Most people will look at a field of yellow dandelion flowers and see weeds. Want to know what I see? I see a field full of food, medicine, and abundance. In this dandelion monograph, you’ll learn why.
In this article, we are going to go into the dandelion monograph in-depth. We’re also going to discuss how we work with dandelion in practice, ways to prepare dandelion, and where to source it. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to download the free dandelion monograph to take with you.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be used as a replacement for medical attention or diagnosis. It’s recommended to talk to a doctor before beginning any herbal regimen, especially if you are taking pharmaceutical medication. Because every body is different, the following information may or may not apply directly to you.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
For decades, the dandelion has been used as a symbol of resilience. This plant is powerful and persistent–it has the power to break through concrete. Dandelion’s herbal actions reflect its inherent resilience. A member of the Asteraceae family, this underrated plant has a lot to share with us.
Dandelion Monograph
In this dandelion monograph, we are going to go over, in detail, dandelion’s medicinal properties. We’ll discuss its energetics, tastes, medicinal plant parts, herbal actions, body affinities, constituents, and cautions. We are also going to talk about how we work with dandelion in practice, how to best prepare dandelion, dandelion herbal pairings, and where to source it.
Energetics & Tastes
Dandelion is cooling, drying, stimulating, and tonifying. It has a bitter, earthy taste that’s very mineral-rich and slightly sweet.
Medicinal Plant Parts
All parts of dandelion are edible and medicinal. The leaves, flowers, and roots are all worked with in practice and have different medicinal properties.
Leaves
The leaves of dandelion are worked with for both food and medicine. The leaves love the kidneys and urinary tract, so if you’re looking for dandelion’s diuretic action, the leaves are the way to go. They’re best made into a long infusion or eaten in a salad.
Roots
Dandelion roots are packed full of soluble fibers that feed healthy gut bacteria and bitters that stimulate bile production. If you want to work with dandelion for its digestive actions, you should work with the root. The root is best made into a decoction or tincture or roasted up with other roots.
Flower
Dandelions are a little bit of sunshine preserved in an often overlooked flower. The flower works with the emotional body to create resilience and uplift the mood making them a treat when dealing with seasonal depression. The best way to work with dandelion flowers is in tincture or infused into honey or wine.
Herbal Actions
What are dandelion’s specific herbal actions? Let’s get into it.
Stimulant
leaf, flower, root
Because dandelion improves digestion and liver function, it stimulates blood flow in the body and helps to move stuck energy, particularly in and around the digestive system.
Alterative
leaf, flower, root
Dandelion improves the quality of the blood and circulation. It does this by improving digestion and liver functioning, cleaning and thinning the blood. This can, in turn, improve the quality of the skin and hair.
Digestive
leaf, root
This herb improves overall digestive functioning, primarily by stimulating the liver.
Nutritive
leaf
Dandelion is packed full of nutrition, particularly in the leaves. When you consume dandelion leaves, you are receiving a wealthy dose of vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, calcium, anti-oxidants, and more. This effect cancels out the draining of nutrients due to the diuretic effect.
Diuretic
leaf
The leaf of dandelion is a draining diuretic, which means it increases urine production by directing access fluids in the body to the kidneys.
Cholagogue
root
Dandelion’s cholagogue effect increased bile production in the liver.
Choleretic
root
Not only is there increased bile production, but dandelion helps empty the liver and gallbladder of bile into the digestive system.
Exhilarant
flower
Dandelion flowers have the ability to lighten and uplift the mood.
Body Systems Affinites
Now that you understand the herbal actions of the different parts of dandelion plants, do you have any guesses for which body parts and systems dandelion favors?
The Liver
Yes, dandelion loves the liver. The root in particular really targets the liver. Dandelion contains bitters, which stimulate the liver and bile production. They stimulate the liver in such a way that digestive functioning improves as well as the liver’s ability to filter and clean the blood. When the root is preserved in a tincture, the alcohol helps bring the dandelion medicine right to the liver.
The Kidneys & Urinary System
The leaves of dandelion favor the urinary system, particularly the kidneys. The leaves stimulate blood flow to the kidneys and encourage the kidneys to pull more water out of the blood. This reduces overall fluid in the body, reducing edema and nourishing the kidneys. As you may be aware, the more water is pulled from the blood into the urinary tract, the more nutrients are drained from our body as well. However, dandelion’s nutritional and mineral content is so powerful that it replaces what is lost and then some. So even though fluids are being drained, we are left with a net positive mineral content.
When the leaves are prepared in tea, the water helps deliver dandelion’s medicine right to the kidneys for improved action.
