Return to Article index

Article 5. Dandelions - good for Man and Beast

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dandelions - good for Man and Beast

After a terribly long wait - Spring has finally arrived and with it this lovely little flower. The bane of lovers of immaculate English lawns and just about everyone else, dandelions are looked upon as a pesky weed that must be eradicated at all costs. And cost it does. Thousands, if not millions are spent annually to rid fields and gardens of this lovely, gentle plant. In fact, it is one of the most valuable members of the medicinal plant kingdom.

Known to botanists as taraxacum officinale, it also carries common names such as blowball, cankerwort, lion’s tooth, priest’s crown, puffball, swine snout, white or wild endive - and in French it is, of course, pissenlit. It is one of those plants that to the dismay of many, seems to grow everywhere. Its bright yellow flowers are among the first to spring from the wintery soil before forming puffballs that drift around like tiny parachutes. Take heart, some 1500 European species have been identified and described!

Dandelion is a valuable plant not only for humans, but also for animals. Since the flowers bloom early in the spring they may be the only major source of nourishment for bees. Dandelion is also considered an excellent and highly nutritious pasture plant for beef cattle, and is said to increase milk flow in dairy cattle. In addition, a golden yellow dye that colours wool and cotton can be obtained from the flowers, and a purple dye from the roots.

Its History and Uses

What makes dandelion such a valuable plant is its strong medicinal as well as culinary properties. Every part of the plant is used for specific purposes, from the roots, leaves and flower to even the stalks. In Russia the plant latex (the milky substance residing in the stalks) is used as a source of rubber, thereby reducing the country’s dependency on imports.

Dandelion has been consumed for centuries in Europe and Asia. The Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Celts and Gauls used
dandelion as a food. In Victorian England, dandelion was widely grown in kitchen gardens for use as a salad herb.
It was brought to North America by early colonists as a pot herb. During times of war and famine, it was a much-valued emergency food. And as a medicinal plant, dandelion has been used at least since the time of the Arabian physicians of the 10th and 11th centuries. Legend has it that when the Greek hero Theseus killed the Minotaur he sat down to a dish of dandelion salad!

Medicinal applications

The dandelion has two particularly important uses: to promote the formation of bile and to remove excess water from the body in edemous conditions resulting from liver problems. The root especially affects all forms of secretion and excretion from the body. By acting to remove poisons from the body, it acts as a tonic and stimulant as well. The fresh juice is most effective, but dandelion is also prepared as a tea. Lukewarm dandelion tea has been recommended for dyspepsia with constipation, fever, insomnia, and hypochondria. An infusion of the fresh root is said to be good for gallstones, jaundice, and other liver problems. Dandelions were an ingredient of a popular 19th century patent medicine used to treat menstrual discomforts, Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound, claimed by its manufacturer to be ‘the greatest medical discovery since the dawn of history’.

A highly valued modern-day prescription as a Liver Tonic is the following:

Mix together 1 ounce of chopped dandelion root with 1 ounce each of cinnamon bark, senna leaves, caraway seeds and ginger root. Add to 3 pints of water. Gently boil until liquid is reduced in volume to about 1½ pints.
Add ½ pound of sugar and return to boil. When it reaches the second boil, continue boiling 2 minutes, remove from heat, strain and cool. Store in the refrigerator. Dose frequently with 1 teaspoon daily for one week.*

(*Jude’s Herbal Home Remedies, 1995, Llewellyn Publications, Minnesota).

Note: Since this is someone else’s recipe I have left it in its original state. However, I would strongly suggest omitting the sugar. The tonic will actually taste better without it.


Nutritional Properties

Dandelion greens are high in vitamins A and C and niacin. Content of iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and magnesium are exceptionally high. Although high in vitamin C, the level is considerably decreased if the leaves are blanched. Unlike some salad greens, dandelion does not seem to accumulate undesirable levels of nitrates. However, dandelions grown near roads with heavy traffic can pick up lead from engine exhausts.

Warning: Do not eat dandelions from locations that may have been sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides.

For Culinary uses visit the Recipes page:

 

Edith Carter

---