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Artichoke extract and acute cognitive performance: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: No effect.

C LimitedShort-term only

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: One small randomized, double-blind crossover trial in healthy adults, null on cognitive tests

In a double-blind crossover trial of 15 healthy adults given 1.92 g of artichoke extract around an alcohol challenge, cognitive test results did not differ significantly from placebo; the study product was donated by Boots the Chemist. It is one small trial, the tests were secondary outcomes, and the setting was a hangover, so the evidence supports limited findings of no effect rather than N.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

Effectiveness of artichoke extract in preventing alcohol-induced hangovers: a randomized controlled trial.

Pittler MH, White AR, Stevinson C. Effectiveness of artichoke extract in preventing alcohol-induced hangovers: a randomized controlled trial CMAJ, 2003. PMID 14662662

Result not recorded
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial (2 study days, 1-week washout)
Sample
n = 15
Population
Healthy adult volunteers aged 18-65 after an alcohol challenge
Funding
Artichoke capsules and placebos donated by Boots the Chemist; competing interests: none declared (full text)

Search and history

Search (): (artichoke[tiab] OR cynara[tiab]) AND (cognit*[tiab] OR memory[tiab] OR attention[tiab]) AND (randomized[tiab] OR placebo[tiab]) AND humans[mh]

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page