DANDELION: liver tonic, blood purifier

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DANDELION: liver tonic, blood purifier

JoAnn Guest

Nov 14, 2004 00:18 PST

 

DANDELION

 

 

Taraxacum officinale or Leontodon taraxacum Compositae

 

Dandelion is one of those herbs that Dr. Christopher taught we

should honor rather than despise. Growing almost everywhere man

lives, it supplies good food and medicine abundantly.

We should be glad for its presence in our lawns, rather than

diligently pulling it out.

 

One herbalist remembers sadly the time that her well-meaning

neighbors dug all the Dandelions out of her lawn as a special

surprise. " Not only was my meadow gone, " she recalls, " but also my

spring spinach, summer salad bar, and reserve medicine chest. Truly

it was a loss. "

(Herbalist:May, 1978:.

 

We recall the winter and spring when illness and other difficulties

made it impossible to purchase regular groceries to supplement our

food-storage diet of wheat, beans, bottled fruit, etc.

 

We lived in the country among the orchards, and when early spring

came on, we couldn't help noticing the lush growths of new

Dandelions. We gathered handfuls and made a soup of them with

onions, herbs, cooked

grains, etc.

 

Because we ate them very young--although the new growth in

the untrampelled places was quite luxurious--the Dandelions were

sweet and delicious. Our children still enjoy Dandelion Soup!

 

A classic story about the use of Dandelion is often repeated. Around

the turn of the century, A Dr. Sparks wrote, " Fifteen years ago I was

afflicted with the liver complaint.

 

I used all my skill trying to cure it but failed. I then tried two

physicians, Doctors Wilson and Jordan,

but without success.

 

An old nurse told me that Dandelion was an effective folk remedy for

this disorder, so I decided to try it.

 

Using Dandelion promptly restored me to health.

 

It then became my favorite prescription for liver complaint, either

by the simple extract of the herb or by taking a teacupful of a

strong decoction of it twice a day. In almost every instance I have

succeeded in restoring those who have used this plant. "

(Lucas:Herbal:35).

 

Dandelion is one of the most ancient and the most frequently-used

herbs in history.

 

The name of the genus, Taraxacum, is derived from the Greek taraxos

(disorder) and akos (pain), referring to the medical effects of the

plant (Grieve:250).

 

The plant enjoys a variety of other names as well. When the plant

has seeded and the florets close up, its shape is thought to

resemble the snout of a pig, so it is called " Pig's Snout " in some

areas of England. When all the seeds have flown and the flower disc

is bare, it is

surrounded by the drooping remnants of the bracts, which resemble

the bare heads of medieval priests, thus earning it the former name,

" Priest's Crown. " (Ibid). In earlier days it was termed " Piss-a-

beds, " referring to its diuretic effect (Rose:Herbs:56).

 

Some say that certain American Indian tribes termed it " strong

root " for its medicinal effect

(Harris:Eat the Weeds:123). Other tribes called it " blowball, " and

children in England sometimes called it " clocks, " using the number

of puffs necessary to disperse to the seeds to discern what time it

was.

 

Dandelions have been used since ancient times; as Millspaugh

states, " it is one of those drugs, overrated, derogated, extirpated,

and reinstated time and time again by writers upon pharmacology,

from Theophrastus...to the present day " (Millspaugh:371). The first

mention of the plants as a medicine is the works of the Arabian

physicians of the tenth and eleventh centuries, who considered it a

sort of the wild endive

(Grieve:252). There is allusion to it in the Welsh herbals of the

thirteenth century.

 

The plant was also used in the kitchen early times. John Evelyn, in

his Acetaria, said, " With this homely salley (salad), Hecate

entertained Theseus. " Evelyn was evidently a great salad-fancier in

the days when they were an important source of nutrients, when fresh

vegetables were not so easily available.

 

Gerard described the plant, and Culpeper did likewise, commenting

that

" This herb helps one to see farther without a pair of spectacles.

This is known by foreign physicians who are not so selfish as ours,

but more

communicative of the virtues of plants to people " (Culpeper:56). He

considered the plant excellent for removing obstructions from the

liver, gall bladder, and spleen, as well as opening the passages of

the urinary tract and cleansing ulcers therein. He recommended it

for wasting

diseases in illness and for relieving restlessness during fevers. He

especially thought the tea could be drunk during times of the

pestilence and used as a wash for sores (Ibid).

 

Old English herbalist Parkinson agreed with Culpeper's

recommendations,

adding that the herb was good for bedwetting in children and for

retention of urine or scanty urine in elderly people (Herbalist

Almanac:32).

