen levels, inflammation and oxidative stress in testosterone-propionate rats with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and blocked epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix deposition through TGFbeta1/Smad signalling. Taraxasterol was the most antiproliferative single constituent against BPH-1 and WPMY-1 cells and reproduced the whole-fraction effect in rats. An animal result only; there is no human trial of this herb in prostatic hyperplasia.
The Diuretic Effect in Human Subjects of an Extract of Taraxacum officinale Folium over a Single Day
A single-arm human pilot in 17 volunteers, and the only clinical diuresis data for the genus. A fresh-leaf hydroethanolic extract was taken three times in one day after two baseline days. Urination frequency rose significantly in the five hours after the first dose and the urination-volume-to-fluid-intake ratio rose after the second; the third dose changed nothing. Note the species: this was Taraxacum officinale leaf, not the Chinese pharmacopoeial Taraxacum mongolicum, and there was no control arm, so it supports the traditional diuretic claim only weakly.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with external cold due to yang deficiency, and weakness of the spleen and stomach. And overdose may cause slow diarrhea.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 53–72.
Side Effects
- Occasional GI reactions: nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, mild diarrhea
- Rabbits given 30 g/kg decoction for 3 days showed only mild cloudy swelling of hepatocytes and renal tubular cells
- Subacute studies found a few urinary casts and cloudy swelling of renal tubular epithelium
Source: Zhu YP. Chinese Materia Medica: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Applications. Harwood Academic, 1998, p. 180.
Historical Texts
Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Tang Ben Cao)
Tang dynasty (659 CE)Kai Bao Ben Cao
Northern Song dynasty (973-974 CE)Ben Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty (1596)References
- Li W, Luo Y, Liu R, Zhao M, Yang Y, Zhao J, Zhao C, Hong B. Integration of network pharmacology, molecular docking and pharmacokinetic investigations of dandelion in rats for the treatment of diabetes mellitus . Journal of Chromatography B (2025) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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