Dandelion: The Liver Cleanser
Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, aka Fairy Clock
Few plants can fill the herbalist's heart with such joy as the common dandelion. Dandelion's sunny yellow flowers open every morning with a familiarly radiant head on their own hollow stems. The stems ooze a caustic white latex milk when snapped that has been used to treat warts. The toothed green leaves grow in a rosette form on most lawns and byways. These leaves have a smooth texture that is pleasing in spring salads or with other cooked greens. The long fleshy taproot defies most gardener's shovels, but the herbalist waits patiently for the first fall rains to loosen the soil of second-year roots for harvest.
Dandelion's Medicinal Properties and Actions
All parts for the dandelion have a bitter bite. This taste comes from the flavonoids that give dandelion its well deserved "blood purifying" properties. These compounds work in the digestive system to increase the flow of urine. Unlike other diuretics, dandelion contains vast amounts of potassium that restores the mineral balance in the kidneys as toxins are flushed out.
Dandelion is in most liver tonics due to the oils, the bitter resins that stimulate the digestive system. The fiber in the whole plant is described as viscous because of its astonishing ability to absorb and transport toxins from the bowels out of the body, balance intestinal flora, and soothe the digestive tract in the process.
People have used the caustic latex from dandelion stems to burn off warts.
The essential oils within this common weed are documented as having both bacteriostatic and fungistatic properties to name a few. The intensity of these components means that patients using prescription antibiotics would be wise to avoid dandelion until they have finished their treatment.
Conditions Helped By Dandelion
Detoxification is the word that most people think of if they are familiar with dandelion's herbal applications. There are few detox formulas on the market that don't make use of this plants toxin elimination abilities. Dandelion is my best friend when recovering from illnesses. It revives me after flus and colds have taken their toll. People with liver conditions, skin conditions, changes in hormones such as menopause or adoscence and arthritis (including gout) can benefit greatly from dandelion.
Dandelion is also useful for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and unstable blood sugar levels. This plant is full of bitter constituents are not only excellent for stimulating the digestive system but offer anti-inflammatory benefits. Dandelion is also helpful as a lactation stimulator.
For more information on the conditions best helped by yarrow, see the topics in Conditions, including:
Herbal Cold Care
List of Dandelion's Actions:
Leaf: Diuretic, bitter and choleric
Root: Bitter, Cholagogue and mild laxative
Medicinal Processing for Dandelion Leaf and Root
Ideally, the root and leaves should be separated and processed in different batches. Roots are starchy and break down much slower than leaves, thus Dandelion leaf tincture will be ready for use sooner than Dandelion root tincture. After both tinctures are finished, they can be recombined for a whole dandelion tincture finished product.
Both root and leaf may be processed with a 1:1 plant weight to solvent weight ratio. Both root and leaf are also processed with about 50 percent water to 50 percent pure alcohol. The range is flexible with this plant so feel free to play around with what suits your needs best. Whiskey is a perfect alcohol with which to to process Dandelion since it is generally around 100 proof so it needs no watering down.
It is wise to collect and dry extra leaf and root to add to the tincture after the first straining to give the fresh tincture a boost. See Tinctures for information on the basic process and tips on making tinctures.
For general use, the entire plant may be collected in the spring. Since this is the time that garden beds are prepared, simply collect the Dandelion that have strayed into your beds and set those aside for medicine or food (see The Practical Herbalist Recipes) instead of throwing them in the compost. If you want to make a stronger, more medicinal tincture of the root, use root that was collected in the fall shortly after the first frost when the inulin levels are higher.
Dandelion leaf may be hung to dry after cleaning. Dry Dandelion leaf should still be green and crumble when crushed.
Dandelion root should be scrubbed, chopped, and dried in an oven or a food dryer. The outer flesh of the dry Dandelion root will have a dark color when dried while the inner flesh will retain the creamy white color.
Especially for beginning herbalists, we recommend using dry Dandelion for making glycerites. The ratios of plant weight to glycerine and water weight is about 1:5. Mix 2/3 glycerine and 1/3 water with the weighed plant. If you plan to use fresh plant material, adjust the water-to-glycerine ratio to accommodate the water contained in the fresh plant. See Glycerites for more information on the basic process and tips for making glycerites.
Dandelion adds pizazz to apple cider vinegar. Since it is so high in vitamins and minerals, how could any herbalist resist adding it to vinegar? Any part of the plant may be used depending on the action or flavor you desire. Both the leaf and root are bitters, which stimulate the digestive system, but the starchiness of the root lends a sweet, smoky taste to vinegars. The whole plant may be used, too. See Making Herbal Vinegars for information on the basic procedure and tips on making herbal vinegars.
