Taraxacum officinalis

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Taraxacum offincinale (Dandelion)

Botanic Name	Taraxacum officinale
Common Name	Dandelion, Priests Crown, Swines Snout, ^(Grieve) Pissabed, Telltime ^(RD), Lions tooth, Fairy Clock ^(Mills)
Family	Asteraceae
Habitat	Originating in Central Asia but now almost everywhere in the world, preferring moist positions, but clearly very adaptable ^(Mills)
Description	A very well-known plant with characteristic lions tooth leaves in a rosette from the centre of which arises the hollow stem bearing yellow capitulate flower-head giving way to the familiar ‘fairy clock; the whole plant produces a milky-white sap when cut. ^(Mills)
Similar Plants	Sonchus oleracea; Hyperchorus radicata
Parts Used	Leaf, Root
History	Dandelion is a corruption of the French Dent de Lion (teeth of lion) ^(Grieve) The name for the genus Taraxacum is derived from the Greek Taraxos (disorder) and akos (remedy) on account of the curative action of the plant ^(Grieve). First mention of the use of dandelion is by Arabian physicians in the tenth and eleventh centuries ^(Grieve). Rarely mentioned by ancient Greeks and Romans ^(Stuart) The root has been used for a long time in India for liver complaints ^(Grieve) In 16^th Century it was established as a drug ^(Stuart) Retained in the national pharmocopaeas of Hungary, Poland, and Switzerland ^(Stuart) Russian dandelion was extensively cultivated during World War II as a source of rubber (latex in root). Small quantities of similar latex found in T. officinalis ^(Stuart)
Constituents	Bitter glycosides (Taraxocosides) ^(Mills) Sterols (Taraxasterol) ^(Mills) Waxy substances ^(Mills) Tannins ^(Mills) High levels of vitamins and minerals especially Potassium ^(Mills) Choline ^(Mills) Phenolic acids ^(Salmond) Inulin ^(Salmond)
Actions	Leaf Diuretic ^(Mills) Choleretic ^(Salmond) Appetite stimulant ^(Salmond) Bitter ^(Salmond) Root Digestive and hepatic tonic ^(Mills) Cholagogue ^(Mills) Diuretic ^(Mills) Laxative ^(Mills) Depurative ^(Salmond) Antirheumatic ^(Salmond)
Applications	Root Chronic metabolic disease and conditions, particularly gout and liver disease ^(Salmond) Hepatic and biliary problems, including jaundice, hepatitis, dyspepsia, anorexia, arthritis, chronic skin disease ^(Salmond) Topically the white sap is applied to warts and skin cancers ^(Salmond) Leaf Water retention due to various causes ^(Salmond) Insufficient production of bile ^(Salmond) Cholecystitis ^(Salmond) Cholelithiasis ^(Salmond) GIT complaints – bloatedness, flatulence, indigestion ^(Salmond) Oedema related to hypertension ^(Salmond)
Dosage	Leaf Dried Leaf 4-10gms tds ^(Salmond) Liquid Extract 1:1 2-4mls tds ^(Salmond) Tincture 1:5 25% 2-5 mls tds ^(Salmond) Juice (Fresh Leaf) 5-10ml bd ^(Salmond) Root Dried Root 3-5 gms tds ^(Salmond) Liquid Extract 1:2 1-2mls tds ^(Salmond) Tincture 1:5 25% 5-10mls tds ^(Salmond) Expressed juice from fresh root 4-8 mls tds ^(Salmond)
Combinations	Root Gall bladder disease - Veronica virginica, Berberis vulgaris, Chelone glabra ^(Salmond) Anorexia & Stomach Complaints – Chamomilla recutita ^(Salmond) Arthritis & Rheumatism – Apium graveolens ^(Salmond)
C/I Cautions	Inflammation or occlusion of the bile ducts ^(Salmond) Can be safely consumed when used appropriately ^(McGuffin)
BHP S/I	Gall bladder disease Cholecystitis Dyspepsia

You see here what virtues this common herb hath, and that is the reason the French and Dutch so often eat them in the spring: and now, if you look a little farther you may see plainly, without a pair of spectacles, that foreign physicians are not so selfish as ours are but more communicative of the virtues of plants to people. - Culpeper