The medicinal properties of dandelion are numerous. Discover the main uses of this plant, how you can consume it and how it can help you.
The dandelion is a plant whose medicinal use has been documented since the beginning of the 11th century, through the scriptures of Persian doctors of such as famous Dr. Ibn Sina, better known as Avicenna, and his predecessor Al-Razi or Razí, whom The current "Razi Medical Research Institute", located near Tehran (Iran), is named after.
As said above, Avicenna has mentioned in his writings and its use to stimulate the production of bile and urine. In the 16th century, its use was consolidated and its diuretic properties resulting from increased urine production and its double action on the liver were described: on one hand, it stimulated the production of bile (choleretic effect) on the other, its emptying from the gallbladder to the duodenum, facilitating the digestion of fat. This double effect on the liver and kidneys and its mild laxative action meant that dandelion is considered a good purifying and digestive plant.
By the 20th century, specifically in the 1940s, Dr. Henri Leclerc (1870-1954) pointed out the improvement obtained using dandelion infusions in certain skin problems such as eczema, rashes and itching, in those patients in whom dermatological conditions coincided with problems of insufficient liver function, due to the connection of good liver function and skin health.
In the monograph of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) dandelion is shown as a medicinal for traditional use (MTP) for mild digestive disorders (such as a feeling of abdominal fullness, flatulence and slow digestion) and to increase the amount of urine and cleanse the urinary tract and kidneys. Due to its bitter taste it also has an aperitif effect and can be used to whet the appetite.
The dandelion is a herbaceous plant, belonging to the Compositae family, which does not usually grow more than 35 cm high. It has a conical, short and quite branched rhizome, with a bittersweet taste. Its leaves (with a bitter taste when they are grown) are deeply toothed and form a rosette at the base from where the flowering stems grow, which are hollow and upright and end in a yellow flower head.
These edible flowers, form a sphere of white and silky pappus (set of feathery hairs) that fly with the air, and help spread their seeds; In some regions, children use to blow on the achenes to make the pappus fly, which they call little angels.
What is mostly used from this plant is the root, but also the leaves and the entire plant without the inflorescences. Although it is native to Europe and Asia, it can now be found all over the world. It grows both in meadows and in vacant lots, roadside ditches and even in flower pots, often being considered a weed.
The name of the dandelion is popularly known in almost all languages due to the shape of its trimmed leaves, similar to sharp and curved teeth. However, other names it is also known for, refer to its properties. Thus, the Castilian taraxacón or the Italian tarassaco come from its Latin name Taraxacum, which means "remove" and alludes to its mildly laxative properties.
In French, it is known as pis-en-lit, alluding to its diuretic properties, since its tender leaves are edible and very pleasant in a salad. During scarcity times, they formed an important part of the early spring diet and it is said that children who ate a lot of dandelion urinated in bed for its diuretic effect.
It can be taken in tisane, fluid extract (drops) or capsules of powder or dry extract, either from the leaves, the root, or a mixture of both.
PRICE RANGE
- Generally, if it is the root, the dose is the equivalent of 3 to 5 grams, taken up to three times a day.
- When it comes to the leaves, the equivalent of 4 to 10 grams, taken up to three times a day.
- And the root and leaf mixture from 3.5 to 7.5 grams, up to three times a day.
- For fluid extracts (drops) and capsules of powder or dry extract, it is recommended to follow the instructions of the manufacturing laboratory.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW…
- It is a herbaceous plant whose roots and leaves are used as a natural medication for digestive disorders.
- It was first used to stimulate the production of bile and urine.
- Capsules of dandelion powder or dry extract can be taken as an infusion.