Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Pu Gong Ying (dandelion)?

  Roughly 9–30 g decocted, using the whole flowering plant (leaf, root, and flower). For breast abscess/mastitis it is also used topically — the fresh or reconstituted herb crushed and applied as a poultice directly over the affected area — alongside internal decoction.

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus); Sacred Lotus sources & references. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Pu Gong Ying (dandelion)?

  Pu Gong Ying is generally well tolerated, but large doses can cause loose stools or heartburn/digestive upset given its cold, bitter-sweet nature. It is used cautiously in patients with a weak, cold digestion or existing diarrhea, and very high doses have occasionally been associated with mild allergic-type skin reactions in sensitive individuals.

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus).

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Pu Gong Ying (Taraxacum mongolicum) and mastitis?

  Yes — a 2021 animal study directly supports the traditional mastitis use. Researchers gave Taraxacum mongolicum extract orally to mice before infecting the mammary gland with Staphylococcus aureus and found it reduced inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) and tissue damage by dampening TLR2–NF-κB/MAPK inflammatory signaling — a plausible mechanism for the herb’s long traditional use in breast abscess and mastitis.

  • Mastitis (preclinical) — oral T. mongolicum extract protected mice from S. aureus-induced mastitis via anti-inflammatory signaling; a 2025 follow-up study explored extracellular-vesicle delivery of the same protective effect. Animal models, not human clinical proof.
  • Broader pharmacology — a 2024 review of T. mongolicum polysaccharides catalogs immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic activity across cell and animal studies, consistent with (but broader than) the traditional heat-toxin/damp-heat indications.
  • Genus-level context — ethnopharmacological reviews of the wider Taraxacum genus (including Western T. officinale) describe overlapping but not identical traditional-use and phytochemical profiles across species.

  Human clinical trials specific to mastitis were not identified; current support is preclinical (cell/animal).

  Sources: PMID 33212175 (Taraxacum mongolicum protects against S. aureus mastitis, mouse model, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2021); PMID 38191106 (T. mongolicum polysaccharides review, 2024); PMID 25858507 (Taraxacum officinale and related species ethnopharmacological review). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• Is Chinese Pu Gong Ying the same as Western dandelion?

  They are closely related but not identical, and their research literatures differ. The Chinese herb Pu Gong Ying is sourced from Taraxacum mongolicum (and related East Asian Taraxacum species), while the dandelion familiar in Western herbalism and supplements is usually Taraxacum officinale. Both belong to the same genus and share a broadly similar phytochemical and traditional profile, but most of the modern pharmacology on T. mongolicum (mastitis, anti-inflammatory, polysaccharide research) comes out of the Chinese-language and East Asian research base, while Western dandelion research trends toward diuretic, digestive, and general antioxidant studies. Treat findings on one species as suggestive, not directly interchangeable, for the other.

  Formula context: Pu Gong Ying appears in Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin (“Five-Ingredient Decoction to Eliminate Toxin”), a classic heat-toxin formula for abscesses and sores. (Formula context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: cross-referenced against multiple online sources (materia medica consensus; genus-level ethnopharmacological reviews); Sacred Lotus sources & references (formula-herb linkage).