Dandelion
Family Name: Sunflower/Aster
Family Name: Asteraceae/Compositae
Latin Name: Taraxacum officinale (Weber)
Also known as: T. densleonis , Desf; Leontodon taraxacum, Linn (Grieve, 1931).
Common Names: Priest’s Crown, Swine’s Snout, Blowball. Dent-de-lion (French: lion’s tooth)
Body System Affiliations: 1. Digestive 2. Circulatory 3. Skin 4. Urinary 5. Nervous
Botanical Description:
Habit: Flowering herb, perennial. Size: can grow to 12” height. Arrangement: Basal. Hollow stem Leaves: Shiny; smooth, hairless midrib on back of leaf distinguishes it from Chicory, whose midrib is hairy (Weed, 137). Pinnate veination. Jagged, tooth-like leaf edge. Flowers: One inflorescence contains many flowers; each “petal” is a flower itself. Bloom opens to sun and closes to darkness. Bright yellow in color. Fruit: Achene attached to lightweight white bristles. (Pojar, 270) Underground Parts: Taproot; dark outside, light inner flesh, milky juice.
Ecology:
Habitat: Temperate. Range: Worldwide. Native Where: “…imported to North America on early sailing ships” (Pojar, 270). Ecological Relationships: Eaten by caterpillars, butterflies and moths. Frequented by bees (Weber). Also eaten by goats, small birds, pigs, rabbits (Grieve, online). 90 different insects retrieve pollen from the dandelion (Weed, 161).
Propagation:
Technique: Creates drainage channels in dense soil (Weed, 135). Hardy plant; it thrives easily. Apomictic; dandelion is self fertile (Weber, online) Timing: Sow in spring, plant in early summer (Weber, online)
Harvest:
Plant Part: Root Season of Harvest: Late summer through autumn (Moore, 306). Method of Harvest: Dig whole root, ideally using fingers and hands to loosen soil. Take older roots (two years at least) instead of young ones. Ecological Considerations of Harvest: Take only 1/3 of total population (Tierra, 169).
Plant Part: Leaves Season of Harvest: early spring, late Fall; after blossoms cease. Method of Harvest: Picking, respectfully Ecological Considerations of Harvest: Take only 1/3 of total population (Tierra, 169).
Plant Part: Flower Season of Harvest: almost annual; whenever in bloom. Method of Harvest: Use fingers as a comb to pluck blooms from stems. Ecological Considerations of Harvest: Take only 1/3 of total population (Tierra, 169).
Plant Part: Sap Season of Harvest: Method of Harvest: Harvest part of plant, then break open to release sap. Ecological Considerations of Harvest: Take only 1/3 of total population (Tierra, 169). Cautions: May cause allergic reaction (sap contains latex) (Weber, online; Weed, 136).
Indigenous and Non-Western Use:
Food: Young leaves have been eaten by Halq’emeylem and Nlaka’pamux peoples, as well as by some indigenous peoples of Alaska (Pojar, 270).
Western(European-American) Uses/Relationships:
Food: Leaves used as salad greens and cooked greens. Root used in tea/coffee and stir-fry. Blossom used as garnish and made into tea and wine.
Materials/Technology: magenta/brown dye from root, yellow dye from blossoms, latex can be made from root sap (Weber, online)
Medicine:
Part Used: Root
Medicinal Actions: tonic, digestive stimulant, hepatic, deobstruent, hypnotic, diuretic (but without loss of Potassium that accompanies kidney stimulants, as Dandelion is high in Potassium) (Grieve; Hoffman; Weed, 141). Indications: liver illness, liver distress, anxiety, chemical exposure, jaundice, alcohol/drug abuse, hepatitis, appendicitis, kidney and bladder problems (Weed, 142) Body System Associations: Digestive, urinary. Constituents: Taraxacin, Taraxacerin, Inulin “(a sort of sugar which replaces starch in many of the Dandelion family, Compositae), gluten, gum and potash” (Grieve, online). High in iron, manganese, phosphorous, protein, vitamin A. Average in calcium, chromium, cobalt, magnesium, niacin, potassium, riboflavin, silicon, sodium, zinc, ascorbic acid (Weed, 143) Preparation: Use fresh or dry, depending on recipe. Dry for 2 weeks. Applications: Fresh root tincture as anti-inflammatory. Root stimulates bile, laxative, liver tonic (Moore, 306) Tea, coffee, tincture, infusion, juice. Cautions: Use with caution with gall stones. Avoid completely with obstructed bile ducts. Use cautiously with stomach ulcers and gastritis. (Weber, online)
Part Used: Leaves
Medicinal Actions: nutritive, stomachic, diuretic, vulnerary (Weed, 146). Laxative (Weber, online). Lowers cholesterol, induces appetite, improves circulation (Weed, 147-8). Indications: Poor appetite, high cholesterol, poor circulation, diabetic edema, rheumatic swelling, arthritic congestion, pre-menstrual water retention (Weed, 148). Body System Associations: Digestive, circulatory Constituents: Leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, containing more iron than spinach. (Wikipedia.com) Carotenes (Vitamin A), ascorbic acid, potassium, calcium, taraxacin, taraxacerin (Weed, 147). Storage: Fresh or frozen. Applications: Tincture, infusion, juice. Cautions: Use cautiously with gall stones, stomach ulcers, and gastritis. Avoid completely with obstructed bile ducts.
