Description: Cut, certified organic root of Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Traditional Use: Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale; T. mongolicum), perhaps the best-known "weed" in the world, was human food and medicine before the development of writing. First mentioned in writing in the Tang Materia Medica (659 B.C.E.), it is used both internally and externally in Chinese medicine for abscesses, eye inflammations, and as a diuretic. The English common name, from French dent-de-lion, and its names in many Indo-European languages refer to its serrated leaf margins ("lion's teeth"); however, the preferred common name in France is pissenlit ("piss in bed"), undoubtedly on account of its reputation as a diuretic. Its Latin name, derived from the Greek, means "disease remedy." European traditional medicine uses dandelion roots for liver function; its leaves and flowers as bitter digestive stimulants and diuretics. The 17th century British botanist, herbalist, and physician Nicholas Culpeper, in his Complete Herbal, wrote that dandelion leaf and root have an “opening and cleansing quality” and are effective for the promotion of urination; treatment of obstructions and diseases of the liver, gallbladder, and spleen; promotion of rest and sleep in fevered persons; cleansing and healing of abscesses and ulcers of the urinary passage; and assisting in generally poor health with emaciation.
Additional Information: Among dandelion's important constituents are sesquiterpene lactones, believed to exert anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects; phenylpropanoids, believed to have inflammation-modulating effects; triterpenoid saponins that in other herbs are adaptogenic; polysaccharides, and inulin, a dietary fiber.
Safety: Allergy to dandelion, while rare, may occur, particularly in patients sensitized to other members of the Asteraceae plant family (artichokes, lettuce, daisy, sunflowers, burdock). No negative effects have been reported in pregnancy or lactation, in children, or when used with pharmaceutical drugs. Because it is a bitter, dandelion should be used cautiously in persons with acute GI problems or reflux may be aggravated by bitters.
Reference:
1. Yarnell E, Abascal K. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale and T. mongolicum). Integrative Med. April-May 2009;8(2):3 34-38.
2. Culpeper N. Culpeper's Complete Herbal. London, UK: Bloomsbury Books; 1992
