Does artichoke extract affect menopause or the menstrual cycle? What the research does and doesn't show

No trial has tested artichoke extract for menopause symptoms like hot flashes, and none has tested it in menopausal women at all. The closest related data is a small pilot study in premenopausal women that tested artichoke as one of six ingredients in a combination botanical supplement and measured sex hormone levels, not menopause symptoms.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support artichoke extract as a treatment for menopause symptoms, hot flashes, or any change to the menstrual cycle — no trial has recruited menopausal participants or measured those outcomes. The one related study tested premenopausal women, not menopausal ones, measured hormone blood levels rather than symptoms, and tested artichoke combined with five other botanicals rather than alone, so it can't say what artichoke itself did.

What the trials found

A placebo-controlled pilot and feasibility study followed 40 healthy premenopausal women for five menstrual cycles, testing two interventions: a combination botanical supplement (turmeric, artichoke leaf, rosemary, schisandra, milk thistle and dandelion) and a set of dietary changes (more cruciferous vegetables and fiber, less caffeine and alcohol), against placebo. Blood levels of several sex hormones and metabolic markers were measured in the early-follicular phase of the first and last cycle. Compared with placebo, the botanical-supplement group had lower levels of two androgen-related hormones, DHEA and androstenedione; estrogen measures didn't change significantly in either intervention group. Because artichoke was one of six ingredients in the tested blend, the trial can't isolate what it contributed, and because the study recruited premenopausal women measuring hormone levels rather than menopausal women measuring symptoms, it doesn't speak to menopause directly. No other trial has looked at artichoke extract and the menstrual cycle, hormones, or menopause in any population.

Questions people ask

Does artichoke extract affect hormones or the menstrual cycle?

The only related evidence is a small pilot study in premenopausal women that tested artichoke as one of six ingredients in a combination supplement over five menstrual cycles. It found lower levels of two androgen-related hormones compared with placebo, no significant change in estrogen measures, and can't isolate what artichoke itself contributed.

Is artichoke extract good for menopause?

No trial has tested it in menopausal women or measured menopause symptoms like hot flashes. There's no research basis for that question either way.

When to talk to a doctor

Menopause symptoms that are disruptive, or any unexplained change in the menstrual cycle, are worth discussing with a doctor — artichoke extract is not a treatment for either. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or take hormone-related medication, talk to a doctor before adding a supplement; see who should not take artichoke extract.

Related reading: who should not take artichoke extract, artichoke extract and medications: what to check, and what is artichoke extract?.