Anserina

Anserina: A Comprehensive Reference Article

Disambiguation and Scope

The term Anserina appears in two distinct but etymologically related contexts in the natural product and dietary supplement literature. The first, and more common, refers to the botanical species Potentilla anserina L. (silverweed), a medicinal herb whose official drug monograph name is Potentillae anserinae herba (Anserinae herba). Other names applied to this plant in supplement contexts include "Anserina," "Ansérine" (French), "Argentine," "Bec d'Oie," and "Crampweed." The second entity is the dipeptide anserine (β-alanyl-3-methylhistidine), a small bioactive molecule found in the muscle tissue of fish and birds, and available as a discrete dietary supplement derived from sources such as tuna and chicken. Anserine (β-alanyl-N-π-methyl-L-histidine) is the main histidine dipeptide found in the skeletal muscle tissue of various animals, including salmon, lions, kangaroos, tuna, and trout. This article covers both in full detail, with clear section demarcation, as they share an etymological root (anserina, Latin for "pertaining to geese"), overlapping historical associations, and both appear in the dietary supplement marketplace.

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Part I: Potentilla anserina L. (Silverweed / Anserinae Herba)

1. Identity

Botanical and Chemical Names

Potentilla anserina L. (silverweed) is a low-growing herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family, found in the temperate zone around the globe and most commonly on sandy or rocky clay soils in Europe, Siberia, the Far East, and Central Asia. The drug is pharmacopoeially designated as Potentillae anserinae herba (Anserinae herba). As a medicinal herb and food, it is sometimes called goosewort, goose grass, or goose tansy, because it is a favored food of geese (anserine = goose). The genus name Potentilla means "powerful, despite its small size," a reference to the claimed medicinal value of plants in this genus.

Belonging to the Rosaceae family, it is a medicinal herb with a long history of use in Tibetan medicine in China, and its swollen tuberous root is a medicinal food known as "jue ma" in Chinese. The plant is widely distributed in the western areas of China, particularly in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Plant Morphology and Medicinal Parts

Potentilla anserina is a creeping perennial rarely much taller than 10 cm. The flexible stems run along the ground and root at nodes when contacting disturbed soil. Flowers are bright yellow, 2 to 3 cm across with five overlapping petals, borne solitarily in leaf axils. The stalked pinnate leaves are alternate and usually have 7 to 12 pairs of toothed leaflets plus a terminal leaflet, covered on the underside—and sometimes also on top—by very fine white hairs.

The medicinal parts are the leaves and flowers, whole or macerated, collected during or shortly before the flowering season and dried. The roots are the most astringent part of the plant and are harvested in late summer or autumn and dried for later use; the leaves are harvested in early summer and dried for later use.

Common Forms and Preparations

Potentilla anserina L. is known for its beneficial effects in the prevention of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and for this reason it is processed into many food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations. Commercial forms available for oral intake include dried herb teas, tinctures, fluid extracts, and standardized hydroalcoholic extracts. Extracts of the aerial and/or underground parts have been applied in traditional medicine, and P. anserina (aerial parts or the whole plant) and other Potentilla species are generally used to prepare homeopathic medications according to homeopathic pharmacopoeias like the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) and German Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia (HAB). The starchy root—said to taste like parsnips, sweet potatoes, or chestnuts—has also served as a human food, while its leaves are valued as a healthful tea. Roasted, boiled, or raw, silverweed's rootstock has been consumed as food by Native Americans, Chinese, and Europeans for centuries.

2. Traditional and Historical Use

European Traditions

Silverweed belongs to the family Rosaceae, and its extracts have been used for a long time in traditional medicine. The 16th-century herbalist Fuchs mentioned Potentilla anserina L. (herbal part) in his "New Kreüterbuch" (1543). Extracts were prepared with water, milk, honey, and alcoholic solutions and were applied for the treatment of toothache, inflammations of the throat, wound-healing, jaundice, ulcers of the mouth, dysentery, and as a haemostatic.

