Chrysanthemum: vitamin K rich greens and a flower sold as extract

In a 12 week randomized trial in 80 Korean adults with high uric acid, an extract of Chrysanthemum indicum flower mixed with cinnamon lowered serum uric acid by 0.58 mg/dL, against 0.02 mg/dL on placebo, with no difference at 6 weeks. The trial was industry sponsored, and the cinnamon leaves the chrysanthemum share of that effect unknown. The same name covers a leafy green, garland chrysanthemum, and that is where the numbers for a plate sit. Raw, 100 g carries 350 mcg vitamin K, 177 mcg folate and 1380 mcg beta-carotene for 24 calories, from a single USDA record with no sample spread. That much vitamin K matters to anyone on warfarin.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw garland chrysanthemum greens carry 350 mcg vitamin K, 177 mcg folate and 1380 mcg beta-carotene per 3.5 oz (100 g) for 24 calories. — one USDA SR Legacy record, Chrysanthemum, garland, raw Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: vitamin K 350 mcg, folate 177 mcg, beta-carotene 1380 mcg, potassium 567 mg, energy 24 calories

What your body absorbs

• In feeding studies, a 500 mcg vitamin K tablet was absorbed far better than the same amount from raw spinach, and fresh versus cooked broccoli made no difference. — adults aged 22 to 30 eating a standard 402 calories test meal with vitamin K from tablet, spinach, broccoli or romaine lettuce Evidence C source
  9 h AUC 27.55 nmol/(L h) from tablet vs 4.79 from 150 g raw spinach, no difference between fresh and cooked broccoli or 30 vs 45% fat meals
• Using carbon-13 labeled kale eaten with oil, only about 4.7% of its vitamin K reached the blood in 6 healthy volunteers. — seven healthy volunteers eating one 14 oz (400 g) serving of labeled kale with 30 g vegetable oil, six of them in the bioavailability model (n = 7) Evidence C source
  Mean bioavailability 4.7%, plasma peak 2.1 nmol/L at 6 to 10 h

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for greens, boiling in water that covers them and draining keeps 60% of folate and 55% of vitamin C. — USDA retention factors for the group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, greens Evidence E source
  Folate 60% retained, vitamin C 55%, thiamin 80%, potassium 85%

What it does to your health

• In a 12 week randomized trial in 80 adults with high uric acid, an extract of Chrysanthemum indicum flower with cinnamon lowered serum uric acid by 0.58 mg/dL against 0.02 mg/dL on placebo. — 80 Korean adults with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (7.0 to 9.0 mg/dL), DKB114 (C. indicum flower and Cinnamomum cassia extracts 1:2) or placebo for 12 weeks (n = 80) Evidence B source
  Uric acid -0.58 ± 0.86 vs -0.02 ± 0.93 mg/dL at 12 weeks (p = 0.0229), no difference at 6 weeks
• Observational data from two Shanghai cohorts of 132,837 adults link higher intake of composite vegetables, including garland chrysanthemum, with lower liver cancer risk. — 132,837 Chinese women and men in the Shanghai Women's and Men's Health Studies, 267 liver cancer cases (n = 132837) Evidence C source
  Vegetable-based pattern HR 0.58 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.84) top vs bottom quartile, composite vegetables inversely associated (P trend < 0.05)
• A Taiwanese case-control study linked the highest intake of garland chrysanthemum with lower lung cancer odds, though the confidence intervals crossed 1. — 301 lung cancer cases, 602 hospital and 602 neighborhood controls in Taiwan (n = 1505) Evidence C source
  AOR 0.58 to 0.74 (95% CI 0.37 to 1.14) highest vs lowest tertile, P linear trend <= 0.04

