Dandelion
(Taraxacum palustre (Lyons) D.C., s.l. = Narrow-leaved Marsh Dandelion and Taraxacum officinale Weber, s.l.= Common Dandelion, Compositae), Taraxacum dens-leonis, Desf.
Also called: Blowball, Timetable, Wiggers, Swinesnout, Lion's tooth, Cankerwort, Wild endive.
Description: The stems grow to a height of about 6 inches
and there is one flower to each stem.
The leaves have jagged edges which resemble the jaw of a lion fully supplied
with teeth.
Dandelion has a blackish-brown root, many cm long, simple or occasionally
branched and very bitter, but not disagreeably so.
Leaves 5-25 cm (2-10in) long, lanceolate; variously, irregularly and more
or less deeply incised and more or less hairy.
Flowers yellow, on hollow peduncles; all are ligulate.
Plant forms very diverse and presenting many taxonomic problems.
Up to the present these various forms have not been examined from the point
of view of possibly different medicinal properties.
Parts Used: Dried root; also the entire plant including roots
or, in spring, the young plant leaves and flowers.
Habitat and Collection: Found nearly everywhere; in fields,
roadsides, uncultivated places.
The various forms are abundant in Britain and throughout Europe.
Grown commercially in Europe and the United States.
The best time for collection is rather uncertain.
The roots are most bitter in June-August.
Certain pharmacopoeias require the drug to be collected in autumn.
Large roots may be split longitudinally before drying either in the shade
or in sunlight.
Constituents and Action: Active principles not as yet sufficiently
studied.
The roots contain latex and inulin in large amounts.
The drug stimulates the digestive glands, especially the pancreas and bile
ducts.
It is also weakly diuretic and purgative.
The dandelion contains twenty-eight parts of Sodium and it is a very good
blood purifier.
At the same time, it will destroy acid in the blood and thus bring about a
better balance where necessary; many patients have too much acid in their
bloodstreams.
Leaves are used for enhancing bile secretion and decreasing water retention
and bloating accompanied by flatulence and appetite loss.
Roots are used for indigestion, as a diuretic, to promote bile secretion and
to treat rheumatism.
This herb is very good for all skin troubles, especially for eczema.
There is a prescription for all skin troubles which includes agrimony, gentian
or buckbean, sea holly and ginger as well as dandelion.
Forms available: Cooking, teas, capsules, extracts, tablets,
tinctures.
Usage: The juice expressed from the fresh root or the decoction
of the finely chopped dried root (1-2 tablespoonfuls in 0.5 litre (1 pt) of
water; macerate in the cold for two hours, then raise to the boil and allow
to stand) is taken to stimulate bile secretion.
Boil 2 ozs. of the root or herb in 1 quart of water down to 1 pint, a wineglassful
should be taken every three hours.
To make the prescription mentioned above take:
½ oz. Dandelion root
½ oz. Agrimony
½ oz. Sea Holly
½ oz. English Gentian or Buckbean
¼ oz. lump Ginger, crushed
add to 3 pints of-water and boil down to 1½ pints, strain and when cold
a wineglassful should be taken three or four times daily.
Caution: For use in treating gallstones,
German health authorities recommend supervision by a qualified health-care
practitioner. If you have obstructed bile ducts, don't use it at all. The
milky substance in fresh dandelion leaves may cause contact dermatitis. The
bitterness in the root may cause hyperacidity. Avoid ingesting dandelion from
areas where pesticides have been applied, and from areas adjacent to roads,
where plants are contaminated by vehicle fuel exhausts.
Some old writers say that this herb has been named from the heraldic lion which is vividly yellow with teeth of gold. In short, a dandy lion.
The herb has been known to the Arabian physicians since the eleventh century when it was called taraxacon. This name is the Arabian corruption of the Greek trogimon, meaning edible, or it may have been derived from the Greek taraxos meaning 'disorder' and akos, remedy.
Fernie said: 'It once happened that a plague of insects destroyed the harvest in the island of Minorca so that the inhabitants had to eat the wild produce of the country, and many of them subsisted for some while entirely on this plant'.
The root of dandelion makes a good substitute for coffee when roasted and ground. It may be purchased in tins and is delicious made as ordinary coffee and it has many health giving properties.
