Parts used: leaves, root, flower, whole herb
Therapeutic actions: Diuretic, liver and digestive tonic, mildly
laxative, antirheumatic, astringent, antibilious, cholagogue,
galactogogue, stomachic.
Medicinal uses: Heartburn, rheumatism, gout, eczema, congestive
jaundice, congestion of the liver and gallbladder, atonic dyspepsia,
dropsy, scurvy, scrofula, gallstones,
Chemical composition: The root is high in iron, manganese,
phosphorus, protein, sodium and vit. A. The root also contains:
triterpenes (taraxol, amyrin, taraxacin & others), fatty acids
(myristic, palmitic, stearic, & lauric), carotenoids, pseudotannins
(caffeic acid & others), saponins (sistasterol & others), flavonoids
(lutein, flavoxanthin, violaxanthin & others), glycosides, pectin and
inulin.
Preparations:
Recipes:
Decoction: Put 2-3 teaspoons of the cut root into 1 cup of water.
Bring this to a boil and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes. Sweeten
with a little bit of honey or stevia if desired. Drink 3 times a day.
Liver/Kidney: This is Dr. Christopher's formula - if you are
squeamish about the cayenne pepper, you can leave it out. However,
the formula does work better with it in. It will sting for a few
moments, but it goes away quickly. I have used it, and it is very
healing.
1/2 oz. Juniper berries
1/2 oz. Dandelion root
1 oz. Broom tops
1 1/2 pints of water
Place the ingredients in the water and bring to a boil. Gently simmer
for 10 minutes and strain. Add a little bit of cayenne. Take 1
tablespoon of this liquid 3 times a day.
Side Effects & Contraindications: None known.
Notes: Dandelion is a good choice as a diuretic, since it is high in
potassium, a mineral normally lost from the system with the use of
diuretics.
Spring dug roots are higher in the bitter principle, taraxacin. Fall
dug roots are higher in Inulin. Therefore, the timing of digging the
roots depends upon the purpose for which you will use the roots.
Split the roots the long way before drying.
Drying destroys very few of the healing properties. The leaves can be
gathered any time, but taste the best (for inclusion in salads) in
the spring and early summer.
I have not tried it, but have heard it reported that putting the
milky sap of dandelions on warts will help to remove them. New sap
should be applied daily, and the wart kept covered with a bandaid
until the wart drops off.
Bibliography:
-A Modern Herbal, by Mrs. M. Grieve
-The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal, by David Hoffmann
-Nutritional Herbology, by Mark Pedersen
-The Complete Medicinal Herbal, by Penelope Ody
http://pacific.telebyte.com/~brtaylor/dandelion.html