Artichoke

Artichoke : Cynara scolymus, cultivated mainly for food purposes. The drug of this herbaceous plant, biennial or perennial, consists of the leaves, in particular those of the first year.

The artichoke is used in digestive, purifying and aperitif herbal formulations. The drug appears as an articulated phytocomplex; first of all it contains flavonoids, which exercise an activity very similar to that of milk thistle, but obviously of a lower intensity, so much so that milk thistle is a liver drug, while the artichoke is inserted between the aperitif, bitter and digestive drugs.

The artichoke phytocomplex - in addition to the flavonoidic fraction - also has a fraction called orthodenolic, consisting of caffeoyl-chinic acids. An example is the cynarin, dicaffeoil - quinic acid, because it has two caffeic acid molecules esterified with a quinic acid molecule. These molecules are part of the artichoke phytocomplex and are characterized, similarly to flavonoids, by digestive activity; thanks to their bitter taste, they stimulate gastric and hepatic secretion. The bitter taste of dicaffeoil-chinic acids is combined with the bitter taste of sesquiterpenic lactone compounds: these make the artichoke known as an eupeptic drug. Along with these four categories of active principles, organic acids are also present, such as acidotartaric, malic and citric, which stimulate the typical gastric function.