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Dandelion
Text by Rosalee de la Forêt.
Illustrations by Tatiana Rusakova
Ebook designed by Tudor Maier
©2019 Rosalee de la Foret, LLC. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission of the author.
The herbal and plant information in this Workbook is for educational purposes only. The information
within the Workbook is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other
medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact
your health care provider. Always consult with a health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy
or food, especially if pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.
Published by Rosalee de la Forêt, LLC, Carlton, WA
First digital edition, May 2019. Published in the U.S.A.
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Table of Contents
Dandelion Summary..................................................................................4
Introduction...............................................................................................4
Dandelion Roots.........................................................................................5
Dandelion Leaves.......................................................................................6
Dandelion Flowers.....................................................................................7
Dandelion Stems........................................................................................7
Dandelion Seeds........................................................................................8
Botanically Speaking.................................................................................8
Using Dandelion.........................................................................................9
Special Considerations............................................................................10
About Rosalee..........................................................................................12
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Dandelion Summary
Botanical name: Taraxacum officinale

Family: Asteraceae

Parts used: root, leaves, flowers, sap, seeds

Energetics: cooling, drying

Taste:
leaf: bitter, salty
root: bitter, sweet

Leaf Properties: diuretic, alterative, nutritive, digestive

Root Properties: alterative, nutritive, choleretic, cholagogue, mild laxative

Used For: poor digestion, water retention, skin eruptions, healthy liver function. Also used as a
nourishing food.

Plant Preparations: decoction, tincture, food, vinegar, infused oil

Introduction
For many herbalists dandelion is much more than a nutritious weed, it’s also a symbol of a plant
revolution. Despite being hated and poisoned by lawn purists, dandelion continues to thrive. It breaks
through cement cracks, covers entire fields, and spreads billions and billions of seeds over the earth
every year. This is one voracious plant.

Dandelions are also a reminder that a simple and common weed can offer us important gifts as both
food and medicine. All parts of the dandelion are beneficial in some way or another. This article will
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look at dandelion from the ground up to explore the roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds as food
and medicine.

Dandelion is an opportunistic plant originating in Eurasia, which has spread to all temperate climate
zones of the world. Europeans have long loved the plant as both food and medicine and most likely
intentionally (and unintentionally) brought the seeds with them to North America, where dandelion
quickly spread. Anita Sanchez, author of The Teeth of the Lion, reports that a New England botanical
survey done in 1672 lists dandelions as well-established. Sanchez also says that the plants were
introduced to Canada by the French and to the west coast by the Spanish.1

It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that the rise of the perfect lawn evolved into a common disdain for
this beautiful plant. Today consumers spend billions of dollars on herbicides for their lawns, mostly to
eradicate dandelions.

Dandelion root was in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1831-1926. It remains in the
pharmacopoeias in Austria, Hungary, and Poland.2

Dandelion Roots
Dandelion roots are tenacious. If you harvest only a part of the root, the plant will heal itself and keep
on growing! This fortitude is the bane of lawn lovers and a generous gift for those of us who adore
dandelions.

Dandelions send their long roots deep into the earth, pulling vitamins and minerals into the plant. Fresh
dandelion roots have a sweet and slightly bitter taste and they make a wonderful nutrient-dense food.

Besides being high in micronutrients and phytonutrients like iron, manganese, carotenes, calcium, and
potassium, dandelions are also high in inulin.3 Inulin is a starchy carbohydrate that can help restore
healthy gut flora in an interesting way. While we can’t break down this substance ourselves, eating it
regularly provides food to the gut microbiome. Think of it like this: is a seed more likely to grow if you
drop it on the cement? Or is it more likely to grow if you drop it into a rich soil and regularly add compost
and water? The same goes for your gut flora. As a result of its beneficial effect on gut flora, inulin is often
called a PREbiotic.