Notable Constituents
- Sesquiterpene Lactones
- Triterpenes
- Minerals (Potassium & Calcium)
- Coumarins (leaf)
- Carotenoids (leaf)
- Phenolic Acids (root)
- Taraxacoside (root)
Cautions When Working with Dandelion
Dandelion has a blood thinning effect when worked with in quantity. If you are on blood thinning medications, be sure to talk with your doctor before working with dandelion medicinally.
Dandelion is also a diuretic. If you are taking a prescription diuretic, it’s best to either avoid working with dandelion or talk to your doctor about making a switch to working with dandelion instead.
Generally, dandelion is a pretty drying herb. If you have a dry constitution, then I recommend pairing dandelion with moistening herbs to cancel out its drying effects.
If you are allergic to other plants in the daisy family (chamomile, yarrow, marigold, ragweed, goldenrod, etc.), then you are probably allergic to dandelion, too. Feel free to do some experimentation if you want to be sure. Otherwise, it’s best to avoid working with this plant.
Dandelion in Practice
Now that we’ve gone over the dandelion monograph and you know its herbal actions and body affinities, let’s go over which conditions we reach out to dandelion for help with.
Indigestion & Stagnant Liver Conditions
Sluggish digestion with poor liver discharge is a condition dandelion is helpful for. This can present as chronic inflammation, edema, constipation, indigestion, bloating, and skin irritation. Dandelion is also helpful when dealing with other stagnant liver conditions such as cholestasis, hepatitis, gallstones, and jaundice. In these situations, it’s best to work with the root in a tincture or a decoction.
High Blood Pressure
Because dandelion root helps to stimulate the liver’s filtering action, it aids the body in cleaning and thinning the blood. The diuretic action of the leaves also helps pull excess sodium from the body while replacing it with heart-healthy nutrients like potassium. Both of these actions help to decrease blood pressure. If you are taking prescription diuretics or blood thinners, it’s best to talk to your doctor before working with dandelion medicinally.
Urinary Tract Issues
This includes urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and similar conditions. If looking to work with dandelion for help with these issues, it’s best to work with the leaves in a hot, long infusion tea. The increased blood flow, fluid, and nutrients to the kidneys help soothe inflammation, nourish damaged tissues, boost immune responses, and break up crystals. However, these issues can be urgent, so if you think you are dealing with them, it’s best to talk to your doctor about a treatment plan.
Seasonal Depression
Because of the dandelion flower’s exhilarant actions, it’s a fantastic friend in the cold, dark winter months. Working with dandelion flowers in the wintertime lightens and uplifts the mood, helping you to feel more optimistic. Plus, dandelion flowers taste like spring and remind the body of what the hope and renewal of spring feel like.
You may be wondering, “But there are no dandelion flowers in winter, where do I get them?!” It’s a great question. You may be able to access dry dandelion flowers from your local herb farm. However, your best bet is to plan ahead. You can harvest and dry dandelion flowers if that makes sense to you. Or you can infuse honey and wine for an extra special winter treat. More info on that below!
Ways to Work with Dandelion
Now you know about dandelion’s herbal actions as well as when we work with it in practice. But how should you prepare it to receive to effects you’re looking for?
Dandelion Leaf Long Infusion
If you’re working with dandelion leaves, long infusions are your best friend. The hot water sat overnight is enough to extract most of the plant’s minerals and constituents. Just put some leaves in a jar, pour hot water over it, and let it sit overnight. Strain and drink in the morning! I don’t recommend drinking dandelion leaf tea right before bed or else you may need to get up in the night to pee.
If you’re looking to work with flowers or roots, long infusions aren’t the best preparation, but you’ll still get plenty of medicine if you prepare them this way!
Dandelion Root Decoction
When making tea from the root, it’s best to make a decoction. The roots are pretty tough, so it takes a lot of effort to break them down. Thankfully, decoctions can help you do that. Just add the roots into a pot with a lid and add water. Bring up to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the tea the better! Then just strain and enjoy!
Dandelion Tincture
Although you can tincture all parts of the plant, tincture is best made from the roots and flowers. Dandelion root tincture is great to receive the digestive actions of the plant while dandelion flower tincture can help aid depression symptoms, especially seasonal depression. To receive the full spectrum of effects from dandelion, make a tincture with all plant parts!
Sunny Honey
Making sunny honey is my personal favorite way to work with dandelion flowers. It’s the perfect treat to help brighten dark winter days and stays shelf stable for years! To make sunny honey, just fill a jar with dandelion flowers and cover them with honey. Let them sit on a shelf to infuse for at least a month. Once the honey is infused, you can strain it and eat the “candied” flowers. The honey may start to ferment, which is actually great! Just be sure to stick it in the fridge before it ferments too much. Also, you can add even more power to the honey by including lemon balm in the infusion as well.