Safety, limits and interactions

• The NIH says people on warfarin and similar anticoagulants need a consistent vitamin K intake, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug effect. — people taking warfarin, phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol or tioclomarol Evidence E source
  Consistency advised, not avoidance
• In stably anticoagulated volunteers, vitamin K1 had to reach 150 mcg a day before INR fell significantly, and a quarter of people had a clinically relevant change at that dose. — healthy volunteers kept on individualized oral anticoagulant doses for 13 weeks Evidence C source
  Threshold 150 mcg/day for significant INR lowering, clinically relevant in 25% at that intake
• In a double blind randomized provocation, people with contact allergy to Asteraceae plants showed no systemic allergic dermatitis after swallowing German chamomile tea. — individuals with or without contact allergy to sesquiterpene lactone mix, capsules of freeze-dried chamomile tea or lactose placebo Evidence B source
  No flare of healed patch tests, hand eczema worsened equally on chamomile and placebo
• A case report describes a woman with Compositae contact allergy whose stubborn eczema cleared quickly once she dropped a diet built largely on Compositae foods. — one 35-year-old woman with atopic dermatitis and a positive Compositae mix patch test (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Skin improved quickly after excluding Compositae family foods

What people believe that the data does not support

• Chrysanthemum itself has no health claim in the EU register or 21 CFR, while the EU does authorize the claim that vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting. — health claims under Regulation 1924/2006 Evidence E source
  Vitamin K claim authorized, no chrysanthemum entry

What is still unknown

• Boiled and drained garland chrysanthemum lists 142.7 mcg vitamin K and 50 mcg folate per 3.5 oz (100 g), well below the raw 350 mcg and 177 mcg. — USDA SR Legacy records for raw and boiled, drained garland chrysanthemum Evidence E source
  Per 100 g boiled vs raw: vitamin K 142.7 vs 350 mcg, folate 50 vs 177 mcg, vitamin C 23.9 vs 1.4 mg
• In a 12 week randomized trial in 112 adults with overweight, a synbiotic that included Chrysanthemum morifolium extract reduced visceral fat area more than placebo, with no change in waist or blood markers. — 112 adults with BMI 24.0 to 34.9, daily synbiotic of four probiotic strains, inulin, FOS and Chrysanthemum morifolium extract, or placebo (n = 112) Evidence B source
  Visceral fat area reduced versus placebo (p = 0.048), no change in BMI, waist or blood biochemistry

The bottom line

Boiled and drained, the USDA record lists 142.7 mcg vitamin K and 50 mcg folate per 3.5 oz (100 g). These are separate records rather than a paired cooking study, and vitamin C comes out higher in the cooked record (23.9 against 1.4 mg), which points to a data quirk. The USDA group factor for boiled greens keeps 60 percent of folate and 55 percent of vitamin C. The vitamin K on the label overstates what reaches the blood. In a feeding study, 495 mcg from 150 g raw spinach gave a 9 hour blood curve of 4.79 nmol/(L h), against 27.55 from a 500 mcg tablet, in groups of 3 and 8 adults. With labeled kale eaten with oil, about 4.7 percent of the vitamin K was absorbed. Neither study used chrysanthemum. Observational data from two Shanghai cohorts of 132,837 adults link more composite vegetables, a group pooling garland chrysanthemum with asparagus lettuce, with lower liver cancer risk, from only 267 cases. A Taiwanese case-control study linked the highest garland chrysanthemum intake with lower lung cancer odds (adjusted OR 0.58 to 0.74), and its intervals, 0.37 to 1.14, include no effect. In 112 adults with overweight, a 12 week synbiotic that held Chrysanthemum morifolium extract among seven ingredients reduced visceral fat area more than placebo (p = 0.048), with no change in BMI, waist or blood markers. We did not find a trial of chrysanthemum tea. The plant has no health claim in the EU register or 21 CFR, and the EU claim on normal blood clotting belongs to vitamin K. Two groups need care. The NIH advises people on warfarin and similar anticoagulants to keep vitamin K intake consistent, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug effect. In stably anticoagulated healthy volunteers taking vitamin K1, INR fell significantly only from 150 mcg a day, and a quarter had a clinically relevant change at that dose. The second group is people allergic to the Asteraceae family. In a double blind provocation, those with contact allergy to these plants showed no systemic dermatitis after swallowing German chamomile tea, a relative of chrysanthemum. One case report describes a woman with Compositae contact allergy whose eczema cleared quickly once she dropped a diet built largely on Compositae foods. We have no card on the safety of chrysanthemum extracts or tea, including in pregnancy, so the uric acid trial is not a basis for taking the extract.