Dandelion roots also are important medicine. Many herbalists use dandelion roots to support liver health.
Matthew Wood suggests the root specifically for “Liver congested, swollen, gallbladder congested, bile
thick, adhesive, gallstone formation, lack of bile secretion, jaundice from back-up bile, constipation
from lack of bile in the intestines; anemia from lack of bile production and recycling.”4

While we don’t yet have a scientific understanding of the way dandelion root affects the liver, we do
have important energetic distinctions. When liver health is disrupted it can show signs of heat, signs of
stagnation, or both.
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I consider symptoms of liver stagnation to include: poor digestion (especially poor fat digestion or
absorption), sour belching, estrogen dominance, and excessive PMS symptoms (including bloating,
clots, cramping, irregular bowel movements, and excess anger).

If Liver Stagnation isn’t resolved, it can further evolve into what Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners
call Liver Heat. Signs of Liver Heat include: red tongue (especially on the sides of the tongue), headaches
behind or around the eyes, dry mouth, bitter taste in the mouth, tinnitus, bursts of anger, hot and itchy
skin conditions, and dry and red eyes.

Dandelion root is gently stimulating, moving stagnation and generally improving liver health. I think of
dandelion as giving a firm and steady tap to the liver to nudge it back into healthy function. It is both
cooling and draining, which makes it specific to the hot and damp conditions that the liver is easily
prone to. In herbal terms, dandelion root is considered to be both a choleretic herb (affects the liver) and
a cholagogue (affects the gall bladder).

Because it improves liver function, dandelion root has rippling benefits for many symptoms associated
with poor liver health, including acne, boils, and PMS. Because of its wide ranging effects, specifically in
regards to removing stagnation, dandelion is often referred to as an alterative herb.

Herbalists have used dandelion for arthritis symptoms for centuries and modern researchers have
tried to find the mechanism of action. In one in vitro trial, an extract of dandelion, taraxasterol, has
been shown to decrease inflammation and protect healthy cells. The authors of the study concluded,
“Taraxasterol may be a useful agent for prevention and treatment of OA [osteoarthritis].”5

Dandelion root has historically been used to support people with cancer. Herbalist Michael Tierra uses
it alongside burdock and other herbs for his cancer patients. He says, “I’ve studied literally hundreds of
herbs from around the world, and considering cost, availability, palatability (no small matter, as people
with chronic disease like cancer need to be able to take their herbs at least three times a day for months)
– there are probably no two more simple and powerful anticancer herbs on the planet than dandelion
and burdock.“6

The University of Windsor in Canada is conducting “The Dandelion Root Project”. Since 2009 they have
been testing dandelion extract in the lab against various cancer cells. They are currently in Phase 1
clinical trials for drug refractory (resistant) blood cancers.7

Dandelion Leaves
Dandelion leaves have long been considered a spring tonic. When young and fresh, the leaves have a
delicate bitter taste that stimulates digestion. Effects of the bitter taste on the tongue include increased
saliva (helps to break down starches and carbohydrates), increased stomach enzymes (further breaks
down starches and also proteins), increased bile (aids fat digestion), and stimulated natural peristalsis
(to keep bowels moving).
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My husband is from the French alps and he remembers going to the fields and picking those fresh green
leaves with his mother in the springtime. The bitter digestion-stimulating effect of dandelion leaf would
have been an especially important effect after a long winter of the traditional rich meals of the French
alps. Dandelion leaf has important actions for our physiology today, when many of us suffer from
impaired digestion and the consumption of rich foods throughout the year.

Besides helping to stimulate digestion, the leaves are also nutritious. They are especially high in
calcium, phosphorous, carotenes, and potassium. Remember the benefits of inulin found in dandelion
roots? It turns out the leaves also have a surprisingly high amount of inulin, and therefore have the same
beneficial effect on gut flora.

