Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale). The word dandelion comes from the French name for the plant dent de lion meaning lion’s tooth from its toothed leaves. It is in the daisy family or Asteraceae family of plants. Dandelion is a weedy perennial non-native plant from Europe and Asia that has adapted very well to North America. It is found all over the place from Texas to Canada. Because of its affinity to lawns many people see it as a troublesome weed.

Dandelion has what is termed a basal rosette of leaves meaning its leaves spring out in a circle from a central location on the ground. Singular inflorescences or heads of flowers shoot up from the middle of these basal leaves on a short hollow stalk on what can be anywhere from 1 inch to 12 inches long depending on how old the plant is and how much rain it receives.

Harvesting Dandelions

Where I am in central Texas seems to get the largest bloom period during February about the same times our roses make large displays of flowers. Our wild dandelions are very small and really not worth harvesting unless for the flowers. Dandelions in gardens can get much bigger. In the north country in higher cooler elevations, dandelions can make large tuberous roots and lots of leafy greens. In central Texas wildlands these plants are generally not large enough to harvest for roots or greens but if you are growing them in gardens they are best harvested in the spring when the flower goes to seed. If harvesting for the root, the plant should be at least two years old. Many plants that look similar to dandelion are often misidentified as the plant. Make sure you understand the lookalikes before trying to pick.

Value As Food

Dandelion greens were most often used as a food containing significant amounts of protein, fibre, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, beta-keratin, vitamin c and vitamin e.

Folklore and Past Uses

There is much folklore surrounding the dandelion including blowing the seeds off a ripened head to carry your thoughts or intent to another person. The roasted root was commonly used as a coffee substitute. Medicinally the plant was thought of as a spring tonic to purify the blood. Dandelions were used by physicians and written about in China as early as the 7th century and then by middle eastern physicians by the 9th century for everything from  digestive disorders, skin problems, to inflammation in the body.

Another name for dandelion in French is pissenlit, piss in the bed referring to the ability to expel retained water in the body through urination and at the same time it contains potassium which can be leached from the body if urination is increased and is often supplemented when people take commercial diuretics.

Use of Dandelions in Herbal Medicine

Dandelion has been used to treat everything from liver disorders, mastitis to diabetes. The plant is considered bitter, sweet and cooling to body. The plant has the ability to shift the body back to health through the gentle cleansing action it has on the liver and kidneys. If a woman comes to me complaining of menstrual irregularities or if someone has bad acne or other chronic skin disorders or just wants to do a cleanse it is usually the first plant I grab. I like to give it alone. A decoction made from the roots is a very tasty tea especially roasted. The greens can be purchased from health food stores and added to salads. Remember the next time you see dandelion that it is more than a weed it is a cooling cleanser to our digestive tract and a nutritious food.

Thanks for joining me on this walk through the wild side and remember herbal medicine is a powerful healing modality. Please consult a trained clinical herbalist and or wildcrafter to help you make the best and safest and most sustainable choices when harvesting herbs and using them medicinally.

The above text is a transcript of the embedded video.