Gardening, Growing, and Gathering Dandelion
Dandelion roots grow deep, as just about any gardener can attest to. While that drives many folks crazy, it's truly a blessing to our lawns and gardens. Dandelion roots burrow deep into the soil, breaking up compacted areas, which makes it easier for dandelion's less tenacious companions to dig in as well. Dandelion draws up nutrients that have been washed deep into the soil, replenishing the upper layers so more shallow-rooted plants can use them. In addition, they create a micro-climate that draws earth worms, who help break-up compacted soil and spread those nutrients around.
These tough, healing plants are welcome in my garden. They're hearty and easy to propagate from either root division or seed. Best of all, they take the place of less useful, less invasive plants who would otherwise take over the open spaces. When I need space for a new herbal friend, I kindly thank Dandelion for preparing the soil. Then, I harvest the whole dandelion plant and use it for food or medicine, depending on the season and my family's needs, and get on with filling the freshly worked space.
If you're still not sold on letting Dandelion into your garden, you have some natural options for preventing them from growing in your space. First, you can pull them as soon as they begin to grow, which is a lot of work but can be effective if you're quite thorough and can yield a great deal of good food and medicine for your larder. Second, you can decrease the acidity of your soil. Dandelions like to grow in slightly acid soil, so using lime to neutralize your garden and lawn soil can deter them from growing while supporting the growth of other landscaping plants like turf grass, which likes a pH of around 5.5 to 6.
Identifying and Gathering Dandelion
Dandelion, a member of the Asteracea (or Sunflower) family separates itself from the multitude of lookalikes by its smooth, toothed leaves, milky stem sap and fleshy taproot. This root, which can grow to up to one foot in length, is one source of this species' strength. It's a busy chemical factory, gathering nutrition from deep within the soil and absorbing pollutants.
Because dandelion is one of the detoxifying plants, it's a good idea to gather dandelion away from high-traffic areas if you can. If you're buying dried dandelion, look for leaf that is crisp and bright to deep green and root that has bits of both white and dark brown.
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Quick ID tips |
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Dandelion Leaf |
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Appearance: |
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Basal lanceolate leaves with smooth texture and often notched sides. Stem is hollow with a single yellow flower at the end of each stalk. These stalks dry to a purple or brown color. The leaf should retain it's green color with drying. |
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Taste: |
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Bitter with traces of sweetness |
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Odor |
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Tangy, grassy scent |
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Quick ID tips |
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Dandelion Root |
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Appearance: |
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Fleshy, milky taproot with dark brown exterior and cream colored interior. Dried root looks similar. |
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Taste: |
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Bittersweet and starchy |
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Odor |
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Earthy scent with sharp, starchy overtones when fresh |
Using Dandelion to Care for Animals
Like humans, animals can benefit from a bit of Dandelion in their diet.
Birds and caged animals (such as hamsters or bearded dragons) that have largely vegetarian diets due well with the the nutrition offered by throwing a handful of dried dandelion leaves onto their food.
Dogs and cats, especially those who are older or have been through stressful times, can benefit from dandelion, too. Dandelion aids digestion and helps cleanse the liver and kidneys in canines and felines just as it does in humans. Mix powdered, dried dandelion tops and roots into your friend's food or add dandelion glycerite or vinegar to your friend's water.
Horses and other larger herbivores may eat dandelion all on their own, but if they don't you can try adding molasses to a handful and feeding it to them as a treat.
Smaller barnyard animals, such as chickens, waterfowl, turkey and others, can benefit from the addition of dandelion to their diets as well. They may eat those dandelions they find in the yard. If not, try crumbling dried dandelion into their feed.
The amount to add is roughly a teaspoon of dried herb per 20 pounds of animal.
Here are some ideas for adding Dandelion to your animal's diet:
- Mix dried dandelion tops and/or roots into feed.
- Mix fresh, chopped dandelion tops and/or roots into feed.
- Add dandelion glycerite or vinegar to water.
- Add dandelion tincture to water or mix it into feed.
- Add dandelion infusion to water or mix it into feed.
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Recipes, Household Formulas, and Non-medicinal Uses of Dandelion
Dandelion is a great bittering herb. Use it in salads or appetizers to get the digestive juices flowing. Collect dandelion greens in the spring from organic lawns for a lettuce alternative.