Records of cultivation of silverweed go back to prehistoric times, and the Anglo-Saxons are known to have grown it as a root crop. The roots of silverweed were a marginal or famine food in the Scottish Highlands and in Ireland, known there as "food of the fairies." The roots were roasted or boiled, or even eaten raw, or could be ground into meal to make porridge and a kind of bread. It was used extensively before the potato was introduced and was even cultivated so that it grew quite large.

Contemporary European medical herbalists have continued using the plant. The whole plant is considered antispasmodic, mildly astringent, diuretic, haemostatic, odontalgic, and tonic. A strong infusion is used to check the bleeding of piles and to treat diarrhoea, and is also used as a gargle for sore throats. Externally, it is used as a powder to treat ulcers and haemorrhoids, while the whole bruised plant placed over a painful area will act as a local analgesic.

Tibetan and Chinese Traditional Medicine

Remedies containing P. anserina total herb are widely used in various folk and medical systems, particularly in traditional Tibetan medicine and folk medicine. In Tibetan medicine, P. anserina herb is used for infectious diarrhea with fever, while its roots and rhizomes are applied as an antiseptic remedy. In traditional Tibetan medicine, roots of this plant have been used to treat malnutrition, anemia, diarrhea, and haemorrhage.

As a traditional Chinese medicine, the plant is flat and sweet in nature. It has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, generating fluid, quenching thirst, relieving cough, and phlegm. Nourishing and tonifying blood, treating spleen deficiency and diarrhea, post-disease anemia, and malnutrition are also among its properties. As a staple food, it is commonly used by individuals in the Qinghai-Tibet region to prepare congee and mutton, which helps in invigorating the spleen.

In Chinese traditional medicine, Potentilla extracts have been used to treat diarrhoea, hepatitis, rheumatism, and scabies and as a remedy for detoxification. In Tibetan traditional medicine, Potentilla anserina root extracts have been applied for the treatment of certain viral infections.

For the past few decades, malnutrition has been a significant problem in Tibet, especially among children, and a possible contribution to resolving the problem may be the root of Potentilla anserina, known there as droma.

Other Traditions

In Yakutian medicine, the tincture from P. anserina flowers in vodka is used as an antidiarrheal remedy. Old herbal remedies also included silverweed root extracts for treating epilepsy and for various gastric disorders including diarrhoea.

Official Monograph Recognition

Positive monographs were released by the German Commission on Herbal Medicinal Products (Commission E) in 1985 and 1988 for Potentilla anserina (herbal parts) and Potentilla erecta (rhizomes). The therapeutic indications of the herbal parts of Potentilla anserina according to the Commission E include simple forms of dysmenorrhoea, the supporting therapy of simple forms of unspecific acute diarrhoea, and also simple forms of mucosal inflammations of throat and mouth. The quality of the drug is specified in the German Drug Codex (DAC).

3. Key Constituents and Active Compounds

So far, 154 different chemical substances have been isolated and identified from P. anserina, with tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenes accounting for the majority.

Tannins

The drug contains tannins at 5–10%, chiefly of the ellagitannin type. The major components of interest in Potentilla species are tannins of the ellagic-acid type, with monomeric and dimeric ellagitannins similar to those found in green tea. The herb also contains antioxidant flavonoids (quercetin and myricetin glycosides) and proanthocyanidins. A chemical study of Potentilla anserina herb of Siberian origin led to the isolation of 17 compounds. Three ellagitannins—potentillin, agrimonic acid A and B—were reported for the first time in this species.

Flavonoids

Silverweed contains flavonoids including 3-O-beta-glucuronoids of kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, and isorhamnetin, as well as tormentoside, anthocyanins, and phytosterols. Different groups of compounds such as chlorogenic acid, kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, acacetin 7-O-rutinoside, and genistein were reported for the first time in this species. The typical fragmentation pathway of the isoflavone genistein confirmed the identification of this active compound, which was present with different abundances in all extracts analyzed.