Speaking of the French, they could win the prize for the country most infatuated with dandelion, as they
have been actively cultivating it for centuries. We get the English common name of dandelion from the
French “dent de lion,” meaning “teeth of a lion,” which refers to the jagged edges of the leaves. However,
in France, the name most commonly used for dandelion is “piss-en-lit” (pronounced: peace-on-lee),
which literally translates to “pee the bed.” This apt name refers to the strong diuretic qualities found in
the leaves. In fact, dandelion leaves are one of the most common diuretics used by herbalists today to
address edema, urinary stagnation, and symptoms of high blood pressure. Preliminary human clinical
trials have confirmed the diuretic effect of dandelion tincture (alcohol and water extraction).8

Dandelion Flowers
One of my favorite sights is a meadow filled with golden dandelion orbs in the springtime. It astounds
me that people have been so effectively brainwashed to hate this joyful and beautiful plant.

Dandelion flowers are more than a pretty face – they are edible and nutritious! The flowers are high in
lutein, a constituent known to dramatically support eye health. The inflorescences can be eaten raw,
fried in batter, or turned into jam or wine.

Dandelion flowers are also important for human survival. Those early spring blooms are an important
food source for the honey bee which is responsible for pollinating many of our fruits and vegetables.

Dandelion Stems
“Waste not, want not” could be the motto of the dandelion. Even the dandelion sap offers benefits
to humans. If you slice open a flower stem or a mature leaf stem, the plant will exude a thick white
substance that will reportedly remove warts with consistent application.

In keeping with the “waste not, want not” mantra”, I came up with a recipe for Fermented Dandelion
Stems.
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Dandelion Seeds
Perhaps the most obvious gift of dandelion seeds are their free wishes. Can you count how many times
you’ve picked a downy dandelion seed head so that you could blow off the seeds and make a wish? I
hope it’s too many times to count!

Dandelion seeds are prolific. There are over 100 seeds in every inflorescence. A small field of dandelions
could easily produce millions, if not billions, of tiny umbrella-like seeds, which will easily germinate,
bringing us more delicious and medicinal roots, flowers, and leaves.

While most herbalists don’t use dandelion seeds, I did learn from Cascade Anderson Gellar that the
seeds can be plucked and eaten. Like most seeds, they offer a good source of protein (and perhaps some
lessons in patience), despite their small size.

Botanically Speaking
Dandelions are small herbaceous perennial plants that grow in disturbed soils of temperate climate
zones – from lawns to gardens to farms to roadsides to abandoned lots. It’s not uncommon to see
dandelions growing through cracks in roads and sidewalks.

Dandelions have a strong taproot.

The leaves are simple, with jagged edges, and are commonly referred to as the “teeth of a lion.” They
grow in a basal rosette and are smooth, lacking any significant hairs. (Many dandelion lookalikes have
downy leaves or little prickles along the major vein of the leaf.)

The bright yellow flowers grow on a single leaf-less stem. (There are many dandelion lookalikes that
have numerous yellow flowers on a single stem.)

Each flower head (inflorescence) contains many individual flowers (a characteristic of the Asteraceae
family).

The seed head contains over 100 individual seeds. Each seed is attached to umbrella-like hairs (pappus),
which help to transport it on the wind.
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Using Dandelion
It’s empowering to walk out into the yard and harvest an abundant and delicious plant to use as food or
medicine. The plant can be harvested at any time, however there are preferences to the plant parts and
to whether you are using them as food or medicine.

Dandelion roots

Harvest: I prefer to harvest these in the fall after the first frost. At this stage they are highest in inulin,
making them sweeter and more nutrient dense. They can also be harvested after they’ve gone to seed in
the late spring/summer or before they flower in the spring. In a pinch, harvest them at any time.

Uses: Dandelion roots can be eaten as you would any root vegetable. They can be dried and roasted
to make a deliciously rich tea. They can be extracted into alcohol or vinegar. Alcohol will extract the
medicinal qualities, while the vinegar will pull out the minerals creating a nutritious addition to daily
salad dressings.