 

Early American herbalist Lyle commented that Dandelion " is a mild,

slow, relaxing, and stimulating tonic hepatic, influencing slowly,

the liver, alvine canal, and kidneys. "

 

He continued giving a number of other

medicinal uses, which agree with the ones which we present below

(Ibid:154).

 

The American Indians greatly valued this herb. An old record states,

" They scour the country for many day's journey, in search of

sufficient

to appease their appetites. So great is the love for the plant, that

the

quantity consumed by a single Indian exceeds belief " (Ibid). The

Mohicans steeped the leaves for a physic, which the Pillager Ojibwas

made a tea of the roots for heartburn.

 

The Potawatomis used the roots for a bitter tonic. The Meskwakis

thought the root of a strong medicine and took it for pains in the

chest when other remedies failed

(Vogel:299).

 

The Papagos ate the vitamin-filled young leaves both raw

and cooked, along with other parts of the plant (Niethammer:109).

Among the Tewas a fracture was treated with fresh Dandelion leaves,

which were ground and made into a paste with water, to be spread on

the injury, and then whole leaves were bound on top of this with

cloths (Ibid:110).

 

At Santa Clara, the leaves were ground and mixed with dough to be

applied to bad bruises. Indians used the tea from the boiled

blossoms as a heart tonic (Ibid:110-111).

 

Among the Algonquins, a legend goes that Shawondesee, the fat lazy

south wind, was resting on the grass beneath some live oaks and

magnolias. He observed a beautiful, golden-haired maiden on the

meadow near him, but he was too lazy to pursue her, and after a few

days, in her place he was

a bent old woman with grizzled white hair. In his disappointment he

heaved a great sigh and was amazed to see her white hair become

detached and fly away of the breeze. Other maidens like her come and

grow old, but in the spring of the year the south wind still sighs

for the lost beauty with the golden hair who might have been his had

he exerted himself a little more (Moldenke:75).

 

There is a tradition that Dandelions never grow where there are no

human inhabitants. The early pioneers supposedly found no trace of

them in

America. After a few years up sprang a gay head, and soon there were

millions of them (Herbalist Almanac:168). Another legend claims that

to dream of Dandelions portends ill fortune. It is said to be a sure

sign of rain when the down blows off the Dandelion when there is no

wind, and to blow the seeds off the Dandelion is to send one's

thoughts to a loved one (Rose:Herbs:56).

 

In Bible times, Dandelion is thought to have surely been one of the

bitter herbs consumed at Passover time.

 

 

SUPERIOR ALTERATIVE

 

There are so many uses claimed for the plant that it takes place

among the herbal cure-alls. Its most frequent use, however, is an

herb to heal the liver. In Europe, many scientific experiments have

been undertaken which prove the traditional belief that the herb

truly does cure hepatic ailments (Lucas:Herbal:33).

 

 

The herb acts in two ways for these

conditions: it promotes the formation of bile and removes excess

water from the body in edematous conditions resulting from liver

congestion (Lust:171). It is thought to be especially useful in

cases of

enlargement of the liver and for jaundice, even in little children.

 

Dr. Swinburne Clymer wrote: " Dandelion has a beneficial influence

upon the

biliary organs, removing torpor and engorgement of the liver as well

as

of the spleen...only the green herb, whether for tincture or

infusion should be used.... " (Lucas:Common:12).

 

Grieve suggests that the herb is particularly useful in hepatic

conditions of persons long resident in warm climates, taken in a

broth with some leaves of sorrel and the yolk of an egg, daily for

several months (Grieve:254).

 

Any herb which acts beneficially upon the liver has good effect on

the rest of the system. Of particular interest is its action upon

the digestion and eliminative systems.

 

Kloss claimed that Dandelion is

extremely high in nutritive salts which purify the blood and destroy

the acids in the blood.

 

He said that " anemia is caused by the deficiency of

nutritive salts in the blood and really has nothing to do with the

quantity of good blood.

 

Dandelion contains these nutritive salts "

(Kloss:237). It is thought to tremendously benefit the stomach and

intestines. Lukewarm Dandelion tea, claims Lust, is recommended for

dyspepsia with constipation, fever, insomnia and hypochondria

(Lust:171).

 

It is given in chronic constipation and catarrhal gastritis,

of particular use in auto-intoxication which result in skin

eruptions.

 

In other words, many people who suffer from acne or other skin

eruptions due to toxins in the system can benefit from taking a

daily cup of tea.

 

Furthermore, it promotes good absorption of nutrients and so is

recommended for chronic indigestion. Where the stomach is irritated,

it

can be given in moderate does several times a day; it increases the

natural appetite and promotes good digestion.

