FEATURED HERBS

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Dandelion- Taraxacum officinalis

By Savayda Jarone - CHT, MNIMH - Medical Herbalist

Description:  A very well known herb by the young and old alike, although sometimes confused with plants that are similar in appearance, including coltsfoot and other members of the Compositae family.  Dandelion is distinguishable by its pointing triangular lobed leaves that resemble a row of teeth, hence the name "dent-de-lion".  The stem is hollow and produces a sticky white sap.  The flowers close in the evening and during dull weather.  There is a short rhizome leading to a long taproot up to 50 cm.  The root is white and milky inside and covered by a dark-brown bark.

Habitat:   Originally from Central Asia, it now can be found in most parts of the world, but mainly in northern hemispheres.  It likes to live in moist soils in pastures, lawns, and waste places.

Cultivation:   Only true herb enthusiasts would consider growing this common weed considering that most people try at all costs to destroy it.    Propagation is easy either by seed or division of the roots.  Dandelion is designed to spread far and wide by the wind and the breath of children.

Parts used:    The roots and leaves are used medicinally, the flowers are used to make wine.

Harvesting Time:     The leaves are picked in spring and early summer.  The older the root the better.  The roots can be harvested either in early spring or fall.  Opinion is split regarding which season produces the most medicinally active root.  The roots will taste sweeter when harvested in fall due to the higher inulin (sugar complex also found in other Compositae) content.

Drying and Preparation:    The leaves can be dried in the usual way and used as an infusion.  They can also be eaten fresh, either raw mixed with other salad greens (approx. 6 leaves per day), or blanched and eaten like spinach or added to soup.  Small roots can be dried whole; larger roots can be cut transversely into long pieces.  If cut too fine the valuable sap content can be lost.  The roots take about two weeks to dry.  When finished they should be hard and brittle enough to snap.  They can be chopped before use as a decoction.  Both roots and leaves can be made into a tincture at 1:5 in 25 per cent alcohol.

Constituents:

• Bitter glycosides (taraxacin, lactupicrin, lactucin);
• Hormone-like substances (sisterol, taraxasterol, taraxol, etc.);
• Inulin;
• Tannins;
• Waxy substances (lactucerol, taraxerin);
• Citric acid;
• Vitamins B, C, pro-vitamin A, minerals, potassium (leaves), carotenoids;
• Sesquiterpene lactones

Energetics:    Bitter, sweet, cooling

Actions:  Diuretic, digestive and liver tonic, pancreatic stimulant and regulator, cholagogue, choleretic, mild laxative, antilithic.

Applications:

True to form, the dandelion has spread to become an important remedy in practically every herbal tradition in the world.  In western herbalism it is considered primarily as an aid to metabolism mainly via its effects on the liver and kidneys.

Being a bitter remedy, dandelion root stimulates receptors on taste buds in the mouth causing a reflex response in the whole upper digestive system.  This increases the flow of digestive juices, increases stomach and intestinal activity, increases appetite, and increases bile and insulin flow.  The net result of this activity is the cleansing of the liver and improved digestion and utilization of the food we eat.  Dandelion root is of value in the treatment of jaundice and other liver disorders, diabetes, gall stones, detoxification.  Good liver function is essential for the correction of most dis-ease and dandelion is therefore an excellent choice as a near universal support remedy.  Dandelion should be used in liquid preparations in order to activate the bitter receptors on the tongue.

Dandelion leaves are considered to be as strong as pharmaceutical diuretics.  They have a very high potassium content (three times as much potassium than is usual in green plants) which prevents the potassium deficiency inevitable with prolonged use of other diuretics.  This diuretic activity is helpful in conjunction with other herbs in the treatment of such conditions such as arthritis, kidney stones, fluid retention, and cystitis.

Dosage:

Fluid extract: 1:1 25%, 2.5 - 5 ml

Tincture:  1:5 25%, 5 - 10 ml

Root decoction: ½ - 1 cup

Herb infusion: ½ - 1 cup

References:

Mills, S. (1991) The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine, Penguin Group, London, pp. 431-434

de Bairacli Levy, J. (1991) The Illustrated Herbal Handbook for Everyone, Faber & Faber, London, pp. 66-67

Grieve, M.  (1998) A Modern Herbal, Tiger Books International, Twickenham