Part Used: Flower
Medicinal Actions: emollient, hepatic, analgesic (Weed, 149). Indications: Pain, headache, menstrual cramps, back and stomach aches (Weed, 150). Body System Associations: Nervous, GI, Skin. Constituents: Unable to locate. Applications: Tea, wine (Weed, 149).
Part Used: Sap
Medicinal Actions: discutient, anodyne, keratolytic, fungistatic, baceriostatic (Weed, 150). Indications: clears external maladies, such as sores, corns, warts, pimples, blisters (Weed, 150; Weber, online). Body System Associations: Skin Constituents: Unable to find. Applications: Dab sap on skin maladies (Weed, 150). Other: “The milky latex has been used as a mosquito repellent; the milk is also applied to warts, helping get rid of them without damaging the surrounding skin.” (Wikipedia.com) Cautions: Sap contains latex and may cause allergic reaction.
Personal Experience:
Medicine: Dandelion Root tincture
Harvest:
Site Location: Stevens Field, Olympia, WA Site Description: city owned, clay-like soil, very moist. Chicory present. It rained heavily the night before, but cleared to sunshine on the morning of harvest. Cold, crisp weather. Many dandelion plants present; collected 10-15 whole plants. Technique: I greeted each plant I wished to harvest. I hummed to it as I dug out the root. Processing: Cleaned excess dirt from roots and chopped them, put in glass jar and topped off with 100 proof vodka. Storage: stored in bag overnight before chopping the next day. Experience: The sunny morning after a wet, dark spell of weather was a positive sign as we walked to the field to collect the plants. I liked getting my hands dirty and muddy in the soil. My fingers were numb by the time we returned to the house! Application & Pharmacy: Applications Dandelion root tincture Reason/Purpose : I suffered liver failure in March 2005. I would like to nourish and give thanks to my liver with this tincture. I was initially attracted to this plant for its liver healing indications. Experience: I intend to begin taking this tincture during winter break.
Other Notes of Interest: As a child I blew away dandelion globes for good luck. “Dandelion root is a registered drug in Canada, sold as a diuretic” (Wikipedia.com). Dandelion releases ethylene gas, which ripens fruits.
Cautions: Use cautiously with gall stones, stomach ulcers, and gastritis. Avoid completely with obstructed bile ducts. Sap may cause allergic reaction.
References Cited:
Grieve, Maud. “Dandelion”. Botanical.com: A Modern Herbal. Online version of Grieve’s 1931 herbal. Online at http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/d/dandel08.html. Visited 10.30.05.
Hoffman, David L. “Dandelion.” Online excerpt from Therapeutic Herbalism. Online at http://www.healthy.net/scr/mmedica.asp?MTId=1&Id=197. Visited 11.02.05.
Moore, Michael. Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe, NM: Red Crane Books, 1993.
Pojar, Jim and Andy MacKinnon. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Canada: Lone Pine Publishing, 1994.
Tierra, Lesley. A Kid’s Herb Book. Bandon, OR: Robert D. Reed Publishers, 2000.
Author Unknown. “Dandelion.” University of Maryland Medical Center Website. Online at http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/Dandelionch.html. Visited 11.02.05.
Author Unknown. “Dandelion.” From website Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. Online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion. Visited 11.01.05.
Weber. “Taraxacum officinale” From website Plants for a Future: edible, medicinal, and useful plants for a healthier world. Online at http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Taraxacum+officinale&CAN=WIKIPEDIA. Visited 11.27.05
Weed, Susan S. Wise Woman Herbal: Healing Wise. Woodstock, New York: Ash Tree Publishing, 1989.