Phenolic Acids and Other Compounds

Major phenolic compounds identified in P. anserina include caffeic acid, myricetin-3-O-glucuronide, agrimoniin, ellagic acid, miquelianin, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucuronide, and kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside. Additional chemical constituents include flavan-3-ols, flavonoids, triterpenes, triterpene glycosides, polysaccharides, and amino acids.

Main components of the drug also include phenolic acids and triterpenes. Another group of components being investigated is the long and medium-chain polyprenols, which accumulate in the leaves of Potentilla anserina at a concentration of up to 0.3% fresh weight.

Multivariate Differences Between Preparations

Multivariate statistics of integrated GC-MS and LC-MS data showed strong differences between different plant extract formulations of P. anserina, indicating that the chemical profile of commercially available preparations can vary substantially depending on the source, extraction method, and geographic origin of the plant material.

4. Mechanisms of Action

Main components of the drug are flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenes, and tannins. Particularly tannins are responsible for the most important pharmacological activities, including astringent, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antidiarrheal, and immunomodulatory effects.

Potentilla contains chemicals called tannins that might help reduce skin inflammation and have a drying (astringent) effect on the tissues. The astringent action on the gastrointestinal mucosa underlies the traditional antidiarrheal use.

The therapeutic indications include dysmenorrhoea and its supportive management; the gynecological indication for silverweed is based on pharmacological studies showing that the herb increases the tonus of the isolated uterus in various animal species. However, the Commission E itself acknowledged that this mechanism has not been definitively confirmed in clinical settings: on the isolated rat uterus a paralyzing effect was proven which is due to the presence of ammonium salts; however, the empirical evidence of a spasmolytic effect in dysmenorrhoea could not be definitively proven.

Polysaccharides and triterpenes are identified as the main material components responsible for the pharmacological activity of P. anserina. Modern pharmacology studies have revealed that those structures are responsible for a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities, such as anti-neoplastic, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antibacterial, and anti-yeast effects.

5. Scientific Evidence by Area of Use

5.1 Dysmenorrhoea (Menstrual Cramps)

The Commission E Monograph lists internal use for mild dysmenorrheal complaints and mild, non-specific, acute diarrhea; external use for mild inflammation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa.

Evidence strength: Weak / Traditional. Recent high-quality clinical trials on Potentilla anserina in humans are limited; much of the current understanding relies on its well-documented traditional use, official monographs like that from Germany's Commission E, and in-vitro or animal studies on its constituent compounds. The Commission E positive monograph is based primarily on historical use and pharmacological plausibility rather than controlled clinical trials. There is a clear gap in modern, large-scale human trials to confirm optimal dosing, long-term safety, and efficacy compared to standard treatments for dysmenorrhoea and diarrhea. The earliest published investigation dates to 1947 (Ther and Ventzke, Z Geburtshilfe Gynakol), studying uterine specimens in a pharmacological model, and no large-scale placebo-controlled human RCTs have since been conducted specifically on P. anserina for this indication.

5.2 Gastrointestinal (Diarrhoea and Mucosal Inflammation)

Potentilla anserina has been used in folk medicine in Europe for a long time, mainly for spasmolysis, wound healing, and for the treatment of inflammations. Today, extracts of the drug are used to treat acute non-specific diarrhea and mild oropharyngeal inflammations.

Evidence strength: Traditional / Pharmacologically plausible, limited human data. The antidiarrheal action is mechanistically attributed to the high ellagitannin content, which precipitates proteins on inflamed mucosal surfaces and reduces intestinal secretion. Extracts based on plants of the genus Potentilla exhibit a wide range of effects including antiulcer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and immunostimulating effects in laboratory and animal models, but formal controlled clinical trials specifically for acute diarrhoea with P. anserina extracts are not reported in the peer-reviewed literature as of the current available evidence.

5.3 Hepatoprotective Effects

During studies on medicinal herbs in Tibet, a methanol extract of the tuberous roots of P. anserina was found to have a protective effect against liver injuries induced by D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide in mice. From this methanol extract, six new triterpene 28-O-monoglucopyranosyl esters named potentillanosides A–F were isolated, along with 32 other compounds. P. anserina exhibits antitussive, expectorant, and hepatoprotective effects in preclinical settings.

