Part 1: Some Uses for the Dandelion—The Plant So Many People Treat as Such a Nuisance

When many people think of pervasive and annoying weeds, they think automatically of Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion. They imagine the thick roots of the plant that refuse to be pulled from the lawn or flower bed, not realizing, perhaps, that they are getting some free aeration for their soil. As they yank out the dandelions or apply pesticides to their lawns, they are likely imagining the closely mowed, manicured lawn or neat garden they wish to create—the one free of the pesky yellow flowers with their easily recognized notched leaves. Yet these plants have a rich history and many uses, ranging from medicinal infusions, teas, extracts, and now capsules, to culinary use (less popular now in North America than once was the case here and in Europe, India, and many other Asian countries). Dandelion plants also play important roles in the garden as a source of nectar for bees and food for the larvae of certain insects. Also edible, and a good source of vitamins and minerals, the leaves of the dandelion plant can be used as greens in salads; the roots and leaves are used to treat liver problems, while the root alone is used in detoxification regimens as well as to support liver and kidney function.

The Edible Plant: Dandelion Greens

If you are going to pick your own dandelion greens to use in a salad, make sure that you are actually harvesting Taraxacum officinale (the common dandelion) and not one of the plants that closely resembles it. The true dandelion will have a smooth stem, with one flower exclusively per stem, and will not have hairy leaves. The stems of several other plants, closely resembling dandelions--and often called by their name--have hairy stems, with several leaves branching from them; it is one of the Taraxacum varieties you will be after, if you want to eat or make use of the leaves, root, or flower heads.

The leaves are best picked from young to newly mature plants, before the flowers appear; ancient herbalists’ lore suggests harvesting the plants from meadowland, in either sunny or shady locations, making sure to harvest straight, robust roots from plants at least two years old. For those simply wishing to add some interesting greens to the salad bowl at their next meal, it is probably good enough to make sure the dandelion plants are healthy, and growing in an area that is not right next to a major highway or industrial park. Common sense dictates that plants should be taken from garden plots or gardens where there has been no recent pesticide use—and although you will be washing the greens carefully, it doesn’t hurt to verify that there has been no recent dumping of chemicals or refuse, chemical lawn treatment, or neighbourhood animals who may have left a sign of their presence in the neighbourhood by marking their territory.

Various parts of the dandelion plant may also contain significant amounts of vitamin H (implicated in weight loss), and have a positive impact on the body because of their antioxidant properties.