Dandelion Flower Wine & Mead
In the depths of the grey winter days, having some dandelion wine on the shelf can bring us some much-needed sunshine. There are a few options for making dandelions into wine and mead. You can make a wine infusion, a traditional dandelion wine, or a dandelion honey wine (aka mead).
Dandelion Infused Wine
When making a wine infusion, it’s best to work with white wine. White wine holds the floral aroma better than red and it isn’t too obtrusive. To make a dandelion flower wine infusion, just add some flowers into a quart-sized mason jar, and pour in a bottle of wine (it doesn’t look like it’ll fit, but it will!). Let the wine sit for at least a few days (preferably a couple of weeks), strain, and enjoy! The longer you let the wine infuse, the more potent the medicine will be. It’ll usually last through the winter if you’re hoping to use it for seasonal depression.
Traditional Dandelion Wine
Making dandelion wine is a little bit more involved and requires more equipment. If you want to learn how to make a traditional dandelion wine, you can follow this recipe.
Dandelion Mead
If you’re looking to avoid sugar but still want a fun alcoholic drink, consider making a dandelion mead. Again, it’s a little involved, so I recommend checking out this dandelion mead recipe by Grow Forage Cook Ferment.
Dandelions as Food
Traditionally, dandelion was a food source. Almost everyone in the West is impacted by nutrient deficiencies. My herbalism teachers at CommonWeath Herbs call it “nettle & dandelion deficiency.” That’s because there’s strong evidence that plants like nettle and dandelion don’t “fix” our nutrient deficiencies, but rather, we have nutrient deficiencies because we no longer eat them.
There are lots of ways to incorporate Dandelion into your diet. One of my favorite recipes is this dandelion salad recipe from the Nourished Kitchen.
Dandelion Herbal Pairings
Dandelion has lots of friends. Not only do these herbal pairing taste great, but many help to emphasize the herbal actions of the herbs.
Sourcing Dandelion
One of the cool things about dandelion is that it’s free! Dandelion is so widely spread and abundant. Wild harvesting (including urban foraging) dandelion is unlikely to damage dandelion populations and therefore is a safe herb to collect yourself. If you want to maintain a healthy dandelion population, be sure to follow these guidelines:
- harvest only a few leaves or one or two flowers from each plant
- give the plants a break: don’t harvest from the same plant until you’ve waited a week or so
- only harvest from healthy-looking plants and plant populations
- if you’re harvesting roots, only pull up one of every five-ish plants and only do this once or twice a year
If you want to encourage the growth of dandelion plants, buy some seeds here.
You can find dandelion leaves at lots of health food grocers, although they tend to be pampered and, therefore, contain fewer minerals and constituents.
If you’re looking to buy dandelion, I recommend finding a local herb farm and buying from them. If that’s not an option, then you can always buy dandelion from Mountain Rose Herbs. They sell dandelion root, roasted dandelion root, dandelion root powder, and dandelion leaf.
More Herbal Monographs
Want to learn about more herbs? In my online Materia Medica, you will find all of the herbs I have written about. Here, you can click on any herb you want to learn about and you’ll get a thorough herbal monograph that’s always being updated, just like this one. Plus, you can download the free monograph for every herb! Learn more here.
Free Dandelion Monograph Download
The Best Herbalism Books
There are hundreds of herbalism books available on the market. A quick Google search can be really overwhelming! Especially when the top search results from Amazon and Goodreads seem to be unreliable.
In this article, I’ve gathered all of my favorite herbalism titles in one place to share with you. If you don’t know where to start, that’s ok! The books are organized by type and I’ve written descriptions to let you know which I suggest in which situations. Plus, all of the books here are trustworthy, so you can follow your curiosity and pick which books stand out to you!
Summary: Dandelion Monograph
Dandelion is a resilient plant that helps us with our own resilience in many ways. This sunny herb that’s been labeled as a weed can be our great ally in the pursuit of health.
In this article, we discussed the medicinal properties of dandelion thoroughly. We outlined the dandelion monograph and discussed how we work with dandelion in practice and ways to prepare it. Plus, you now have the free downloadable dandelion monograph for you to reference when you need it.
What are your favorite ways of working with dandelion? What are you most excited to try? I have some sunny honey infusing on my counter now and I’m excited for it to be ready to eat!
Thanks for coming by!
Sunshine and taproots,
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