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Asparagus officinalis potentially supports cancer care: a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized clinical studies.

  • 2026-03-12
  • Frontiers in nutrition 13
    • Chen Shen
    • Xiao-Ti Wu
    • Xue-Feng Wang
    • Zhi-Jie Wang
    • Zi-Yu Tian
    • Nicola Robinson
    • Jian-Ping Liu

Study Design

Type
Systematic Review
Sample size
n = 898
Population
10 studies with 8,898 cancer patients using A. officinalis products
Methods
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized clinical studies, cohort studies, or case-control studies; searched six databases up to January 9, 2025

Objective

To evaluate effectiveness and safety of Asparagus officinalis in cancer care.

Methods

PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and four Chinese databases were searched up to January 9, 2025. Randomized and non-randomized clinical studies, cohort studies, or case-control studies were included for cancer patients using A. officinalis products alone or combined with conventional treatments. Primary outcomes were survival, response rates, and quality of life (QoL). GRADE approach was used to assess evidence certainty.

Results

Ten studies (seven randomized trials, two non-randomized studies, one cohort study) with 8,898 participants were included. Compared to chemotherapy alone, A. officinalis granules plus chemotherapy improved survival-based effective rate [two studies, risk ratio (RR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.24, 1.92), low certainty] and QoL-based effective rate [three studies, RR 1.76, 95% CI (1.47, 2.11), low certainty]. The objective response rate (ORR) was improved when chemotherapy was combined with either A. officinalis granules or syrup [four studies, RR 1.88, 95% CI (1.43, 2.48), low certainty]. A. officinalis products (syrup, granules or oral liquid) plus chemotherapy or radiotherapy, all found to have effects in improving immune function as CD4 and CD4/CD8. A. officinalis oral liquid combined with chemotherapy was associated with fewer adverse events, nausea and vomiting, and myelosuppression.

Conclusion

A. officinalis products may improve survival, ORR, QoL and immune function as a complementary add-on therapy. Despite the limited number of studies and low certainty of evidence, the observed signals indicate a need for verification in well-designed, cancer-type-specific trials, particularly in lung cancer, using standardized, well-characterized extracts to establish definitive clinical applications and dosing protocols.

Systematic review registration

The review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42025646003).

Research Insights

  • Chinese Asparagus→Improved Quality of Life

    quality of life (QoL)-based effective rate [three studies, RR 1.76, 95% CI (1.47, 2.11), low certainty]

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
  • Chinese Asparagus→Improved Survival

    Compared to chemotherapy alone, A. officinalis granules plus chemotherapy improved survival-based effective rate [two studies, risk ratio (RR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.24, 1.92), low certainty]

    Effect
    Beneficial
    Effect size
    Moderate
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