Dandelion greens: a vitamin K food first, a salad second

We found no trial of vitamin K absorption from dandelion itself, so the closest evidence comes from other greens. In a crossover trial in 36 younger and older adults, 377 mcg a day of vitamin K from broccoli for 5 days raised blood vitamin K about as much as 417 mcg from fortified oil. That matters here because the numbers are large. USDA puts raw dandelion greens at 778.4 mcg of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g), 649% of the Daily Value, from a single SR Legacy record with no sample spread and no second national table to check it against. A raw cup weighs 1.9 oz (55 g) in the US dietary survey, which works out at about 430 mcg. The same 100 g gives 508 mcg of vitamin A and 35 mg of vitamin C.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA puts raw dandelion greens at 778.4 mcg of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g), which is 649% of the Daily Value, with 508 mcg of vitamin A and 35 mg of vitamin C. — USDA SR Legacy record Dandelion greens, raw, FDC 169226 (n = 3 records) Evidence E source
  Vitamin K 778.4 mcg (649% DV), vitamin A 508 mcg RAE (56% DV), vitamin C 35 mg (39% DV) per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw; across the raw and two boiled records vitamin K 358.9 to 778.4 mcg, vitamin A 342 to 727 mcg, vitamin C 18 to 35 mg
• Wild dandelion collected in Melbourne was rich in lutein and beta-carotene, though below sow thistle, amaranth and purslane. — 2 to 6 specimens of wild greens collected from roadsides and home gardens (n = 2 to 6 specimens) Evidence C source
  Lutein order sow thistle > amaranth > purslane > dandelion; beta-carotene sow thistle > amaranth > purslane = dandelion; sow thistle 15 mg lutein per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• The US dietary survey counts a cup of raw dandelion greens as 55 g and a cup of cooked as 110 g, so one raw cup carries roughly 430 mcg of vitamin K. — FNDDS portion weights for Dandelion greens, raw (72113100) and cooked (72113220) (n = 2 foods) Evidence E source
  Raw 1 cup 55 g, quantity not specified 28 g; cooked 1 cup 110 g, quantity not specified 55 g; 55 g raw times 778.4 mcg per 3.5 oz (100 g) gives about 428 mcg vitamin K

What your body absorbs

• Vitamin K from raw spinach was absorbed far less than from a tablet, with a blood response of 4.79 against 27.55 nmol/L per hour for similar doses. — healthy adults aged 22 to 30 eating a standard test meal, 3 to 8 per arm (n = 8) Evidence C source
  AUC 27.55 +/- 10.08 nmol/(L h) after a 500 mcg tablet against 4.79 +/- 1.11 after 495 mcg as 150 g raw spinach; no difference between spinach, broccoli and romaine lettuce
• With isotope-labeled kale eaten with 1.1 oz (30 g) of oil, only about 4.7% of its vitamin K was estimated to reach the blood. — 7 healthy volunteers, single 14 oz (400 g) serving of kale with 30 g vegetable oil (n = 7) Evidence C source
  Mean bioavailability 4.7% (n = 6 with detectable label); plasma peak 2.1 nmol/L at 6 to 10 h; plasma half-time 8.8 h, tissue 215 h
• In a crossover trial in 36 younger and older adults, 377 mcg a day of vitamin K from broccoli for 5 days raised blood vitamin K about as much as 417 mcg from fortified oil. — 36 younger and older men and women, three 15-day residency periods in a metabolic unit (n = 36) Evidence B source
  Plasma phylloquinone higher and undercarboxylated osteocalcin lower after both broccoli and oil diets (P = 0.001 or less) against the mixed diet; no significant difference between broccoli and oil in either age group

What cooking and storage change

• Boiling greens in a little water keeps about 60% of their vitamin C and 65% of their folate in the USDA retention table, which has no factor for vitamin K at all. — USDA retention factors for the group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, the group of dandelion greens by its own USDA record Evidence E source
  VEG,GREENS,BOILD,LITTLE WATER DRAIN (Retn_Code 3004): vitamin C 60%, folate 65%, thiamin 85%, potassium 90%, calcium and iron 95% retained; vitamin K absent from Release 6
• In 12 women eating vegetable salads, absorption of vitamin K and carotenoids rose in step with the soybean oil in the dressing from 0 to 32 g and was highest at 32 g. — 12 women, 5 salads each with dressings of 0, 2, 4, 8 or 32 g soybean oil (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Linear dose-response for phylloquinone, alpha-carotene, lycopene and retinyl palmitate across 0 to 32 g; highest absorption of all carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins with 32 g oil (P < 0.002); wide variation between individuals

Safety, limits and interactions

• People on warfarin do not need to avoid vitamin K rich greens but should keep their intake steady, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug effect. — people taking warfarin and similar vitamin K antagonists Evidence E source
  Consistent day-to-day vitamin K intake advised; sudden increases or decreases change anticoagulation
• The European medicines committee lists allergy to plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae) and bile duct or gallbladder disease as reasons not to use dandelion leaf. — users of dandelion leaf herbal medicinal products Evidence E source
  Contraindicated in hypersensitivity to Asteraceae, bile duct obstruction, cholangitis, liver disease, gallstones, active peptic ulcer and other biliary disease
• The same monograph says people with kidney failure, diabetes or heart failure should avoid dandelion leaf because of a possible risk of high blood potassium. — people with renal failure, diabetes or heart failure Evidence E source
  Use should be avoided because of possible hyperkalemia; use under 12 years not established