Dandelion leaves

Harvest: If harvesting the leaves for food, get the tender young leaves in the spring is ideal. These leaves
are slightly bitter but still palatable. When using them as a medicinal diuretic, they can be harvested at
any time, although I still prefer the lush green growth.

Uses: As a food: add them to salads, cook them with other vegetable greens, or turn them into a delicious
pesto. As a medicine, the leaves can be made into a tea, alcohol tincture, or vinegar extract.

Dandelion flowers

Harvest: Dandelion will bloom throughout the growing season, but the most plentiful bloom happens
in early spring. The flowers open for the sun, so I like to gather them in the middle morning on a sunny
day. The flowers will close up after being picked, so depending on your desired use you may need to
process them right away.

Uses: My favorite wild junk food is fried dandelion fritters. The petals can be eaten in salads or used to
make wine and jelly, or baked into cookies and breads.
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Dosage Suggestions

Dandelion root
Decoction or powder: 3-15 grams
Tincture: fresh root (1:2, 30% alcohol) 4-5 mL, three times a day

Dandelion leaf
Tea or powder:1-3 grams
Tincture: dried leaf 1:5, 30% alcohol: 3-4 mL, three times a day

Special Considerations
Every year billions of dollars are spent on poisons attempting to eradicate the beautiful dandelion. Be
sure to harvest dandelions in an area that hasn’t been poisoned for at least three years.

Some people are sensitive to plants in the Asteraceae family, which can result in rare and usually mild
reactions to dandelion.

Summary

I am writing this dandelion monograph in mid-April, just as the dandelions are beginning to emerge in
the Pacific Northwest. Soon their blossoms will cover entire fields. Every year I anticipate the dandelion
blooms and visit my favorite fields. How can anyone hate a plant that so generously brings such beauty
into our world? I hope that you love dandelions. I hope that you share your love of dandelions with your
herbicide-wielding friends and neighbors. Let’s restore this plant to its former glory. Can you imagine
how big an impact we can have if we simply stop dumping poisons onto this gorgeous plant?
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Citations

1. Sanchez, Anita. The Teeth of the Lion: The Story of the Beloved and Despised Dandelion. Blacksburg,
VA: McDonald & Woodward Pub., 2006.

2. Garran, Thomas Avery. Western Herbs According to Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Practitioner’s
Guide. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 2008.

3. “Taraxacum Officinale.” Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Accessed April 13,
2016. https://phytochem.nal.usda.gov/phytochem/plants/show/1949?_ubiq=.

4. Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. Berkeley,
CA: North Atlantic Books, 2008.

5. Piao, Taikui, Zhiqiang Ma, Xin Li, and Jianyu Liu. “Taraxasterol Inhibits IL-1β-induced Inflammatory
Response in Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes.” European journal of pharmacology 756 (2015):
doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2015.03.012.

6. Tierra, Michael. “Dandelion, Burdock, and Cancer.” East West School of Planetary Herbology.
Accessed April 13, 2016. https://www.planetherbs.com/index.php?tmpl=component.

7. “The Dandelion Root Project.” University of Windsor. Accessed April 13, 2016. http://www.uwindsor.
ca/dandelionrootproject/.

8. Clare, Bevin A, Richard S Conroy, and Kevin Spelman. “The Diuretic Effect in Human Subjects of an
Extract of Taraxacum Officinale Folium Over a Single Day.” Journal of alternative and complementary
medicine (New York, N.Y.) 15, no. 8 (2009): doi:10.1089/acm.2008.0152.
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About Rosalee

R
osalee de la Forêt, is passionate about
helping you explore the world of herbalism
and nature connection. She is the Education
Director at LearningHerbs, a registered herbalist
with the American Herbalist Guild, and the author
of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform
Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies
that Heal as well as the online courses The Taste
of Herbs, Herbal Cold Care, and Apothecary: The
Alchemy of Herbs Video Companion.

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