3,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid is an active component naturally occurring in many plants such as Helichrysum populifolium, Ipomoea batatas, Centella asiatica, Aster scaber and green coffee beans to name a few. It is a selective inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase and can be a promising agent for the treatment of patients with HIV infection.

3,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid is a component of Brazilian green propolis water extract, green coffee beans and other plants. It was reported to have antivirus activity against Influenza A Virus. The compound was also shown to inhibit AngII-induced rVSMC proliferation and migration, probably through downregulating the Akt, JNK and part of the ERK1/2 pathways, in which the anti-oxidant property plays an important role. 3,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid possesses a high binding affinity to plasma proteins, making it less preferable as a drug candidate as this characteristic would affect diffusion or transport across cell membranes, limiting pharmacological actions. 3,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid is also a selective inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase.