Dandelion Root Herbal Powder (Taraxacum officianale)

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Dandelion roots, dark and brown as the earth they grow in, are surprisingly white inside with a tinge of red. They seep with a thick, milky-white sap.

The roots have a much sweeter, earthen flavor than the leaves. Dandelion leaves have a stronger diuretic action and tend to be more bitter. While still predominantly Pitta and Kapha pacifying, the root's sweetness balances its cleansing properties, making it more tri-doshic.

Blood & Liver Cleansing

Dandelion Root's strong alterative and cholagogue qualities make it great for detoxing the liver and cleansing the blood in the early spring, which is Kapha season. The root doesn't stop at cleansing the liver, but its hepatoprotective qualities mean it also strengthens the liver.

In spring, your body releases a winter layer of insulating fats that clogs circulation throughout spring. Dandelion root is particularly good at cleansing your body of ‘thickened humors' and helps to move and flush stagnant bile by stimulating your liver, gallbladder, and digestive organs alike.

Another little known Prabhava, or special potency, of Dandelion is its use in resolving breast tumors and to enrich breast milk, which is noticed also amongst cows that graze on it. Taken in pregnancy and during breastfeeding, it can prevent infant jaundice and also help to clear presenting jaundice upon birth.

Its bitter properties improve fat metabolism generally.

Clears Heat

Dandelion leaf and root are also used in cases of deep, internal heat (long-lasting excess Pitta conditions) that has burnt the internal fluids into a thick reduction. Dandelion comes in like a ray of sunlight and cool relief to break the chain of this pattern.

Dandelion is traditionally used to resolve a "geographic tongue", or a tongue that is red and smoothe in places while being coated in others, giving it the appearance of a continental map.

The milky sap of the root is antiviral and has been historically used as a topical to treat warts. The white sap, oddly enough, can stain the skin brown when handled.

Wild Harvesting of Dandelion Roots

Children have long loved Dandelion for its gossamer plumes blown into the air with a wish. In times past, children would pick the thick pappus and blow the seeds: one time, two times, three. They would play this game to tell the hour of the day; Three blows to disperse all of the seeds would mean 3:00. It is also said that you can blow a message on the plumed seeds of a Dandelion to a loved one far away by facing the direction they are in while focusing on the words you want them to receive.

While dandelion leaves are harvested in spring when tender and fresh, like spring itself, the roots are harvested in the cooler months, with potency peaking in late fall, however, they can be collected deep into winter's bitter embrace. There is good reason to harvest the roots in early spring if you are seeking their high inulin, or soluble fiber, content which is abundant this time of year.

This medicinal Root can grow between ½-1 inch thick in diameter and lodge 1 foot into the soil! It is best to harvest in the second year of growth or beyond to get a good root specimen. Because the tap root of the Dandelion can go so deep into the ground, one plant can survive between five and ten years!

Medicinal Ode to Dandelion

By Lydia Steadman

Dandelion, yellow and bright
Tooth of the lion
Seeds that take flight
Liver satisfying

Leaves that drain water
Roots stimulate bile
Wet the bed at night
The juice is antiviral

Make into a decoction
Roast a coffee-like treat
Bitter and building
Whole plant you can eat

It may be very common
But it's never been banal
Love every part
of Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion is a potent medicine, flower to root, and was renowned by herbalists in written records as far back as the 10th century AD. Though it is known for its strong medicine, its thick yellow composite flowers and whimsical seed heads make it equally adored by children, and children at heart alike!