 

Dandelion has been often thought to have good effect upon the

functions of the pancreas.

 

Tierra considers the root a specific for hypoglycemia,

a cup of tea taken two or three times a day in connection with

proper diet.

 

He also uses it in the treatment of diabetes which has been

acquired in later life, also accompanied with a good diet

(Tierra:122).

He considers it a good remedy to help lower blood pressure as well.

 

Although the herb has been proven clinically to stimulate bile flow

when administrated orally, there has been no clinical proof that it

acts as a diuretic. However, many herbalists claim that is does act

to increase

both the water and the waste products in the urine. It is

furthermore,claimed to dissolve urinary stones and gravel, up to an

ounce of the

chopped root boiled, the decoction taken for at least ten days

(Moore:70). Dr. Clymer suggested that a combination of Dandelion,

corn silk and golden seal would be extremely effective in urinary

disorders.

 

There are several miscellaneous uses of Dandelion which we can

mention here. If a person gets hives or nettle rash, he can mix

equal parts of

stinging nettle, yarrow, and dandelion root, adding one-fourth part

golden seal. This can be made into a decoction, to be taken

internally as well as applied externally every four hours

(Lucas:Common:13).

 

When skin diseases are caused by internal toxicity, one can combine

equal parts of sarsaparilla root, yellow dock root, blue flag root,

and

Dandelion root, to be decocted and taken three times daily

(Ibid:14).

 

Gypsies in England apply the milky juice on the whole plant to warts

or corns. Applied two or three days in a row, this is said to remove

the

growths without the application of unpleasantly strong medicines.

The Gypsies also recommended, to clear yellow skin and brighten the

eyes, to fast for three mornings, taking only Dandelion tea in the

mornings.

Continue fasting for four more mornings without drinking the tea,

and then three more with drinking the tea (Rose:Herbs:56).

 

By far the most common use of Dandelion outside of medicine is

dietary.

" Tufts of this plant are eagerly gathered by the poor, in early

spring, and cooked, furnishing thus an excellent and palliative pot-

herb; they used in lieu of, endive, as a salad " (Millspaugh:371). Of

course, not only the poor relish these greens; although in the

United States they are not much eaten, in Europe they are considered

a delicacy and special

varieties are cultivated for selling as salad.

 

Buchman mixes her salad thus: she tosses the very young leaves with

toasted soy bits, lemon,

oil, a touch of nutmeg and several organic hard-boiled eggs; this

makes, she

says, a delicious and healthful spring lunch (Buchman:49). Grieve

suggests that the young leaves make delicious sandwiches, the tender

leaves being torn rather than cut, and laid between slices of bread

and

butter and sprinkled with salt, with lemon juice and pepper added to

vary the flavor (Grieve:251).

 

The young leaves can be prepared as spinach is, served with butter

and salt and perhaps vinegar; older leaves are sometimes cooked in

several changes of water, or perhaps mixed with spinach or other

mild culinary greens to cut the bitterness. They should by cooked

first before adding the spinach, as the Dandelion takes longer to

cook. As mentioned above,

the young, sweet leaves make an excellent soup; prepare it as you

would a spinach soup.

 

For culinary use, the Dandelion leaves are sometimes blanched. This

reduces their nutritive value, but may make them more palatable for

some people. To do this, remove several Dandelions roots from the

garden and pot them in regular potting soil.

 

Place these in the basement, watering just enough to keep them

damp. These roots will produce light-colored,

less bitter leaves. In milder climates, the plants can simply be

covered with a regular clay flower-pot, and they will produce winter

leaves similarly blanched.

 

The dried Dandelion leaves are sometimes used in England to make

herb beers.

 

Dandelion Beer is a country drink much used in former days.

Grieve said that workmen in the furnaces and potteries of the

industrial

towns of the Midlands made much use of it, considering it to be more

healthful and less intoxicating than ordinary beer. Often a mixture

of Dandelions, Nettles, and Yellow Dock was used.

 

 

DANDELION WINE

 

Even more familiar than beer is Dandelion Wine. There are many

similar recipes for this brew. To make it, pick four quarts of fresh

Dandelion flowers, making sure that they are completely free from

all portions of stem. Place them in a tub and pour 1 gallon cold

water on them, leaving them to stand for three days, stirring every

8 hours or so.

 

Strain off the golden liquid and boil with 1 piece ginger root, the

rind of 1 orange and 1 sliced lemon for 30 minutes.

After it has cooled, float a piece of toast on it which has been

spread on both sides with 2 tablespoons of brewer's yeast (active

kind, not the vitamin-supplement kind). Leave for two days to start

fermentation.

