It's true that Oncotarget (a peer-reviewed Oncology & Cancer research journal) researchers concluded that "Aqueous DRE [dandelion root extract] induced programmed cell death (PCD) selectively in > 95% of colon cancer cells, irrespective of their p53 status, by 48 hours of treatment," supporting the claim that "dandelion root can kill...", and that "the extract may disrupt..." This is corroborated by guidance from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, stating that "dandelion root extract demonstrated anticancer effects against melanoma and leukemia, as well as pancreatic and colorectal cancer cell lines."
However, the Bluesky post was too suggestive in using the image of a digestive tract and dandelions. Not only is it not quite as easy as just eating the dandelion root itself, but there have currently been no successful human trials. The same Oncotarget research emphasizes that a typical serving of fresh dandelion root (say, 10 g) contains only a fraction of the active compounds bioactives (e.g., taraxasterol, α-amyrin) that have anti‐inflammatory or cytotoxic properties, and they may not be released or absorbed efficiently in the human gut. Further, they call for mechanistic studies to pinpoint exactly how each phytochemical contributes and clinical trials to evaluate safety and efficacy in humans.