Evidence strength: Preclinical only. Hepatoprotective data are derived from animal models (mice). No human clinical trials on hepatoprotection with P. anserina have been identified in the literature.

5.4 Antiviral and Antimicrobial Activity

Biological activities such as antimutagenic, anti-hepatitis B virus, and immunomodulatory activities of the extracts and/or constituents of P. anserina have been reported. Research shows that P. anserina exhibits rich pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antiviral, blood tonic, immune regulation, cardiovascular system treatment, diabetes treatment, and liver protection.

Evidence strength: Preclinical / In vitro. These findings are derived from in vitro and animal models. No controlled human clinical data for antiviral or antimicrobial indications have been reported.

5.5 Antitussive and Expectorant Effects

P. anserina root is an herbal medicine that has been used as an antitussive and expectorant drug for thousands of years in Chinese folk medicine. A study by Guo et al. estimated the antitussive and expectorant effects of P. anserina extract to validate its traditional use.

Evidence strength: Preclinical validation of traditional use. Evidence is limited to experimental models; no registered controlled human trials for this specific indication have been identified.

5.6 Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity

The positive medicinal effects of P. anserina are primarily attributed to high levels of hydrolysable and condensed tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenes, which are present throughout the plant. Ongoing research continues to explore the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of flavonoids found in the Potentilla genus; a 2022 review highlighted the potential of Potentilla species in modulating inflammatory pathways, though more specific research on P. anserina for human conditions is needed to draw firm conclusions.

Evidence strength: Preliminary / In vitro and animal models. No human clinical trial data specifically demonstrating anti-inflammatory or antioxidant benefit from P. anserina preparations in human subjects has been published.

6. Dosage Forms and Reported Dosages

Potentilla (Anserinae herba) is available in commercial forms for oral intake. The Commission E monograph governs its pharmaceutical use in Germany, and quality is specified in the German Drug Codex (DAC). No specific standardized dosage has been reported in controlled human trials for this herb. The Commission E monograph (as cited in secondary sources) lists the indications for simple dysmenorrhoea, acute diarrhea, and oral/pharyngeal mucosal inflammation, but dosage specifications from the original monograph text were not independently verified via a primary monograph copy in the sources available.

7. Safety Considerations

Plants of the genus Potentilla have been studied fragmentarily; among the representatives of the genus, most species are unstudied. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to clarify the pharmacological evaluation of P. anserina, which remains a focus of future research. Future studies should concentrate on the quality control and safety evaluation of the plant.

The German Commission E monograph notes no known side effects or contraindications for Potentillae anserinae herba when used at recommended doses, based on its long history of use in European herbal medicine. However, multivariate statistics of integrated GC-MS and LC-MS data showed strong differences between different plant extract formulations, meaning that preparations from different commercial sources can vary widely in their chemical composition, making standardization and reliable safety assessment difficult.

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Part II: Anserine (the Dipeptide) — β-Alanyl-3-Methylhistidine

1. Identity

Chemical Name and Structure

Anserine (β-alanyl-3-methylhistidine) is a dipeptide containing β-alanine and 3-methylhistidine. Anserine is a derivative of carnosine, which has been methylated. Histidine-containing dipeptides such as carnosine and anserine act as biochemical buffers, chelators, antioxidants, and anti-glycation agents.

Natural Sources

Anserine is the main histidine dipeptide found in the skeletal muscle tissue of various animals, including salmon, lions, kangaroos, tuna, and trout. In the daily diet, anserine is found in fish, beef, and chicken. Anserine was reported to be a major L-histidine-containing dipeptide in avian tissues, found at up to 43 mM in chicken pectoral muscle. It has also been detected in the muscle of fish (2.5 up to 41 mM), cats (8 mM), and rabbits (17 mM), but not in frogs and humans.

