Big effect
In a 12-month trial, adding peony extract to standard therapy nearly doubled the odds of complete remission in a painful oral condition — but the study was open-label, so expectations need tempering.
This is the first large RCT on peony for oral lichen planus, and the effect is unusually large (53.9% vs. 34.4% complete response), but because neither patients nor doctors knew who got the supplement, the real-world benefit could be smaller — and the results only apply to people with this specific, hard-to-treat condition.
People with refractory oral lichen planus who took 0.6 g of total glucosides of paeony three times daily alongside standard care were significantly more likely to see their lesions fully resolve than those on standard care alone. The study also found better sleep quality and a generally mild side effect profile (mostly diarrhea), though serious adverse events did occur in a small number of cases. Because this is the first major trial on this pairing and the design was open-label, the impressive numbers should be viewed as promising but not definitive.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on Peony for Improved Complete Response Rate — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
- n = 448
- 2026-02
- Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.