Research review
Does dandelion root help with infection? What the research does and doesn't show
Dandelion extract has slowed candida, influenza virus, and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a petri dish. None of that has been tested in a person with an infection, and no trial has given anyone dandelion root for a yeast infection, the flu, or COVID-19.
The evidence doesn't support dandelion root as tea, capsules or extract for a yeast infection, the flu or COVID-19. What's been studied is dandelion extract's effect on candida, influenza virus and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a lab dish — not a single trial testing whether taking dandelion prevents or clears any infection in a person.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support dandelion root tea, capsules or extract as a treatment or prevention for a vaginal yeast infection, the flu, or COVID-19. Searches for these connect dandelion's traditional "detox" and immune reputation to specific infections, but no controlled human trial has given people dandelion and tracked whether an infection improved, cleared faster, or was avoided. What exists is laboratory research: dandelion extract tested against isolated fungus, virus, and a viral protein in cell culture — not against an infection in a person.
What the trials found
A 2020 lab study isolated a fraction of compounds from dandelion and tested it against Candida albicans, the fungus behind most yeast infections, in a petri dish. The fraction inhibited fungal growth at a concentration of 32 mg/mL, damaging the fungal cell wall and membrane enough to leak the fungus's internal contents. That's a laboratory concentration applied directly to fungal cells, not a dose a person swallows, and it isn't a study of yeast infection symptoms in a person.
A 2011 study applied an aqueous dandelion extract to influenza-infected cells in a dish, at concentrations of 0.625–5 mg/mL. The extract cut the amount of infectious virus detected — including an H1N1 strain — in canine kidney and human lung cell lines, and blocked part of the virus's replication machinery, without measurable harm to the cells at the doses tested. This is lab-dish evidence with an isolated virus strain, not a trial of dandelion tea, capsules, or a person's flu symptoms.
A 2021 lab study found that a water-based dandelion leaf extract blocked the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein — including several mutant variants — from attaching to the ACE2 receptor in human kidney and lung cells, and cut spike-triggered inflammatory signaling in the same dishes. The study's own authors called this a reason for future research into a preventive oral rinse, not a finding that dandelion treats or prevents COVID-19 — no such human trial exists.
A 2024 review of dandelion's chemistry catalogued antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating activity studied for the Taraxacum genus, tied to its triterpenes, phenolic acids and flavonoids. The review frames these as pharmacological studies of extracts and isolated compounds in cells and animals — not evidence that eating, drinking, or supplementing with dandelion root fights an infection in a person.
Questions people ask
Does dandelion root tea help a yeast infection?
No trial has tested that. The candida study above tested an isolated compound from dandelion directly on fungal cells in a dish, at a concentration far more concentrated than steeping tea would deliver. No trial has tested dandelion tea, capsules or extract against a yeast infection in a person.
Does dandelion root tea help with the flu?
The one related study tested a dandelion extract against influenza virus in cell culture, not in people with the flu, and not as tea. There's no trial measuring flu symptoms, duration, or recovery in people who drank dandelion tea or took a supplement.
Can dandelion root extract help against COVID-19?
No human study has tested that. The lab-dish study above found a dandelion leaf extract could block a viral protein from binding a cell receptor — a mechanism worth further study, in the authors' own words, not a tested treatment or prevention.
When to talk to a doctor
A suspected yeast infection, the flu, or COVID-19 are all reasons to see a doctor or use a tested treatment — not reasons to reach for dandelion root instead. Dandelion root is not a treatment for any infection. If you're pregnant, nursing, or considering dandelion for a child, ask a doctor first; none of the research above was done in those groups. For dandelion's other safety questions, see dandelion root side effects and who should not take dandelion root. For dandelion's broader research gaps, see dandelion root: what the research does and doesn't show.
Sources
- Extraction and isolation of the active ingredients of dandelion and its antifungal activity against Candida albicans A dandelion compound slowed the fungus behind most yeast infections in a lab dish, at a concentration far above a tea or capsule dose.
- Anti-influenza virus effect of aqueous extracts from dandelion In cell culture, a dandelion extract cut the amount of infectious flu virus detected and blocked part of how the virus copies itself.
- In Vitro Effect of Taraxacum officinale Leaf Aqueous Extract on the Interaction between ACE2 Cell Surface Receptor and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein D614 and Four Mutants In lab dishes, a dandelion leaf extract kept the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from attaching to the cell receptor it uses to enter cells; the authors called it a reason for further research, not a tested treatment.
- The phytochemical and pharmacological profile of dandelion A review lists antiviral and antibacterial effects that have been studied for dandelion, all from lab and animal research, not human trials.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.