What people believe that the data does not support

• Europe allows food labels to say vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting, but no claim has ever been filed for dandelion itself in the EU or US registers. — — Evidence E source
  POL-HC-6523 Authorised; 0 entries for dandelion or Taraxacum in the EU register; 0 in 21 CFR 101

What is still unknown

• Safety of dandelion leaf as a medicine in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and the European committee does not recommend it then. — pregnant and breastfeeding women Evidence E source
  Use during pregnancy and lactation not recommended for lack of data

The bottom line

Single-meal studies look less generous than the broccoli trial. After 5.3 oz (150 g) of raw spinach, the blood response to 495 mcg of vitamin K was 4.79 against 27.55 nmol/L per hour for a 500 mcg tablet, in a non-randomized test with 3 to 8 young adults per arm. With isotope-labeled kale eaten with 1.1 oz (30 g) of oil, about 4.7% of the vitamin K was estimated to reach the blood, a modeled figure from 6 people. Fat helps. In 12 women eating salads, absorption of vitamin K and carotenoids rose in step with the soybean oil in the dressing from 0 to 32 g, though some women barely responded. Boiling greens in a little water keeps about 60% of vitamin C and 65% of folate in the USDA group table. That table has no factor for vitamin K, so cooking losses of the nutrient this food is known for are unknown. Wild dandelion from Melbourne roadsides and gardens held lutein and beta-carotene, below sow thistle, amaranth and purslane, in a sample of 2 to 6 specimens. Europe lets labels say vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting. We found no claim filed for dandelion itself in the EU or US registers. Who should be careful. People taking warfarin or a similar drug do not need to avoid vitamin K rich greens. The NIH advice is to keep vitamin K intake steady, because sudden changes can raise or lower the drug effect, and one raw cup of dandelion holds several times the adult adequate intake. The European medicines committee, writing about dandelion leaf as a herbal medicine, lists allergy to the daisy family (Asteraceae) as a reason not to use it, and we see no reason to assume that warning stops at the food. The same monograph tells people with kidney failure, diabetes or heart failure to avoid the leaf because of possible high blood potassium, and also lists gallstones, bile duct and liver disease. Those cautions were written for medicinal use, and how far they apply to a salad portion is not established. The committee does not recommend the leaf in pregnancy and breastfeeding because safety data are missing, which is different from harm being found.

Sources

1. dgr-r8-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Dandelion greens, raw (FDC 169226, SR Legacy, Vegetables and Vegetable Products): vitamin K 778.4 mcg per 100 g = 649% DV; vitamin A 508 mcg RAE = 56% DV; vitamin C 35 mg = 39% DV; range over 3 records vitamin K 358.9-778.4, vitamin A 342-727, vitamin C 18-35; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169226 · checked 2026-09-29
2. dgr-r8-08 · composition analysis
   Wild green vegetables contained high concentrations of lutein (sow thistle>amaranth>purslane>dandelion) and beta-carotene (sow thistle>amaranth>purslane=dandelion).
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2002 · checked 2026-09-29
3. dgr-r8-02 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Dandelion greens, raw (FNDDS 72113100, fdc_id 2709588): 1 cup 55 g; Quantity not specified 28 g. Dandelion greens, cooked (FNDDS 72113220, fdc_id 2709589): 1 cup 110 g; Quantity not specified 55 g
   USDA FNDDS, fdc_id 2709588 and 2709589 · checked 2026-09-29
4. dgr-r8-04 · controlled clinical 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
5. dgr-r8-05 · controlled clinical 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
6. dgr-r8-06 · randomized crossover trial
   There was no significant difference in the relative bioavailability of phylloquinone, as evidenced by the lack of a significant difference in plasma phylloquinone and %ucOC between the 2 groups after either the broccoli or oil diets for younger and older adults.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29
7. dgr-r8-03 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3004 VEG,GREENS,BOILD,LITTLE WATER DRAIN, group Vegetables and Vegetable Products: vitamin_c_mg 60% retained, folate_total_ug 65%, thiamin_mg 85%, potassium_mg 90%, calcium_mg 95%, iron_mg 95%; vitamin K not in Release 6
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 3004 · checked 2026-09-29
8. dgr-r8-07 · randomized crossover trial
   Across the entire 0-32-g range, soybean oil was linearly related to the chylomicron AUC and Cmax values for α-carotene, lycopene, phylloquinone, and retinyl palmitate.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
9. dgr-r8-09 · fact sheet, expert body position
   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
10. dgr-r8-10 · agency monograph
    Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to plants of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. Obstructions of bile ducts, cholangitis, liver diseases, gallstones, active peptic ulcer and any other biliary diseases.
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, Community herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale, folium, EMA/HMPC/579636/2008 · checked 2026-09-29
11. dgr-r8-11 · agency monograph
    The use in patients with renal failure and/or diabetes, and/or heart failure should be avoided because of possible risks due to hyperkalemia.
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, Community herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale, folium, EMA/HMPC/579636/2008 · checked 2026-09-29
12. dgr-r8-13 · regulatory register entry
    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. dgr-r8-12 · agency monograph
    Safety during pregnancy and lactation has not been established. In the absence of sufficient data, the use during pregnancy and lactation is not recommended.
    European Medicines Agency, HMPC, Community herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale, folium, EMA/HMPC/579636/2008 · checked 2026-09-29