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By Steven Foster
Early each spring, as
soon as the frost left the ground in my childhood home of Maine,
dandelion greens began to emerge, and before their early spring
blooms appeared, my grandmother would be out in the yard harvesting
the tender young greens. She soaked the greens in cold water
overnight to leach-out the bitter white latex in the veins, then
boiled them like spinach. A complement of vinegar, sprinkled over
the steaming hot greens, made them a common dinner green for a
couple of weeks each spring. As soon as the flowerbuds began to form
at the crown of the root, she stopped harvesting them.
"Too bitter now," she would always say. She perceived them as both a
nutritious green and a "spring blood cleanser."
Dandelion fresh leaves contain protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus,
iron, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, and are especially
high in vitamin A. The dried leaf is high in potassium (about 4
percent). According to dandelion culinary connoisseur, Dr. Peter
Gail, dandelion leaves rank ahead of both broccoli and spinach in
overall nutritional value. The culinary possibilities are endless.
Try dandelion boiled greens, dandelion spaghetti, dandelion quiche,
dandelion lasagna, dandelion bread, and dandelion pizza. Dandelion
flowers expand the array of possibilities, from wine to jams.
 Dandelion
an herb? Of course. It fits the definition of any plant used for
flavoring, fragrance of medicinal purposes. Dandelion leaf and root
are both food and medicine. Of course, it is so common, so
pervasive, and so familiar, our association of it is that of weed,
perhaps best defined as "a plant out of place." If we put the human
and economic energy that we do to eliminating dandelion from our
lawns into digging, maintaining and using those dandelions, we may
all be better off. Perhaps we should encourage rather than
discourage its growth!
Traditionally, both dandelion leaf and root have been used for
liver, gall bladder, and kidney ailments, and a tonic for weak or
impaired digestion. The root is also considered mildly laxative. The
root is traditionally used for the treatment of rheumatism, and has
experimental anti-inflammatory activity. Its primary use is for
conditions associated with bile secretion in the liver, as well as
dyspepsia and loss of appetite. The root is experimentally
hypoglycemic, has weight-loss activity due to its diuretic actions,
and is weakly antibiotic against Candida albicans. The dried root is
believed to have weaker activity than the fresh root or its
preparations. The fresh juice of the leaf is also considered
medicinal.
This weed turned phytomedicine continues to enjoy a well-known
reputation as a diuretic and potential treatment for liver-related
conditions. Unfortunately, scientific information, particularly
clinical studies supporting its traditional uses are scant.
Nevertheless, the leaves are approved in Germany as a diuretic and a
digestive tonic to treat loss of appetite and indigestion.
Undoubtedly, more information will arise in the future that will
likely provide more scientific confirmation of traditional use.
Until then, its solid traditional reputation as a folk medicine will
have to suffice.
Preparations, use and cautions
The dried leaves and root are widely available and are used in teas,
capsules, tablets and other products. As much as 4 to 10 g (up to a
third of an ounce) of the leaves can be made into tea. A cup can be
drunk three times daily. The root is used in tea, with about one to
two teaspoons (2-8 g) of the cut and sifted dried root steeped in a
cup of hot water for about fifteen minutes. One cup can be taken in
the morning and evening. The root is also roasted for use as a
coffee substitute. Coffee drinkers will be profoundly disappointed
in the flavor.
Dandelion products are contraindicated in obstruction of bile ducts,
certain gall bladder conditions, and may be used for supportive
treatment of gallstones only under a physician's supervision.
What's in a Name?
The name dandelion is believed to be a variation on the French name
dent-de-lion (tooth-of-the-lion), in references to the pointed,
tooth-like lobes on the leaves. Another common French name pissenlit,
is associated with the diuretic qualities attributed to the leaves
and root. There are various explanations for the possible origin of
the genus name Taraxacum, One is that it is a combination of two
Greek words taraxos (disorder) and akos (remedy). However, there is
no authentic documentation of the Greeks using it as a medicinal
herb. Another theory is that the name comes from the Persian talkh
chakok (bitter herb) which was translated into medieval Latin as
tarascon.
Dandelion through the Ages
Persian physicians such as Rhazes of the tenth century and Avicenna
of the eleventh century were among the first to use it as a
medicine, employing the fresh plant to treat inflammation of the
eyes, as well as a cosmetic. It was known to have been used by the
Welsh in the 13th century. Tts popularity as an herbal remedy became
established in the fifteenth century, by which time it was commonly
seen in apothecary shops.
The alternative practitioners of nineteenth century America, the
eclectic physicians, who largely relied on herbal remedies, gave it
mixed reviews. Wooster Beech founder of the eclectic movement in the
1850s, extolled, "I consider this plant one of the most valuable in
the materia medica. It exerts a sure and efficacious effect upon the
liver, removing obstructions.” However, later luminaries of the
eclectic movement such as Dr. John King, reported that, "as far as
his experience with this article had gone, he thought its virtues
had been overrated."
Indeed, the medical establishment viewed dandelion as a domestic
medicine rather than an important physician's prescription, enjoying
a high reputation as a home remedy, primarily for liver and kidney
afflictions. Most nineteenth century medical authors give only
passing reference to it. Dandelion root emerged as a key ingredient
in numerous patent medicines of the late nineteenth century
including digestive bitters, liver pills and blood purifiers.
Dandelion continued to be valued as a domestic remedy into this
century. Based on a long tradition of folk use, European researchers
began taking a closer look at the herb in the 1930s. As the decades
passed, a body of scientific evidence began to accumulate on the
value of dandelion extracts in the laboratory. This set the stage
for modern use of dandelion preparations in European herbal medicine
practice.
Steven Foster, is an author, photographer, and
herbal consultant with over 32 years of experience. A photographer
since 1977, his stock photo files of medicinal and aromatic plants
now number over 120,000 images. The author of 15 books, Foster is
President of Steven Foster Group, Inc., in Eureka Springs, AR and
can be contacted at 479-253-2629 or visit
www.stevenfoster.com
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