Sources

1. chrs-r3-01 · dataset
   169995 Chrysanthemum, garland, raw: Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 350 UG; Folate, total 177 UG; Carotene, beta 1380 UG; Potassium, K 567 MG; Energy 24 KCAL
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018), FDC 169995 Chrysanthemum, garland, raw · checked 2026-09-29
2. chrs-r3-04 · controlled feeding study
   The absorption of phylloquinone, measured over a 9-h period as the area under the curve (AUC), was higher (P < 0.01) after the consumption of a 500- microgram phylloquinone tablet [27.55 +/- 10.08 nmol/(L. h), n = 8] than after the ingestion of 495 microgram phylloquinone as 150 g of raw spinach [4.79 +/- 1.11 nmol/(L. h), n = 3].
   J Nutr, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29
3. chrs-r3-05 · controlled tracer study
   Modelling results demonstrated a mean (n 6) bioavailability of phylloquinone from kale to be 4.7%.
   Br J Nutr, 2010 · checked 2026-09-29
4. chrs-r3-03 · dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3005 VEG,GREENS,BOILED,WATER COVER DRAIN vitamin_c_mg 55% folate_total_ug 60% thiamin_mg 80% potassium_mg 85%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), code 3005 · checked 2026-09-29
5. chrs-r3-10 · randomized controlled trial
   However, after 12 weeks of intake, the uric acid level in serum of subjects in the DKB114 group decreased by 0.58 ± 0.86 mg/dL and was 7.37 ± 0.92 mg/dL, whereas that in the placebo group decreased by 0.02 ± 0.93 mg/dL and was 7.67 ± 0.89 mg/dL, a significant difference (p = 0.0229).
   Nutrients, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
6. chrs-r3-12 · cohort study
   Further analyses showed high intakes of celery, mushrooms, allium vegetables, composite vegetables (including asparagus lettuce and garland chrysanthemum), legumes and legume products were associated with reduced liver cancer risk (all P(trend) < 0.05).
   Cancer Sci, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
7. chrs-r3-13 · case-control study
   More servings of vegetables (AOR for the highest versus the lowest quartile = 0.67-0.70, 95% CI = 0.42-1.08, (plinear trend )= 0.04), garland chrysanthemum (AOR for the highest versus the lowest tertile = 0.58-0.74, 95% CI = 0.37-1.14, (plinear trend )<= 0.04)
   Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2007 · checked 2026-09-29
8. chrs-r3-06 · fact sheet
   People taking warfarin and similar anticoagulants need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K from food and supplements because sudden changes in vitamin K intakes can increase or decrease the anticoagulant effect [45].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
9. chrs-r3-07 · clinical study
   The threshold K(1) dose causing a statistically significant lowering of the INR was 150 microg/day. In 25% of the participants the INR change was regarded as clinically relevant at a vitamin K intake of 150 microg/day.
   Blood, 2004 · checked 2026-09-29
10. chrs-r3-08 · randomized provocation study
    According to the NRS, SLM-positive individuals experienced a significant worsening of hand eczema, independently of whether they received chamomile or lactose capsules. CONCLUSION: No evidence suggestive of systemic allergic dermatitis was found.
    Contact Dermatitis, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
11. chrs-r3-09 · case report
    However, it turned out that she followed a self-devised diet consisting largely of food products of the Compositae family. On excluding these food products her skin condition improved quickly.
    Contact Dermatitis, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29
12. chrs-r3-14 · regulatory decision
    POL-HC-6523 Vitamin K Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting Authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6523, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
13. chrs-r3-02 · dataset
    170405 Chrysanthemum, garland, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt: Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 142.7 UG; Folate, total 50 UG; Vitamin C 23.9 MG. 169995 Chrysanthemum, garland, raw: Vitamin K 350 UG; Folate, total 177 UG; Vitamin C 1.4 MG
    USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018), FDC 170405 and 169995 · checked 2026-09-29
14. chrs-r3-11 · randomized controlled trial
    Compared with placebo, synbiotic supplementation significantly reduced VAT area from baseline to week 12 (p = 0.048).
    Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29