Often considered a pesky weed in North America, it has high nutritional value. A bitter tonic and powerful diuretic, this ubiquitous plant is well-suited for treating indigestion, hepatic congestion and water retention. Its depurative properties act on acne, arthritis and boils. The medicinal extract is made from the roots which are harvested in the fall.

_{Photo by @krnel}

The scientific botanical name for the common dandelion is Taraxacum officinale. Other names include Blowball, Cankerwort, Cochet, Couronne de Moine, Dandelion Extract, Dandelion Herb, Délice Printanier, Dent-de-Lion, Diente de Leon, Dudal, Endive Sauvage, Fausse Chicorée, Florin d’Or, Florion d’Or, Herba Taraxaci, Laitue de Chien, Leontodon taraxacum, Lion's Teeth, Lion's Tooth, Pisse au Lit, Pissenlit, Pissenlit Vulgaire, Priest's Crown, Pu Gong Ying, Salade de Taupe, Swine Snout, Taraxaci Herba, Taraxacum, Taraxacum dens-leonis, Taraxacum vulgare, Tête de Moine, Wild Endive.

_{H. Zell/wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0}

Key Points

• each flower can have 54 to 172 seeds
• one plant can produce more than 5,000 seeds per year
• very nutritious plant to feed off of in a survival situation
• effective diuretic

History

Unlike many other botanical names coming from Latin or Greek roots, it's thought that Taraxacum comes from Arabic origin through the word 'tarakhshagog' (or 'tarakhshaqūn') which refers to this bitter herb. However, it may also be related to a Greek word, tarasso, which means to disturb.

Where is it found?

Originally native to Europe and Asia, dandelion was imported to America as a food crop, believe it or not. It's not spread and become a naturalized plant in North America, South America, southern Africa, New Zealand, Australia and India.

They can be fond in most lawns and every other kind of habitat, from deep woods to cultivated fields to rocky hills, and everything between such as roadsides, shores and other moist soils.

What's it used for?

Dandelion is highly edible, but you might want to stick to tender young leaves for raw eating as they are less bitter than older ones. They can be cooked too. Blanching them will make hem less bitter but also reduce the vitamin and mineral content.

100g of the raw leaves provides 2.7g. protein, 9.2g. carbohydrate, 187mg Calcium, 66mg phosphorus, 3.1mg iron, 76mg sodium, 397mg potassium, 36mg magnesium, 14000iu vitamin A, 0.19mg vitamin B1, 0.26mg vitamin B2, and 35mg vitamin C.

Roots can also be eaten raw or cooked, and have a turnip-like flavor. Roots of 2 year old plants can be dried and roasted for use as a coffee substitute, and it's caffeine free.

Flowers can also be eaten raw or cooked, but are also bitter. Flower buds can be used as fritters, and preserved in vinegar like capers. Flowers can be made into a tea (as can the leaves and roots), and used to make wine (the yellow part only).

Medicinally, all parts of the dandelion plant can be used. There are many uses, but their effectiveness is not proven "scientifically". This includes use for loss of appetite, upset stomach, intestinal gas, gallstones, joint pain, muscle aches, eczema, bruises, increase urine production and as a laxative to increase bowel movements. It can also be used as a skin toner, blood tonic, and digestive tonic. Dandelion has also been used to treat viral infections and cancer.

Are there any risks?

The only issue is for allergies. If you're allergic to ragweed and related plants (daisies, chrysanthemums, marigolds), then you might want to avoid dandelion.

Dandelion might affect how antibiotics are absorbed and decrease their effectiveness. Lithium also interacts with dandelion, decreasing the efficiency of getting rid of it and thereby increasing the amount of lithium that remains. Medications that are changed by the liver can also be affected as their breakdown can be decreased with this plant, increasing main and side effects of drugs. Dandelion can also act as a diuretic and increase the amount of potassium in the body.

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References:

• Taraxacum officinale
• DANDELION
• Taraxacum officinale - Webb.
• Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale

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Previous posts on Getting to Know Herbs:
Feverfew | Lemon Balm | Hawthorn | Chickweed | Northern Bayberry | Lady's Mantle | Hyssop | Burdock | Catnip | Lavender | Yarrow | Marshmallow | Skullcap | Codonopsis (Poor Man's Ginseng) | Schisandra | Rhodiola | Canadian Goldenrod | German Chamomile | Blue Vervain | Blessed or Holy Thistle | Common Horehound | Cayenne | Ashwagandha | Gotu Kola | Common Verbana/Vervain | Holy Basil | Sweet Annie | Globe Artichoke | Butterfly Weed / Pleurisy Root | Joe-Pye Weed / Gravel Root | Valerian | Malva/Mallow | Boneset | Elecampane | Lungwort | Cramp Bark | Motherwort | Common Plantain | Eleuthero (Siberian ginseng) | Black Cohosh | Common Bearberry | Mahonia Mountain Grape (Oregon Grape) | Blue Cohosh | Goldenseal

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