Common Forms and Preparations

Test formulas used in clinical research are powder derived from chicken, which contained anserine and carnosine with an approximate ratio of 3:1 by weight. Commercial dietary supplements include capsule and powder preparations derived from chicken breast extract (CBEX) or fish (tuna and bonito) extract, often standardized to an anserine:carnosine ratio of approximately 3:1 to 2:1. Anserine is a multifunctional and highly stable histidine carnosine-like dipeptide found in fish skeletal muscles.

2. Traditional and Historical Use

Unlike Potentilla anserina, the dipeptide anserine does not have a distinct standalone history of traditional medicinal use. It is, however, a bioactive constituent present in chicken broth and meat preparations that have been consumed as traditional fortifying or restorative foods in East Asian medicine for centuries, including the well-known practice of consuming chicken essence. Human intervention studies have been conducted using supplements of poultry-derived imidazole dipeptides, including anserine and carnosine, affecting the preservation of cognitive function in the elderly. Its identification and characterisation as a discrete bioactive compound is a 20th-century development.

3. Key Constituents / Structure and Mechanisms of Action

Biochemical Identity

Anserine and carnosine are called imidazole dipeptides, which have physiological functions in common such as anti-oxidation, pH buffering, and metallic chelation; anserine is not cleaved by human carnosinase, which is abundant in human serum. This property is pharmacologically significant because:

Anserine's buffering activity is superior to that of carnosine at neutral pH. In human sera, carnosine but not anserine is rapidly cleaved by carnosinase, limiting carnosine's effectiveness. As a methylated carnosine analog, anserine is found to be more resistant to carnosinase. The combined usage of anserine and carnosine is therefore thought to be a good strategy.

Buffering and Antioxidant Mechanisms

Originally, these dipeptides have been postulated to serve as buffers neutralizing lactic acid produced in working muscle, due to their abundance and pKa which is close to the physiological pH. Ingested anserine (or balenine) may be hydrolyzed to β-alanine and histidine before reaching the bloodstream, providing substrate for muscle carnosine synthesis.

Uric Acid–Lowering Mechanism

Anserine was reported to lower the serum uric acid level in humans. This level is regulated by the balance between urinary excretion mediated by renal tubular transporters in the kidney and enzymatic production mainly in the liver via xanthine oxidase. URAT1, GLUT9, and ABCG2 expression changes indicated that anserine reduced serum uric acid levels by inhibiting uric acid reabsorption and promoting uric acid excretion. Anserine showed no obvious effects on ADA and XOD enzymes, which are closely related to uric acid production, suggesting the mechanism acts on excretion rather than synthesis.

Neuroprotective Mechanisms

Eight weeks of anserine treatment in AD-model mice completely recovered memory deficits, improved pericyte coverage on endothelial cells in the brain, and diminished chronic glial neuroinflammatory reactions. These results suggest that anserine supplementation improved memory functions in AD-model mice by exerting a protective effect on the neurovascular units, which are composed of endothelial cells, pericytes, and supporting glial cells.

Accelerated neurovascular-unit dysfunction, including brain capillary pericyte degeneration, is known to cause blood-brain barrier breakdown in the brains of Alzheimer model mice and Alzheimer's disease patients, and blood-brain barrier breakdown has been proven to be an early biomarker of human cognitive dysfunction.

4. Scientific Evidence by Area of Use

4.1 Cognitive Function and Aging

Human RCT evidence — moderate strength, replicated in multiple trials.

A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine whether anserine/carnosine supplementation (ACS) is capable of preserving cognitive function in elderly people. Volunteers were randomly assigned to an ACS or placebo group at a 1:1 ratio. The ACS group took 1.0 g of an anserine/carnosine (3:1) formula daily for 3 months. Participants were evaluated by psychological tests before and after the 3-month supplementation period. Thirty-nine healthy elderly volunteers (60–78 years old) completed the follow-up tests. Among the tests, delayed recall verbal memory assessed by the Wechsler Memory Scale–Logical Memory showed significant preservation in the ACS group, compared to the placebo group (p = 0.0128). Blood analysis revealed a decreased secretion of inflammatory cytokines, including CCL-2 and IL-8, in the ACS group.