 

Remove the toast and cask with the bung only lightly in place for a

week or two until the gases have escaped, and then bung tightly for

2 months before bottling. This is said to taste like a flat or mild

sherry

(Huson:169).

 

Dandelion coffee is a good coffee substitute. We like it very much,

however. It is quite expensive to buy, but not difficult to make.

Dig

Dandelion roots and clean them thoroughly. Cut them into pieces and

roast them slowly in a moderate oven until they are coffee-colored

and crisp. Cool completely and store in a cool dry place, well-

stoppered as they prone to infestation by moths and worms, having

such a high sugar

content. Prepare the coffee by simmering the quantity of roots

desired to taste. Strain and add raw honey and milk or cream if

desired. Taken

daily, this is an excellent liver tonic as well as pleasant drink.

 

Some American Indian tribes used the flowers to make a yellow dye

for

deerskins (Neithammer:111). English and Gypsy horse breeders

sometimes

make extensive use of the leaves for conditioning their fine racing

horses, who are said to take quantities of it when it is chopped and

mixed with bran (Levy:Herbal:57). Planted in the garden, Dandelions

cause flowers and fruits of neighboring plants to mature early,

although

they are said to inhibit the growth of some plants (Philbrick:35).

Children enjoy making chains, bracelets and " curls " from the plants.

The

curls are formed by starting a split in four directions at the

smaller

end of a scape, into which is the tongue is deftly and gradually

inserted, causing a slow separation into sections that curl

backward,

being kept to form with the tongue; when the scope is curled to the

end

it is drawn several times through the child's mouth and partially

uncurled into graceful ringlets (Millspaugh:371).

 

 

CULTIVATION, COLLECTION, PREPARATION

 

Who would ever consider cultivating Dandelion that ubiquitous weed

which

infests our lawns and gardens? Much money and time are spent every

year

trying to eradicate this so-called pest. Yet there is a special

variety

of Dandelion for which seed is solid to cultivate the plant, and it

is

well worth letting go in your yard to use for culinary and medicinal

purposes. You must be absolutely sure, however, that the lawn,

orchard

or garden is not sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, or you will

ingest these harmful substances along with your Dandelion. Some

suggest

the outskirts of cultivated fields as good places to grow the plant.

 

Although the dried leaves can be used in tea, many practitioners

recommend the leaves only be taken in their fresh form, preserved in

tincture if they are needed during the winter season. The roots,

however, are said to have their highest nutritive and medicinal

effect

in autumn, when they can be dug, cleaned, cut and dried, to be used

raw

or roasted when needed.

 

 

DESCRIPTION

 

The Dandelion is an herbaceous plant, with a perennial, fusiform

root.

The leaves, which spring immediately from the root, are long,

pinnatifid, generally runcinate, with the divisions toothed, smooth,

and

of a fine green color. The flower stem rises from the midst of the

leaves, six inches or more in height. It is erect, simple, naked,

smooth, hollow, fragile and terminated by a large golden-colored

flower,

which closes in the evening and expands with the returning light of

the

sun. The calyx is smooth and double, with the outer scales bent

downward. The florets are extremely numerous, lingulate, and toothed

at their extremities. The receptacle is convex and punctured. The

seed-down is stipitate, and at the period of maturity, is disposed

in a spherical form, and is so light and feathery as to be easily

borne away by the wind, with the seeds attached.

 

VITAMINS (MG/100G) fresh leaves

 

A 14,000

 

Thiamine .19

 

Riboflavin .26

 

Niacin .0

 

C 35

 

MINERALS (MG/100G)

 

Calcium 187

 

Phosphorus 66

 

Iron 3.1

 

Sodium 76

 

Potassium 397

 

OTHER NUTRIENTS (MG/100G)

 

Calories 45

 

Protein 2.7

 

Fat 0.7

 

Carbohydrates 9.2

 

This species grows spontaneously in most parts of the world. It is

abundant in the United States, adorning our grass plots and pasture

grounds with its bright yellow flowers, which, in moist places, show

themselves with the opening and spring and continue to appear till

near the close of summer. All parts of the plant contain milky

juice, which exudes when they are broken or wounded.

 

The fresh full-grown root is several inches in length, about a thick

as the little finger, round and tapering, somewhat branched, of a

light

brownish color externally, whitish within, having a yellow ligneous

cord running through its center, and abounding in a milky juice.

(United States Dispensatory).

 

The dried rhizome and root of the Dandelion were official in the

United States Pharmacopeia, 1831-1926, and remained in the National

Formulary until 1965.

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Barlow, Max G. From the Shepherds's Purse.

