* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description
Dandelion
Taraxacum spp.
English Common Names Dandelion, lion's tooth.
The English name dandelion is a corruption of the French dent de lion, "lion's tooth", generally interpreted as a reference to the coarsely toothed leaves.
French Common Names
Pissenlit, dent de lion, dent-de-lion.
The French pissenhit, literally "wet-a-bed," reflects the reputation of dandelion for stimulating the kidneys.
Morphology
Dandelion is a herbaceous perennial with a rosette of jagged, irregularly lobed leaves produced from a long, thick, fleshy taproot that can descend more than 1 m. The leaves may be nearly smooth-margined, saw-toothed, or deeply cut. The single flowering stalk, sometimes over 50 cm tall, is hollow and bears a head of tiny yellow flowers, the whole head referred to as a flower by non-botanists. The flowering stalk is hollow and elongates with age. Fruiting heads produce tiny (3-5 mm) brown "seeds" (achenes), each carried by a "parachute" of white, fluffy hairs on a stalk. White, bitter, milky juice exudes from the plant where it is cut or broken; this stains hands brown and is difficult to remove. Cultivated selections differ in various respects from wild plants, some tending to have broader, more deeply-lobed leaves, others with a very high production of leaves, often semi-erect.
Classification and Geography
Species of Taraxacum are perennial herbs, mostly native to north temperate and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Taraxacum is an extremely complex genus. Many of the species reproduce mostly by apomixis and generate numerous intergrading microspecies. Some taxonomists outside North America have recognized many of the races as different species (over 1500 European species have been described), while others submerge most of the races into only a few species. To avoid the problem of recognizing many trivial apomictic species, rather than referring to species one can cite the sections into which Taraxacum is divided. Despite the apparent lack of sexual reproduction in North American weedy dandelions, thetu is considerable genetic variation present. South of boreal regions native kinds of Taraxacum are usually Dandelion sexual and these (about 100 species) are comparable in distinctiveness to the kinds of species recognized by most botanists. In North America the native species inhabit Arctic and alpine regions. These belong to sections Taraxacum or Borealia HM. In Canada 3-15 species have been recognized. The introduced T. palustre, only recently discovered in Ontario and Quebec, has proven to be widespread. The classification of dandelions in Canada requires much additional work.
Taraxacum officinale Weber, the name that has long been applied to the so-called common dandelion, is not the correct name, but a solution to the problem requires more and possibly extensive study. Almost all North American weedy dandelions belong to one of two sections: Ruderahia Kirschner, Ollgaard & Stepanek and Erythrosperma (Dahlst.) Lindb. f. Since identifying dandelion species is difficult, and it is unclear which species are used medicinally, we simply refer to the genus Taraxacum in this discussion. Most weedy forms of dandelion, and probably most if not all cultivated selections, originate from Europe and Asia. Introduced dandelions occur in all provinces and territories of Canada.
Ecology
The dandelion is now a common plant throughout the world in temperate regions, often in pastures, meadows, gardens, and waste ground, and along roadsides. In North America it is regarded as a serious weed of lawns.
When the sun shines, the flower heads are open, and when the weather turns dull, the flower heads close up. Dandelions are "short-day plants," producing flowers when there are less than 12 hours of light. Flowers are produced mostly in mid-spring, with a much reduced second period of blooming in the fall up until the first frost.
Medicinal Uses
As a medicinal plant, dandelion has been used at least since the time of the Arabian physicians of the 10th and 11th centuries. Root extracts were once used extensively as a diuretic (to promote urination), and are still sometimes so employed. A tradition developed in Europe of taking dandelion as a "cleansing cure" in the spring. Dandelion has also been said to be useful for treating jaundice and other liver ailments. Both of these medicinal properties seem to trace to the Doctrine of Signatures, whereby aspects of plants are said to signal their medicinal uses. The yellow of dandelion flowers was interpreted as a sign that jaundice (which causes yellow coloration) and other liver diseases could be treated. The juiciness of the dandelion, suggestive of water retention, was interpreted as indicating usefulness as a diuretic. Dandelion juice, expressed from the roots, was once sold by druggists. Dandelion has also been claimed to be useful as an appetite stimulant and as a tonic. Other ailments treated in the past include fever, insomnia, jaundice, rheumatism, eczema and other skin diseases, constipation, warts, cancers, and tumors. Most of the claims for medical effectiveness of dandelion are based on research that is pre-World War II, and there is a need for modem investigation. Nevertheless, medical usage of dandelion remains fairly common.
Chemistry
The bitter resin in the roots and shoots contains taraxacin, taraxellin, taraxerol, taraxasterol, inulin, gluten, gum, potash, choline, levulin, and putin. Taraxacin and taraxasterol are active ingredients of the roots of dandelion. The dried plant contains 2.8% tannins. The bitter taste of dandelions is due to 11, 13-dihydrotaraxine acid-i D-13-D-glucopyranoside and several other awesomely-named chemicals (Kuusi et al. 1985). Salad cultivars are not as bitter as wild forms, but are likely less suitable medicinally, since the bitter principles are regarded as medicinally effective.
Non-medicinal Uses
For a plant with a reputation as a troublesome weed, dandelion has a remarkable number of virtues. It has been consumed for thousands of years as food. Almost all parts of the dandelion can be eaten. The nutritive value of dandelion greens, particularly for vitamin C, is much higher than that of most other salad plants. In Europe, dandelion was once widely used as a pot herb by the poor, who gathered it from nature. It was also grown in a blanched form and eaten in salads, and the roots were used as a coffee substitute.
Hybrids of T. kok-saghyz Rodin, Russian dandelion (from Turkmenistan), have been grown in Russia and elsewhere as a source of rubber, derived from the plant latex. Essentially abandoned as a crop, Russian dandelion has been reconsidered recently in Russia as a source of rubber in order to reduce dependence on imports.
Several species of Taraxacum are grown as ornamentals. Dandelion is a valuable bee plant because the flowers bloom early in the spring, and at that time may be the only major source of nourishment for bees. Dandelion is also considered to be an excellent, highly nutritious pasture plant for beef cattle.
As well as having food, medicinal and industrial uses, dandelions have proven to be valuable for research in evolution, ecology and population biology. Among the classical examples was the finding that genotypes from the most disturbed and ephemeral habitats produced the most seeds, adapting them to dispersal and colonization. By contrast, genotypes from stable habitats produced less seeds but were superior competitors in their own habitats.
Agricultural and Commercial Aspects
Despite widespread occurrence, the US has imported over 45 tomes of dandelion in some years for use in patent medicines, at least as recently as 1957. In Canada, over 50 commercially sold medicinal preparations contain dandelion.
Dandelion is grown commercially as a food plant in Europe and North America. At least a dozen cultivars are available which are much tastier than wild dandelion. Centers of dandelion cultivation in North America include the eastern seaboard states, Florida and Texas. The annual value of dandelion sold in Canadian markets sometimes exceeds a half million dollars. Good yields are 18,800 kg/ha for leaves and 1,100 - 1,700 kg/ha for roots.
Myths, Legends, Tales, Folklore, and Interesting Facts
In ancient Greek legend, the Minotaur was a monster shaped half like a man and half like a bull, confined in a labyrinth where he was periodically fed young men and maidens. After killing the Minotaur the Greek hero Theseus ate a dandelion salad.
An Algonquin legend relates the story of Shawondesee, the fat lazy south wind. One day he observed a dandelion in the form of a beautiful golden-haired maiden on the meadow near him, but he was too lazy to pursue her. In a few days, he returned, and saw a bent old woman with grizzled white hair. Disappointed, he heaved a tremendous sigh, and observed the old woman's white hair fly away on the breeze. In the spring, the south wind still sighs for the lost beauty who might have been his.
The Iroquois ascribed sexual symbolism to dandelion roots. Roots with a side root reminiscent of the male sexual organ were tossed backwards while saying the name of one's desired love. Alternatively, roots growing intertwined were boiled, and the water used to wash one's face and fingers in the expectation that this would make one sexually irresistible.
There are indications that seeds of dandelions were deliberately brought to North America by the Mayflower pilgrims, quite possibly to grow as a garden plant.
The number of inches a child will grow in the coming year is said to be foretold by the tallest dandelion stalk he can find.
A wish will come true if with one breath you can blow all the white silky fluff off a dandelion in the seed stage.
Dandelion is so strong as a diuretic that children handling the flowers extensively have absorbed enough of the constituents through their skin to cause bed wetting.
Dogs are likely to urinate on dandelions in lawns - an interesting irony since the only obvious medicinal use of the plants is to promote urination.
The dandelion has been declared an endangered wildflower in England. While this may raise eyebrows, we too in Canada doubtless have native species of dandelions meriting protection.
Despite their modem reputation as an undesirable weed, dandelions have great value, and it is important to learn more about them.
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Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 tea bag for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the pot, cover and let steep for 2-4 minutes. Pour into your cup; add milk and sugar to taste.
Iced tea brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea itself. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into the serving pitcher straining the tea bags. Add ice and top-up with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste.
Cautions
Toxicity
For most people the only hazard of consuming dandelion is excessive urination. Overuse of diuretics (which stimulate urination) can lower the level of potassium ions and lead to muscular weakness and constipation. Potassium ions are a part of the mechanism for transmitting nervous impulses, and an imbalance of potassium can sensitize the heart muscle to drugs like digitalis, resulting in irregular heartbeat and other symptoms. The German Commission E monograph on dandelion recommends that it be avoided if gallstones are present; it should not be used if bile ducts are obstructed. Dandelion root can cause hyperacidity in some people. Contact dermatitis has been reported from handling dandelions. Dandelions should not be harvested from locations such as lawns and roadsides that may have been sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides. Finally, roadside dandelions could accumulate lead or other chemicals from nearby automobile traffic.
Additional Information
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