Carnosine and anserine are strong antioxidants, previously demonstrated to reduce cognitive decline in animal studies. A double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted in 31 healthy participants (age 40–78; 10 male/21 female) using functional MRI. Participants were assigned to twice-daily doses of imidazole dipeptide formula (n = 14), containing 500 mg (carnosine/anserine, ratio 1/3) or an identical placebo (n = 17). Functional MRI and neuropsychological assessments were carried out at baseline and after 3 months of supplementation. After 3 months of supplementation, the carnosine/anserine group had better verbal episodic memory performance and decreased connectivity in the default mode network, the posterior cingulate cortex.

In a subsequent trial focusing on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), participants in the active group received 750 mg of anserine and 250 mg of carnosine per day in 12 capsules (six capsules twice a day), while participants in the placebo group ingested a placebo free of imidazole dipeptides in the same number of capsules, for 12 weeks. Cognitive function was evaluated by psychometric examinations including MMSE, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS), and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised Logical Memory tests.

A significant difference was detected in the change score of MMSE between the active arm (1.9 ± 2.0; n = 15) and the placebo arm (0 ± 2.8; n = 15) (p = 0.036). This communication proposed that daily intake of anserine supplementation at a dose of 500 mg per day helps preserve cognitive functions in elderly individuals with MCI by suppressing HClO radical actions.

Multiple double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trials have been conducted with chicken-derived imidazole dipeptide foods (anserine/carnosine = 2~3) and have shown beneficial effects of imidazole dipeptides on human cognitive function in the elderly.

Limitations: Sample sizes in these trials are small (typically 30–40 participants). Most studies were conducted by overlapping research groups in Japan. All used a fixed-ratio combination of anserine and carnosine; the isolated effect of anserine alone in humans remains difficult to disentangle.

4.2 Exercise Performance and Fatigue

Human evidence — moderate, primarily acute supplementation studies.

These studies reveal that acute ingestion of 30 mg·kg⁻¹ of both carnosine and anserine, 60 minutes before high intensity exercise, can potentially improve performance, such as short cycling sprints or maximal muscle contractions. Data on optimal dose, timing of ingestion, effective exercise range, and mode of action are still lacking.

A randomized placebo-controlled repeated-measures design with ten healthy men tested anserine at either a low dose (15 mg·kg⁻¹·bw⁻¹) or high dose (30 mg·kg⁻¹·bw⁻¹) following a time-to-exhaustion exercise challenge. Anserine supplementation increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 50% (p < 0.001, effect size d = 0.8 for both doses) and preserved catalase (CAT) activity, suggesting improved antioxidant activity.

Some research indicates that acute supplementation with a dosage of 25–30 mg/kg body weight of anserine and carnosine has beneficial effects on power increases, maximal muscle contractions, ergogenic potential, and performance during short cycling sprints. Other studies show that a 30-day supplementation protocol with a dose of 4 g of anserine and carnosine per day reduces blood lactate concentrations and the level of fatigue perceived after performing high-intensity endurance exercise.

The overall findings indicate that anserine may improve physical performance and reduce fatigue, particularly in quick, repetitive activities. Subjects with lower carnosinase activity, and thus a slower breakdown of circulating dipeptides, appear to benefit more from this ergogenic effect. Neither the involvement of a direct effect on neuromuscular function, nor an indirect effect on recovery through increased muscle perfusion could be confirmed as a potential mechanism of action. The ergogenic mechanism therefore remains elusive.

Limitations: The majority of performance studies used combined anserine and carnosine preparations derived from chicken breast extract, not isolated anserine, complicating attribution of effects. The supplements used in these studies were derived from chicken meat and therefore contained other types of bioactives—proteins, smaller peptides, and amino acids—apart from carnosine and anserine. Most performance studies involved small samples.

4.3 Hyperuricemia (Elevated Uric Acid)

Evidence — preclinical with human signals; limited clinical trial data.

