Reasons to Love Dandelion

I'm so happy to see this beautiful herb popping up in my garden! The tender green leaves taste delicious in salads or as a garnish. Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, seems to be quite the underrated herbal medicine superstar. Often treated as a garden weed, this native plant offers incredible healing gifts. The leaves have antirheumatic effects and the sweet-tasting roots have a long history as a liver tonic and laxative.

A Cherokee plant medicine of the North, the tea is used to calm the nerves and is sometimes combined with licorice or mint leaves to ease the bitter taste. Dandelion leaves are useful in treating PMS symptoms via its fluid retention and diuretic actions. Further, dandelion’s high levels of potassium and diuretic activity are useful for hypertension, especially in supporting high systolic blood pressure. I keep dandelion regularly stocked in the Four Seasons Harmony apothecary to include in custom herbal blends.

Herbal actions include: 

Diuretic
Cholagogue
Hepatic enzyme induction
Laxative
Tonic 

Anticancer
Anti-inflammatory
Antioxidant
Bitter

Various Indigenous tribes apply the medicine of dandelion in a multitude of ways, including:

-Aleut in a poultice of steamed and wilted leaves for indolent ulcers
-Aleut, Algonquin, Bella Coola, Ojibwa and Rappahannock as a gastrointestinal aid
-Chippewa to increase postpartum milk flow
-Delaware and Iroquois as an analgesic, blood medicine, dermatological aid, emetic, eye medicine, kidney aid, pulmonary aid, orthopedic aid for back pain, pulmonary aid for swollen lungs, toothache remedy and urinary aid
-Delaware, Oklahama and Iroquois as a laxative
-Kiowa and Papago as a gynecological aid for menstrual cramps 

From the Asteraceae family, common names for dandelion are blowball, cankerwort, Dient de Lion, lion’s tooth, priest’s crown, puffball, swine snout, wild endive, white endive, swine snout, butterblume, chicoria amarga, florion d’or, irish daisy, kanphool, karatu, marrara, monk’s head, pu gong ying, radices taraxaci, soffione and witch gowan.

Dandelion is often clinically used in conditions such as dyspepsia, heartburn, bruises, disturbances in bile flow, recurrent cystitis, constipation, lack of appetite, poor liver function, fatty liver, cirrhosis of the liver, fever reduction, poor upper digestive function/anorexia, fluid retention chronic jaundice, rheumatism, blood disorders, chronic skin eruptions, aphthous ulcers, chronic gastritis and autointoxication.

Other applications of dandelion include being made into coffee, flower heads in wine and tea for nonspecific heart distress, natural dye where the leaves turn a light yellow and roots a rich magenta, breast congestion, draining liver heat, treating headaches caused by liver heat, stimulating bile secretion and a natural source of potassium.

Safety:

Dandelion is very safe with rare side effects. The roots and leaves have a long history of safe use in pregnancy and lactation. Contraindicated for internal use with obstruction of the bile ducts or serious gallbladder diseases, although taking a flower essence internally or topical application are safe. Avoid if allergic to the Asteraceae plant family.

Preparations and dosage:

LEAF
Infusion of dried herb: 4-10 g, three times daily
Fluid extract (25%): 4-10 mL three times daily
Fresh juice: 10-20 mL three times daily
Raw leaf eaten in salads
Tincture (1:5, 40%): 5 to 10 ml, three times a day

ROOT
Decoction of dried root: 2-8 g, three times daily
Tincture (1:5 in 60%): 2.5-10 mL three times daily
Fluid extract (30%): 2-8 mL three times daily
Juice of fresh root: 4-8 mL three times daily
(Braun & Cohen, 2015; Hoffman, 2003)
Decoction: 2-3 tsp in 1 cup of water, three times a day

Dandelion tincture is wonderful to include in an herbal home pharmacy first aid kit.

I hope you enjoy the benefits of this extraordinary herb!

With gratitude,
Whitney

References

Bone, K., & Mills, S. (2013). Principles and practice of phytotherapy. Elsevier Ltd.
Braun, L., & Cohen, M. (2015). Herbs and natural supplements: An evidence-based guide volume 2. Elsevier Australia. 
Easley, T., & Horne, S. (2016). The modern herbal dispensatory: A medicine making guide. North Atlantic Books.
Freeman, Camille. (2020). Pregnancy-friendly herbs. Bloom and Grow Nutrition, LLC. https://www.camillefreeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Nursing-Pregnancy Cheat-Sheet-v3.pdf
Garrett, J. T. (2003). The Cherokee herbal: Native plant medicine from the four directions. Bear & Company.
Hobbs, C. (2016). Herbal action categories. https://www.christopherhobbs.com/webdocs/classhandouts/keville-hobbs-2016/Herbal-Actions.pdf
Hoffman, D. (2003). Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicine. Healing Arts Press.
Joksic, G., Radak, D., Sudar-Milovanovic, E., Obradovic, M., Radovanovic, J., Isenovic, E. R. (2020 May 29). Effects of Gentiana lutea root on vascular diseases. Curr Vasc  Pharmacol.
Milagro School of Herbal Medicine. (2021). Dandelion. https://www.milagroschoolofherbalmedicine.com/materia-medica.html
Moerman, D. E. (2009). Native American medicinal plants: An ethnobotanical dictionary. Timber Press.
Royal Botanic Gardens. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://mpns.science.kew.org/mpnsportal/plantDetail?plantId=1137644&query=taraxacum+officinale&filter=&fuzzy=fals&nameType=all&dbs=wcsCmp
The Plant List. (2013-c). Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-1916
Vickery, N. (2012). Re-engaging our senses: Taste. The Family Herbalist. https://thefamilyherbalist.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/herbal-taste-chart.pdf
Williamson, E. M. (2003). Potter’s herbal cyclopaedia. The C. W. Daniel Company Limited.
Wirngo, F. E., Lambert, M. N., Jeppesen, P. B. (2016). The physiological effects of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in type 2 diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud 13(2-3), 113-131. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28012278/