DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale)
What is Dandelion?
"Dent de lion" means lions teeth in French which aptly describes the shape of this herb's leaves.
It is a good food source and its leaves are often used in salads. Its dried ground roots have traditionally been used as a coffee substitute and with a Vitamin A content higher than the levels found in carrots it appears to be very nutritious.
Other names : Puff ball, wet the bed, pee in the bed, piddlabed.
Description and the places it grows in:
Native to Europe and Asia with the roots collected in June to August. It is a variable perennial with yellow flowers, flowering late spring to mid summer.
Parts used :
Roots and leaves.
Properties :
Diuretic, chologogue, choleretic, laxative, bitter tonic, stomachic.
Click here to read our Herbal Glossary of Terms.
Used for:
- Diuretic - good source of potassium which is useful as synthetic diuretics cause potassium to be lost from the body, making this herb effective and safe.
- Rheumatism - cleanses blood and tissues.
- Warts - the sap obtained from the stem is said to be effective on warts.
- Liver/gallbladder - cleansing, increasing bile flow due to taraxacin. Good for livers that are sluggish as a result of too much alcohol intake and/or a poor diet. It is rich in lecithin which is a substance that protects against cirrhosis of the liver.
Constituents :
Sesquiterpene, eudesmanolide and germacranolide.
Contraindications:
Do not use if you have gallstones or any other obstruction of the bile duct.
Do not use if you have ulcers or gastritis as this herb causes stomach to produce acid.
The milky latex in the stem may cause skin allergies