How Does Asparagus Root Extract Affect Human Health?

In alternative medicine, asparagus root extract is often used to detoxify the bladder and urinary tract. Asparagus is high in quercetin, a flavonoid known to have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. Asparagus is packed with antioxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, and polyphenols, which help neutralize free radicals that damage cells. Asparagus is also packed with vitamin K (which plays a major role in blood clotting), folate (needed for a healthy pregnancy), and an amino acid called asparagine (essential for proper brain development).

Proponents believe that asparagus root extract can prevent or treat a number of unrelated health conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety, cancer, deep vein thrombosis, constipation, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint pain, liver disease, metabolic syndrome, neural tube defects, kidney stones, pulmonary embolism, wrinkled skin, and urinary tract infections.

Here's what some existing research says about its potential.

High Cholesterol: Many studies have deduced that asparagus root extract may help lower cholesterol levels that lead to heart disease. According to a 2011 study in Phytotherapy Research, mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with asparagus root extract had significantly lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol after 8 weeks. The effect was ascribed to a substance called n-butanol, which the researchers said improved liver function and increased the organ's ability to produce and clear cholesterol.

Diabetes: A 2012 study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that asparagus root extract may help fight diabetes. In tests on rats with chemically induced diabetes, scientists found that asparagus root extract helped normalize blood sugar levels and improve insulin secretion. Higher doses lead to better results. This effect is due in part to the trace element chromium that insulin uses to transport glucose in the body.

Stress: A 2014 study in the Journal of Food Science suggests that asparagus root extract may help relieve symptoms of stress. According to the researchers, sleep-deprived mice had normal blood levels of stress biomarkers, such as cortisol and lipid peroxides, after being given asparagus root extract. Untreated mice showed highly elevated levels of all these biomarkers. The scientists also tested asparagus extract on a small group of people who took 150 mg daily for seven days. At the end of the trial period, the participants had a significant increase in a protein called HSP70, which moderates the effects of cortisol and other stress hormones. In doing so, asparagus root extract may help reduce the physiological effects of stress, such as high blood pressure, fatigue, and mental fog.