A common yellow flower called dandelion has caught scientists' attention after a study found that its root extract killed more than 95% of colon cancer cells in laboratory tests.
The research was published by scientists from the University of Windsor and the University of Ottawa in Canada.
Researchers found that the extract caused the cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death within 48 hours.
They also tested it in mice with human colon cancer cells and reported that it reduced tumor growth by more than 90%.
However, these results came from laboratory and animal studies, not tests in people. Scientists have not proven that dandelion root can treat or cure cancer in humans.
More research is needed to find out whether it could ever become a safe cancer treatment.
Source: Oncotarget (2016); MD Anderson Cancer Center (October 2026).
