Dandelion . . . so much more than just a weed

Here we are in March already and everywhere I look, the familiar golden yellow flowers of Dandelion heralds the coming of warmer days. Although many homeowners see Dandelions as the bane of their existence, and spend significant amounts of money trying to eradicate them from sight, the fact is that dandelions have a long and rich history both medicinally and in folklore stories. Dandelions are an extremely helpful little plant, not only supporting pollinator populations, but in growing where the earth has been compacted, to improve soil conditions by breaking it up with it's long taproot and restoring mineral content to the earth.

This is the perfect time of year to share about the classic benefits of Dandelion, when we are coming out of the depths of winter and the Dandelion is among the first greens to begin growing. For our ancestors the winter was a time of scarce food and lower nutritional ingestion, often eating preserved foods and a lot more meat, dandelion was worked with to cleanse the body of accumulation from the winter period.

Just like it's taproot breaking up the compacted soil, the medicine of Dandelion goes deep, down into the bowls and helps to rekindle the digestion through its bitter action, as well as providing minerals to address nutritional deficiencies from the winter season.

This unassuming plant has actually been the 'gateway herb' for many who begin their journey of learning about the medicinal benefits of plants, as it is so readily available to work with and the abundance of it ensures it's stainability, with the additional benefit of providing a local resource unaffected by supply chains.

Multiple parts of the Dandelion have medicinal benefits, but in Western Herbalism typically it is the roots and the leaves which are worked with, although the flower heads make a wonderful tasting wine:)

Dandelion is a bitter tasting root, however it can have a sweeter quality to it, depending upon the time of year. Spring roots are less bitter as the energy moves from the root into growing new leaves and flower heads, while in the fall all of the energy moves back into the root system as the flowers die back, creating a stronger bitter taste. Its spring leaves also contains less bitterness than later in the season, when they begin to get tougher. The earlier you pick the leaves the more pleasant they are in salads and they have the additional benefit of being rich in minerals, adding the leaves to vinegar is a great method for extracting the mineral content and a great base for a salad dressing!

Dandelion's bitterness is indicative of medicinal virtues, especially for the liver, gallbladder and the digestive system, along with the nourishing aspect of this plant's mineral content, it also contains a compound called inulin which is a form of a prebiotic sugar. Probiotics found in yogurt or fermented foods support a healthy system from mouth to gut, aiding digestion and improving nutrient absorption. Their optimal functioning affects our optimal functioning and when those bacteria become imbalanced it affects local digestion, responsible for infections and leaky gut syndrome. Dandelion is an important herb for maintaining the integrity of our gut ecology, as it provides the inulin in a form of food for probiotics to eat, so they can continue to do their job.

Inulin belongs to the fructan group of polysaccharides and serves as a carbohydrate storage in many plant species.

Main Root Actions:

Alterative: detoxification agent, used to open up channels of elimination, to cleans the body of metabolic waste products, helping to also cleans the blood and lymphatic system, great for after using antibiotics which creates stagnation in the body from the buildup of dead bacterial cells.

Bitter tonics: stimulates gastric and intestinal secretions in the liver and gallbladder, strengthening digestion, cleansing damp accumulation from the GI tract and helping with the digestion and absorption of fats and oils.

Mild laxative: very gentle in this action.

Prebiotic: rich in inulin, providing food for beneficial bacteria and gut flora.

Leaf Actions:

Bitter tonic: as with the root there is a bitter taste to the leaves with similar actions, however it is the diuretic properties that the leaf is most known for.

Diuretic: helps to purge fluids from the tissues via the kidneys and urinary tract.

Nutritive tonic: rich in minerals, vitamins and nutrients to help build up and strengthen the body.

The leaf of Dandelion contains a high amount of potassium and one of the problems with a lot of diuretic medications, or other diuretic plants, is that you can loose a lot of potassium through increased urination. Typically potassium supplements are needed to replenish stores when taking pharmaceutical medications of diuretics, such as for high blood pressure when needing to reduce water retention. But here we have nature in all of its grand design, providing us with this compact plant that is a solid, reliable diuretic that also contains high levels of potassium, which normally would be depleted through diuresis, a true testament to the intelligence of nature and how Dandelion operates in a very gentle and balanced way.

The energetics of Dandelion are cooling and drying to the body, with a slightly astringent tonic affect to the tissues. This is good information to consider as if you are usually a person who feels the cold, with a tendency towards a dry constitution, such as dry skin, scalp, lips etc., Dandelion would enhance those conditions, therefore it would be beneficial to include other warming and moistening herbs along with it, that help to offset its energetic effects, such as ginger with licorice or marshmallow root.

Dandelion's strength is actually the fact it's very mild on the system, having a gentle detoxification effect, cleansing and then nurturing the body through the nourishing aspect of it's nutrients and prebiotics, cleansing and building in layers its almost like gut permaculture!

If you would like to incorporate Dandelions into your lifestyle, talk to your doctor first if you are currently on any medications. Otherwise try roasting the root as it brings out the sweetness and can be a wonderful substitute for coffee, here is a recipe for you below, obviously make sure there has been no spraying of pesticides in the area you are harvesting Dandelions from and why not make a reciprocal offering back of thanks by watering a nearby plant, picking up any litter, or just by feeling gratitude :)

After you have rinsed your Dandelion roots from most of the dirt chop them up into small pieces and spread out in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Roast in a 350°F oven for about 10-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Or another method is in a 150°F oven for four hours, experiment and see which method you like the flavour of most. After they have roasted cool and grind the roots with a food blender, store in a covered jar until you want to make your coffee. The amount you use will vary depending on how strong you want the flavour, try starting with 1 teaspoon of the ground roots in two cups of water and boil for 5-10 minutes, then strain out the root pieces with a fine mesh sieve and serve with your choice of cream and/or sweetener.

Another way to work with the root would be to brew your regular coffee as usual, and then add the brewed Dandelion liquid to your cup, you could try half coffee and half Dandelion brew and adjust to your own liking:)