Dandelion

General description
History
Applications
Chemical properties
Precautions
Culinary
Other variants
Remaining images

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Dandelion is a remaining plant and can become 10 to 30 cm high.
The stems are bald and hollow and contain white milk juice.
The flowers of Dandelion have been put together from many small bright yellow flowers.

The outside leaves have been knocked down.
The head bloom of the Dandelion falls in May. A second head bloom falls in August. The bright yellow flower opens self at sunrise and closes self in the dusk and by rain.
When the flowers are finished blooming appeared the known round fruit fluff balls. The fluff is spreads by the wind.

The Botanical name Taraxacum comes from the Greek "taraxos" what disarray means and of "aka" what meant remedy. The name "officinale" means "from the pharmacy.
The Spanish name "Diente de leonón" (what meant lions tooth) to the tan leaves. This reference also is to be found back in the English appellation "dandelion". Also in the German, one of Löwenzahn speaks.
The French name pissenlit (piss in bed) comes from the water decreasing properties of Dandelion. The plant thanks its Dutch name from the fact that this herb is a liked after plant for horses (also pigs and rabbits).
Farmers previously smoked in the spring their house and stables from with Dandelion flowers. The goal of this ritual was, to purify the farm of all sorts of impurities.
The fruits were seen as an oracle, so much parachutes after the blowing away will remain stand yet so much children he or she get. And when your all parachutes away you might blow wanted to make a wish.

As a healing herb, one uses the leaves and the root.

Qualities (root).
Strengthens the liver, bile raising, purging, detoxifying.

Qualities (leaf).
Urine releasing, nutritiously.

External.
- The milky juice from the stems works, by intensive use, against warts.

Internal.
- The root is the mostly beneficial for the liver. Use it for liver problems, inflammations of the gall-bladder, light jaundice, indigestion, chronic constipation and constipation during the pregnancy.
- The leaf promoted the urinating. Use it by urine retention, kidney stones, bed watering (take it then in the mornings) and (with other herbs) for bladder inflammation.
- The whole plant is applied to detoxify the body because of its beneficial properties on liver and kidneys.
- Through this mechanism the plant is also good for chronic pain complaints, rheumatism, arthritis and skin disorders.

There are drops available against a bad appetite; it improves the digestion and improvises the liver function. An example of this is Taraxacum of Dr. Vogel.

Follow for these products the indications of the producer.

Quantity.
- At least three times daily 1 cup of decoction during six months.
- Tincture: daily 4 till 6 teaspoons.

For a method for the making of a tea, click here and for a method for the making of a tincture, click here.

Bitters compounds, sesquiterpene lactones, triterpenoids, stereol, flavonoids (quercetine, luteoline, apigenine, isorhamnetine), polysaccharides, coumarins (cichoriine and aesculine), vitamins C, D, E, different B vitamins, choline, carotenes, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, calcium.

No serious side effects are known for Dandelion. In very high doses it can cause skin rash, stomach pain or diarrhoea. Suspend in that case the use and get in thought with your physician.

Harvest the long pen root and rub the mud of the root.
Chop the root in peaces and grill them in a middle warm oven till they are dry and only intentions scorched. Make an extract of this.
Possibly mix with chicory.

Dandelion is lovely in salads and healthier than a normal salad. As Dandelion contain more vitamins C, E and beta carotene and more minerals as calcium.
The young leaves taste the best. By firstly putting the leaves a few minutes in water the taste will become less bitter.
The stems are not heartily to eat, but a stem with flower is well a beautiful decoration. Cuts before the stem (with at that the flower) in the length in celebrate and lay this in water. After a few minutes, the stem will curl up.

This drink looks as honey and tastes like honey, but is actually a syrup.

Requisites.
400 grams Dandelion flowers
1 kg sugar
2 pressed lemons

Method.
Wash the flowers and dry them.
Put the flowers in 1 litre water. Cook the water and let it stand for 24 hour. Sieve the water which became brown. Add the sugar and let the whole thicken to heat through it. Add then the lemon juice.

The smallest differences unchanged are inherited by the being missing from cross pollination (thus reproduction only through self pollination). Because of this Dandelion is a peoples name for many hundred different under species.

Here a number of impressions / photographs of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) are shown.

References

[1]. Britton, Jade & Kircher, Tamara; - Herbal Remedies - First edition; Marshall Editions (1998). ISBN 1840280719
[2]. Ans van of the Count; - Guide for Vitamins, minerals and Herbs - First edition;
Amsterdam/ Brussels: The Reader's Digest NV (2001). ISBN 90-6407-588-3
[3]. Dr. C. Norman Shealy; - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies - First edition; Element Books Ltd. (2000). ISBN 186204516X
[4]. Rüdt, U.; - Therapeutic and poisonous plants - First edition; Zutphen:
B. V. W. J. Thieme & Cie (1973). ISBN 90-03 94630-2
[5]. Shaw, Non; - Herbalism: An Illustrated Guide - First edition; Element Books Ltd. (2000). ISBN 1862042241
[6]. Williams CA, Goldstone F, Greenham J. - Flavonoids, cinnamic acids and coumarins from the
Different tissues and medicinal preparations or Taraxacum officinale. - Phytochemistry 42
(1996) 121-7




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