Anserine was reported to lower the serum uric acid level in humans. Preclinical data show that anserine alleviated hyperuricaemia and renal inflammation phenotypes, inhibited uric acid biosynthesis, promoted uric acid excretion, and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signalling pathway activation in animal models. In human clinical trials, anserine has been shown to reduce blood glucose and inflammation and elevate kidney functions.

This phenomenon was attributed to the presence of anserine in migrating fish muscle, and anserine has currently become a new target for dietary intervention in hyperuricemia.

Limitations: The strongest mechanistic evidence comes from rodent models. Human clinical trials reporting uric acid-lowering effects of anserine remain limited in number and scale.

4.4 Antioxidant Effects — Post-Exercise and General

Evidence — human and preclinical, mechanistically coherent.

As described in Section 4.2, anserine supplementation increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 50% (p < 0.001) and preserved catalase (CAT) activity in human subjects following an exercise challenge. These findings support the biochemical basis of anserine's antioxidant role.

5. Dosage Forms and Reported Dosages (Dipeptide Anserine)

• Cognitive function (healthy elderly): 1.0 g of an anserine/carnosine (3:1) formula daily for 3 months in a double-blind RCT.
• Mild cognitive impairment: 750 mg of anserine and 250 mg of carnosine per day (12 capsules, six capsules twice daily) for 12 weeks.
• MCI (smaller trial): 500 mg per day of anserine.
• Exercise / antioxidant (acute): Low dose 15 mg·kg⁻¹·bw⁻¹ or high dose 30 mg·kg⁻¹·bw⁻¹, taken before an exercise challenge.
• Ergogenic (acute): 30 mg·kg⁻¹ of both carnosine and anserine, taken 60 minutes before high-intensity exercise.
• Endurance fatigue (chronic): 4 g of anserine and carnosine per day over 30 days.

6. Safety Considerations (Dipeptide Anserine)

A safety evaluation of chicken breast extract containing carnosine and anserine was published (Sato M et al., Food Chem Toxicol. 2008 Feb;46(2):480-9), forming part of the baseline safety record for these preparations.

Exclusion criteria in clinical trials of anserine in MCI included acute or sub-acute illness, use of cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine in the previous six months, a history of severe psychiatric illness, use of psychopharmaceuticals, and allergy to salmon, indicating that individuals with fish or poultry allergies should be cautious when considering supplemental anserine derived from animal sources.

URAT1, GLUT9, and ABCG2 expression changes indicating that anserine reduced serum uric acid levels by inhibiting uric acid reabsorption and promoting uric acid excretion imply that patients already on uric acid–lowering medications (such as allopurinol or uricosuric agents) should be aware of potential additive or interacting effects, though no clinical drug-interaction data have been formally reported.

In human clinical trials, anserine has been shown to reduce blood glucose and inflammation and improve kidney function, suggesting possible additive effects with antidiabetic medications, though again no formal drug-interaction trials have been conducted.

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Body Systems and Health Areas Associated with Anserina

Potentilla anserina (Botanical)

• Reproductive system: Dysmenorrhoea, premenstrual syndrome (Commission E indication; traditional use)
• Gastrointestinal system: Acute non-specific diarrhoea, oral and pharyngeal mucosal inflammation (Commission E indication)
• Immune / inflammatory: Anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory (preclinical)
• Hepatic: Liver protection (preclinical)
• Respiratory: Antitussive, expectorant (traditional / preclinical validation)
• Metabolic: Antihyperglycemic, blood tonic (traditional; preclinical)

Anserine Dipeptide

• Central nervous system / Cognitive: Verbal memory preservation, MCI, potential protection against Alzheimer's-related neurovascular decline (multiple human RCTs)
• Musculoskeletal / Exercise: Muscle buffering, fatigue reduction, ergogenic performance (human studies, primarily acute)
• Renal / Metabolic: Uric acid lowering, renal microvasculature protection, blood glucose modulation (human clinical signals; preclinical mechanistic data)
• Antioxidant / Systemic: Superoxide dismutase induction, lipid peroxidation inhibition, anti-glycation (human and preclinical)

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