 

Buchman, Diane Dincin, Herbal Medicine. New York: Gramercy, 1980.

 

Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Emmaus, PA: Rodale

Press,

1974

 

Culpeper's Color Herbal. New York: Serling, 1983.

 

Ellingwood, Finley. American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and

Pharmacognosy. Portland: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1983.

 

Grieve, M., Mrs. A Modern Herbal. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin

Books, 1980.

 

Harris, Ben Charles, Eat the Weeds. New York: Larchmount, 1972.

 

Hatfield, Audrey Wynne. A Complete Culinary Herbal. Wellingborough,

Northamptonshire: Thorsons Publishers Limited, 1978.

 

The Herbalist. Provo: Bi-World Publishers, May 1978.

 

Huson, Paul. Mastering Herbalism. New York: Scarborough, 1975.

 

Hutchens, Alma R. Indian Herbology of North America. Kumbakonam, S.

India: Homeo House Press, 1970.

 

Kloss, Jethro, Back to Eden. Loma Linda, CA: The Jethro Kloss Family

Back to Eden Book, (n.d.)

 

Levy, Juliette de Barcli, Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable.

Emmaus,

PA: Rodale Press, 1976.

 

Lucas, Richard. Common and Uncommon Uses of Herbs for Healthful

Living.

West Nyack, NY: Parker Publishing Company, INC., 1969.

 

Lucas, Richard. Herbal Health Secrets. New York: Parker, 1983.

 

Lust: The Herb Book.

 

Millspaugh, Charles F. American Medicinal Plants. New York: Dover,

1974.

 

 

Moldenke, Harold N. and Alma L. Moldenke. Plants of the Bible. New

York:

The Ronald Press company, 1952.

 

Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. Santa Fe;

Museum

of New Mexico Press: 1979.

 

Philbrick, Helen and Richard B. Gregg. Companion Plants and How to

Use

Them. New York: The Devin-Adair Company, 1966.

 

Rodale, J. I., et al. The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Emmaus,

PA:

Rodale Books, Inc., 1969.

 

Rose, Jeanne. Herbs and Things. New York: Perigee, 1972.

 

Santillo, Humbart. Natural Healing with Herbs.

 

Tierra, Michael. The Way of Herbs. Santa Cruz: Unity Press, 1980.

 

Vogel, Virgil J. American Indian Medicine. New York: Ballantine

Books,

1970.

 

Weiner, Michael. Weiner's Herbal. New York: Scarborough, 1980.

 

Dandelion is available in capsules & bulk

 

Used by permission -

Dr. Christopher's Newsletters: Volume 6 Number 11

--

DISCLAIMER

 

 

The information provided here is for educational purposes only, and

should not be used to diagnose and treat diseases. If you have a

serious

health problem, we recommend that you consult a competent health

practitioner.

 

After each product is a list of what it has been used to aid. We are

not

claiming that the product will cure any of these diseases or that we

created them to cure these disorders. We are merely reporting that

people have used the product to aid these conditions.

 

Finally, we wish to caution you that the information on this web

site is for educational purposes only. Always consult with a

qualified health practitioner before deciding on any course of

treatment, especially for serious or life-threatening illnesses.

 

http://www.herbsfirst.com/NewsLetters/0703dandelion.html

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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:33 pm

Dandelion Root: highly nutritious liver tonic, blood purifier

--

From Herbal Descriptions by Truman Berst:

 

#3119 DANDELION ROOT (Taraxacum officinale) A blood purifier used

for liver and kidney disorders; contains nutritive salts to build up

the blood.

 

Dandelion Root has a mild laxative effect. It increases bile

production and stimulates its flow to the gallbladder, where it also

causes contractions and the release of bile from there.

 

The polysaccharide insulin found in this root is respected for its

white blood cell and immune-boosting properties.

 

Dandelion Root is also higher in beta carotene than what is found in

carrots.

 

The leaf of the plant is a powerful diuretic and a delicious

salad green in the spring. A very nutritive herb with medicinal

benefits of stimulating the liver and kidneys while absorbing toxins

and soothing the digestive tract.

 

Dandelion Root Indications: eczema (combine with Chickweed), skin

diseases, scurvy, jaundice, gall bladder, mental fatigue, leg

cramps,

bowels, bladder, diabetes, asthma, aging, acne, spleen, low blood

pressure, liver problems, psoriasis, low endurance, anemia, high

blood

pressure, hypoglycemia, all liver problems, rheumatism, stomach, and

warts. Abundant in calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and vitamins A,

C, and E. Moderate amounts of phosphorus, manganese, selenium and

silicon with some B-complex.

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes