Dandelion is a herb? WHAT?! It is just a common weed that is seen as a nuisance, right? Or is it? Join me today for our Herb of the Week- Dandelion and find out so much more about this common weed.
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale radix) are found in almost every state across America and throughout Canada. They originated from Europe, so are commonly found there as well in many countries. Though many consider this flower to be a weed, it is actually a great source of food for pollinators, like bees, and is actually completely edible for humans as well. It is a great source of vitamins and nutrients. The part of the flower most commonly used in Herbalism is the root, but one can also use the flowers, leaves, and stems. The root contains more of the active constituents, but the leaves and flower have a more mild taste and are easier to get children to take. The roots can be quite bitter. Which actually lends to one of its active constituents and therapeutic actions, a bitter. Bitters are herbs used to stimulate digestion and appetite and they do so through the bitter taste. Cool, huh? The active constituents of Dandelion are, bitters, diterpenes, sesquiterpene, lactones, polysaccharides, nutrients, phytosterols, and flavonoids. The therapeutic actions we usually use it for are being a gentle laxative, a digestive, a cholagogue, hepatic, bitter tonic, depurative, antirheumatic, and anti-inflammatory. A cholagogue is a herb that works on stimulating the gallbladder. A hepatic is a herb that works on supporting the liver. A depurative is a herb with detoxing effects. This means it helps your liver or kidneys work more efficiently at removing toxins from your system. Antirheumatics are a type of herb that helps with swelling, heat, and pain in joints. These are used to commonly treat arthritis. As you can already see from this list, Dandelion could have a great many uses, across many different body systems. So, how do I use Dandelion in my practice? I pretty much toss it in fucking everything! LOL Not really, but it is so useful, it is on the herbs I make sure to always have well stocked. It gets a good bit of use in my practice as women who have had children generally have more issues with their liver and gallbladder afterwards and this is a very effective herb in helping the body deal with those issues and heal them. One of my most common uses is as a decoction (remember this is a form of tea where you boil the root in the water to extract its constituents, instead of pouring boiling water over it.) taken as needed for constipation. This is usually a short term use, meaning a week or so, to get things moving. Once things are going, the use is stopped as one does not want to become dependent on laxatives. It is especially useful in individuals who have chronic constipation issues. It works by stimulating the production of bile, which has laxative properties. "But," you say, "I don't have a gallbladder any longer. Will this still work?" YES, it sure as hell will. Why? Because bile is actually produced by your liver. Your gallbladder is just a storage vessel for bile. It allows the body to store it up and then secretes it when needed, such as after a meal. When your gallbladder is removed, one might notice that it takes some time for the body to regulate how much bile and when its secreted without the gallbladder being present. Many notice they must run to the bathroom almost immediately after eating. This is because the body isn't used to not having that stop gap there. The liver secretes all the bile you need for that meal and the gallbladder usually stores it all and secretes it in bits. Without the gallbladder, the liver just dumps that all into the intestines at once! I also use it for individuals who have gastroparesis or other forms of slower digestion. Its bitter actions, help to prime the digestive system by causing it to start secreting digestive enzymes ahead of time. In this usage, I recommend a cup of dandelion tea 30-60 minutes before each meal. It is also very safe during pregnancy and is used to help with nausea and vomiting associated with morning sickness. Again, a cup of tea before meals may help or if that is too much for ones system, then a tincture can be taken instead. It also helps during pregnancy to keep the liver and gallbladder working properly so one avoids cholestasis. This is a where the gallbladder stops functioning properly and the bile just builds up leading to excess bilirubin in the bloodstream. This condition initially presents with itchy palms and soles of ones feet and if left untreated, moves on to jaundice and can lead to the chances of fetal death. YIKES! A daily infusion of dandelion tea can be very useful in preventing that from happening. Some of the other ways I use Dandelion in my practice is for postpartum women. It helps regulate the postpartum hormones. If you have ever had a baby, then you know those postpartum hormones are a bitch! It can be a very rough transition for many, many women. It can also be made into a hydrosol and used on the face as a wash to help with acne. And used in cases of arthritis to help reduce inflammation in the joints by helping the eliminatory organs of the body rid the body of the waste causing the inflammation (ie: dead white blood cells etc.) How does one dose Dandelion? As mentioned above the most common way is via a decoction. 2-3 teaspoons of the dried root to 8 ounces (240ml) of water. Boil the root in the water for 20 minutes, strain, and drink. Take up to 3 times a day. One can also take a tincture of the herb as well. The dose is anywhere from 1-5 ml/cc of the 1:5 tincture, taken up to 3 times a day. And as always, please consult myself, another Herbalist, or your medical doctor before taking any herbs to ensure they will not interfere with any prescription medications you are taking. And if you purchase a tincture from a store, please make sure it is the same herb to alcohol ratio (1:5) as mentioned above. If the the number on the right is less than 5, please consult me for appropriate dosing as that is a stronger tincture and requires a different dosing amount. Are there any reasons why shouldn't take Dandelion? YES! If you have a history of an obstructed gallbladder or bile ducts, please avoid taking Dandelion. It acts swiftly on the liver to produce bile and if your gallbladder is backed up then overproducing bile will not end well for the gallbladder and you will end up in the hospital. In conclusion, one can see what an awesome herb a common weed actually is and the power it has to assist the body in so many different ways. Herbalists the world over, prize this common weed, and many others as well, for its abilities to do so much for so many. You can see why I keep it well stocked in my dispensary. Have you used Dandelion successfully for any health issues? Comment below and let me know. I love hearing from my readers on their successful use of herbs. Blessed Be, Shannon
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AuthorShannon, master herbalist, shares her thoughts, educational information, and more. Archives
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