Roasted dandelion roots make a surprisingly satisfying coffee substitute.
Dry dandelion is wonderful to use in glycerites or teas. It can also be powdered to throw in smoothies as a liver cleanser during fasts and to keep the body's potassium levels up.
Dandelion vinegar is not only good for salads and soups but for adding to drinking water. Combining the kidney and liver supportive power of dandelion with apple cider vinegar's reputation for increased health only makes sense.
Dandelion makes a healthful alternative to hops for bittering beer, especially for those who don't need the estrogen-enhancing or sedative properties that hops lend to the brew. I use roughly two ounces of dried dandelion tops or four ounces of fresh dandelion tops to achieve approximately 12 to 14 HBUs when bittering.
Some recipes include:
- Dandelion Porter, extract brewing
- Dandelion Porter, all-grain brewing
- Roasted Roots: A Coffee Substitute
See The Practical Herbalist Recipes for more recipes that use Dandelion.
Dandelion's History, Folklore, and Magical Properties
The healing ways of dandelion spread as quickly as its seeds parachute in the wind. The Chinese were the first to describe dandelion's medicinal virtues in purifying the blood and increasing the immune system. By the eleventh century, Arabic cultures were sharing its use to treat troubles of the liver and kidneys. Soon all of Europe was using dandelion in their kitchens and storing it in their medicine cabinets.
To early American colonists, dandelions were carefully tended crops. Europeans brought this ancient food with them to plant in the colonial gardens for use as salad greens, beer bitters, wine base, stockpot roots, and vital medicine. It's difficult for the modern gardener to imagine long rows of "weeded" dandelion beds, but this plant has been cultivated by Eurasians for centuries.
Dandelion Folklore and Mythos
Dandelion were called “fairy clocks” because their flowers open and close predictably.
Dandelion was used as a tool for divination. If you blow a seed head, the number of seeds remaining are the number of children you will have.
In Victorian Flower language, Dandelion symbolizes Love. It has also symbolized wishes, welcome, faithfulness and divination, grief and bitterness, and the sun.
Dandelion Magic: The Magic of Adaptation and Transformation
Dandelion prefers loose, rich, healthy soil, but it can grow just as readily in compacted, rocky, and dry soils. It grows at altitudes ranging from sea level to 10,500 feet, in broad and open meadows as well as in the inner city sidewalk cracks, and despite a wide range of difficult obstacles such as lawn mowers and herbicides. This speaks to Dandelion's ability to adapt to its environment, no matter how challenging. Dandelion magic is the magic of adaptation.
Dandelion is more than an adapter; Dandelion is a transformer. Loosening compacted soil by growing deep roots, creating a micro-climate that draws earthworms, who's job it is to change and rejuvenate the soil, drawing nutrients and toxins to the surface for use and transformation, dandelion is symbolic of the kind of magic that gently and firmly changes those conditions that no longer serve its environment. Dandelion magic is the magic of practical, gentle, and intentional transformation.
Dandelion's bright yellow flowers open the the morning with the sun's first light and close again in the evening, giving it a strong sun affinity. Dandelion is one of the first to flower in spring and one of the last to go dormant in the winter. It prefers cooler weather, flowering more profusely in the spring and fall than in the summer. All of this speaks to Dandelion's sensitivity. Dandelion asks us to be equally aware of the conditions under which we can best use the power we have.
Dandelion seeds germinate quickly, generally taking from three to six weeks to sprout, and are able to survive a light frost. It is an aid in activating compost as well, making Dandelion a useful agent for getting trans-formative energies moving quickly and keeping those energies moving despite minor set-backs.
Finally, Dandelion is an aid to its community, transforming its environment so more delicate plants can grow, providing a wealth of nutrients to a wide array of herbivores and omnivores, and providing bees and other insects with nectar when other plants cannot bloom. It is a plant that asks us to share our energies and ourselves with our communities in an effort to nourish the world.
In astrology, Dandelion is considered a masculine plant and is governed by Jupiter and the Sun. In Ayurvedic medicine, it's associated with Saturn. Dandelion's element is Air.
Cautions for Using Dandelion
The bitter properties of dandelion signal those with ulcers to avoid its use. Ulcer pain is worsened in most cases with herbs that increase stomach acid. This holds true for patients suffering from bowel blockage and gallstones as well.
Due to dandelion's bacteriostatic and fungistatic properties, patients using prescription antibiotics would be wise to avoid using dandelion until they have finished their treatment.