is for Dandelion–
nutritious, ubiquitous

All parts of the dandelion are edible: the sunny yellow flowers, the deeply serrated “lion’s tooth” leaves, and the earthy-smelling, pale-colored roots. Even the unopened flower buds are used for food. Dandelions grow from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. The botanical name Taraxacum officinale comes from the Greek taraxos, or “disorder,” and akos, meaning “remedy,” while officinale refers to any medicinal plant now or once listed in the United States Pharmacopeia or National Formulary. This very cosmopolitan, yet utterly humble weed is useful for both home remedies and home cooking.

Let It Flow

Dandelion makes one of the safest spring tonics and is one of the most common. It has been used by generations of grannies the world over. The leaf is a non-irritating liver and gallbladder tonic used to promote a healthy flow of bile, and thus digestion. Historically, it has been used to treat jaundice. Dandelion leaf is a known diuretic—the British called it “piss-a-bed” and used it to control children’s bed-wetting—and is also a mild laxative, but it doesn’t deplete potassium like its over-the-counter counterparts. In fact, the whole plant is rich in potassium and provides hefty amounts of beta-carotene, calcium, and iron, with notable amounts of phosphorus, protein, and vitamin C. To relieve mild edema, make a brew of roasted dandelion root “coffee” to reduce swelling of the lower extremities such as the feet and ankles. The plant is also rich in lecithin, which helps reduce cholesterol and convert fat into energy.

The nutritious dandelion root—just like its relative, the Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke—is easily assimilated by diabetics because of a complex carbohydrate called inulin. Both plants are in the Compositae family, flowering plants whose “petals” are actually flowers themselves. For centuries, the scholarly Arab physicians and herbalists used dandelion root to treat diabetes. I have not come across any references of whether or not dandelion is safe during pregnancy, but I would avoid using it as a tincture, which is how I usually process dandelion for the herbal medicine cabinet. Pregnant women may be able to drink the roasted root tea for edema, but please don’t do this without your midwife’s or doctor’s approval—and a good midwife will likely know a lot more about herbs than a regular obstetrician. I mentioned dandelion tincture; I use the whole plant for making this—root, leaf, and flower—and start the process with the root first, then the leaf, and finally adding flowers when they appear; the whole process takes about a month. I use it as a general liver and gallbladder tonic. For instructions on how to make herbal tinctures, see page 3, “The Kitchen Apothecary.”

The Ojibwa natives of Minnesota called dandelion dado’ cabodji’ bik, which means “milk root.” Externally, the milky-white sap from the stem has been dabbed onto warts to make them fall off, but I have never followed through on this to see if it works.

It Tastes Good, Too

As mentioned above, roasted dandelion root makes a tasty brew. You don’t have to “need” it to use it. The taste is similar to roasted chicory root, which is often combined with real coffee, especially in New Orleans and other places in the American South. (Chicory is also a composite flower.) Most of us are familiar with dandelion wine, some vintages more tasty than others; I tried to make some once, but what I got instead were some spectacular molds that looked more like a school science project gone awry. Dandelion has even been used to make beer, in particular a British Midlands stout. The leaves were also combined with nettles and yellow dock to make another interesting brew. I would love to experiment with making herbal beers; my husband has made many varieties of home brew, so I know I have a good instructor for when I’m ready.

Aside from drinking your tonic, you can eat it as well. In the spring, I use fresh dandelion leaves in raw green salads and in a mixed, cooked mess o’ greens. There are several French and Italian cultivars available to the adventurous home gardener; just be sure to mark the ones you planted on purpose to differentiate from the “weeds”—ha ha! You can use the flower petals in baking, such as in muffins, and in sun teas—just pull them off the green stem and use only the yellow part. The unopened flower buds (still attached to the green) can be sautéed with olive oil and garlic and whatever else seems like a good idea at the time. I eat the roots that I remove from my garden beds, either chopping them into salads or simply washing them and munching them up like a carrot. Yes, they taste somewhat bitter, but they also taste somewhat sweet, just what you’d expect from a familiar wild root.

Accept It for What It Is

Many people consider dandelions to be weeds imposing on their manicured lawns like invaders on a sterile battlefield. At my home, I like to walk around barefoot, and if it doesn’t have thorns, it gets to stay! I’ll admit that the seed heads aren’t as pretty as the flowers, and I mow more often to keep them down, but I certainly don’t “round ’em up” with Monsanto or Dow, if you catch my drift. I suggest you learn to live with them (or dig them out), keeping in mind that early settlers in Canada introduced dandelion flowers to their yards to brighten things up. Farmers observed that certain plants predict the weather, and like the sunflower (yet another composite flower), dandelions are weather and light sensitive. The flowers remain fully open to the sun, but when rain approaches or the evening dew begins to settle, they close their sunny faces and tuck in for the duration.

In Greek myth, the crone goddess Hecate fed a salad of dandelion leaves to the hero Theseus. To send a message to your favorite champion, blow on the puffy seed head with a whispered plea and send the downy parachutes to the wind. Walk away and don’t look back. Perhaps this so-called oracle flower will carry a message back to you …(and hope it’s not your neighbor giving you the stink eye for all the dandelion seed you just blew into their yard)!