Dandelion Gold

“…That who sees this little flower,

By faith may clear behold,

The bobolinks around the throne,

And dandelions gold.”

Emily Dickinson

Dandelions Gold

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Description: Golden yellow flower, jagged lobed leaves, hollow milky stem, reflexed outer bracts, fluffy globular white seed balls. 2-18 in. March – September Habitat: Lawns and roadsides

  The dandelion, a native of Greece, was intentionally brought to the Mid-West by early settlers to provide food for imported honey-bees; the flowers flourished in their new environs, and today, they are probably the most widely recognized wildflower in the United States.

Its bright yellow ‘petals’ are actually hundreds of individual ray flowers, and they are strap-shaped with parallel edges, unlike the petals of most other flowers, which have tapered petals.

 They sit atop an un-branched stem, a hollow tube, which yields a milky substance when torn. The basal leaves are jagged and deeply cleft, and it is this characteristic which has given it its name: ‘dandelion’ is a corruption of the Old French, ‘dent de lion’, or, ‘lion’s tooth’.

It has a genius method of dissemination: once the flowers have been fertilized, they transform into fluffy balls, and every tiny fruit has a feathery parachute that carries the brown seed upon the wind.

The nutritional value of the dandelion is well established, according to Thomas Elpel, author of Botany in a Day, the dandelion is one of the most nutritious plants on earth. The iron and calcium content is higher than that of spinach, and the beta-carotene content is higher than carrots. In addition, they offer vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, E, P, and D as well as biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.

  In addition to its superlative nutritional value, it also has a long-standing reputation as a medicinal herb; in fact, its specific name, ‘officinale’, refers to the fact that it is used medicinally. The earliest known writings about dandelion appeared in Arabian physician’s herbals, in the 10^th and 11^th centuries, as well Welsh medicinal herbals, in the 13^th century.

  Traditionally, the herb was eaten in the spring, as a tonic to cleanse the liver. It works well on the liver, but on the gall bladder, also, where it helps to prevent gallstones, and, because both the root and the leaf are high in sodium, it can break down acid in the blood, helping to dissolve existing stones.

It also stimulates the kidneys to remove toxins. In fact, in the Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, the author, Andrew Chevallier, says that dandelion root is one of the most de-toxifying herbs. It is useful in the treatment of many conditions, including skin problems such as eczema, acne and psoriasis; constipation, and it is also used for arthritic conditions and gout. In addition, dandelion may lower blood sugar, which is good for diabetics.

The leaves are also used as a bitter; it stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes, aiding in digestion.

The plant is also widely used as a diuretic, but unlike pharmaceutical diuretics, which leach potassium from the body, dandelion’s abundant supply of potassium, leaves the body’s potassium stores enriched, rather than depleted.

The plant’s milky substance is good for the removal of warts, moles and treating pimples. It can also be used to soothe insect stings and blisters.

The young spring leaves, before the flowers appear, are the most bitter, but also the most effective medicinally, however use of the plant is beneficial throughout the season. Some may find the leaves too bitter, but when they are mixed with other greens, the bitterness becomes a contributor to taste.

There are no poison look-alikes.