Dandelion

Dandelion, blowball, cankerwort, Irish daisy, monk’s head, priest’s crown, swine snout, wild endive, witch gowan, and yellow gowan

Family

Asteraceae

Chinese Medicine Name

Pu gong ying

Ayurvedic Name

Simhadanti

Parts Used

Entire plant (aerial parts, flowers, stems, roots)

 

Actions

Alterative, aperient, bitter, chologogue, diuretic, hepatic, nutritive, tonic

Energetics

Cooling and drying  

Edible Uses

The entire dandelion plant is edible. The flowers, unopened as buds, can be pickled in a way similar to capers. The full opened flower can be added to salad as an edible garnish or they may also be battered and fried, or boiled with butter or oil. The leaves and roots are often used as a bitter tea to stimulate appetite and help food digest more easily. The young leaves of the plant can be used like any other salad green (when they're no longer smallish and young the taste can be a bit more bitter, but still palatable and nutritious). Dandelion root is also used a nice substitute for coffee when it's dried and roasted. The cooked taste of dandelion root is similar to a turnip. 

Native To

Eurasia (Europe)

Geographic Distribution

North America, South America, Europe, southern Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and India.

Botanical Description & Identification 

Dandelion is a perennial herbaceous plant which grows from a tap-root reaching deep into the soil, measuring up to 10-12 inches long underground and 2-18 inches above ground. It has stalks are hollow and contain a milk-type substance that can be seen when broken. Each flower, which blossoms from about April to June, contains tiny yellow petals on a yellow head and are actually individual flowers called florets. The leaves have jagged edges that some say resemble a lion's tooth, hence the name 'dandelion', and can measure 3-12 inches long. 

Key Constituents

Vitamins A and B. Leaf: calcium, potassium, iron, carotenoids, coumarins. Root: potassium, calcium, phenolic acids, taraxocoside, inulin.

Sustainability Issues

No known sustainability issues. 

Harvesting Guidelines

For the purpose of harvesting less bitter tasting dandelion leaves it is best to harvest them in the spring when they're young. For more bitter tasting leaves harvesting all season is beneficial. The taproots are deep and can be collected by holding the base of the plant and pulling up with a little strength, or by using a digger tool or shovel to loosen the dirt around the plant before extracting it out of the ground. If one wishes for dandelion to return in this spot it is best to simply leave a bit of the root in the ground and it will revive itself the following year. Older roots and roots harvested in the autumn will have more medicinal properties as well as higher levels of inulin (a plant property with numerous health benefits). To harvest the flower simply pop off the head leaving the leaves and greenery behind if desired. The dandelion flower does not contain the same bitterness that comes with its leaves. It is best not to harvest dandelion in lawns or parks where pesticides may have been sprayed.