← All plantsDandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Also: Lion's tooth, Dent de lion
CoolingDryingTonifying
A bitter spring tonic for the liver, the gut, and the kidneys.
Toothed leaves in a flat rosette, a single golden flower on each hollow stem, and a long, milky taproot. The root stirs bile and slow digestion; the leaf drains fluid while replacing the potassium it moves.
- Energetics
- Cold, drying, tonifying
- Taste
- Bitter, earthy, slightly sweet
- Family
- Asteraceae (daisy family)
- Parts used
- Root, leaf, flower
Medicinal uses 7
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TTraditional useLLab and mechanism studiesCClinical studies
Stirs bile flow and wakes up heavy, incomplete digestion, especially after rich food.
The leaf moves water through the kidneys and replaces the potassium it flushes.
The root works as a mild, gentle laxative.
Clears skin that erupts alongside a sluggish liver.
The greens are rich in vitamins A and K, potassium, and calcium.
Flower tincture lifts the spirits in the grey months.
The leaf tea moves the puffiness and water weight that build before a period.
Preparations
Root decoction and roasted root coffee, spring greens, and bitters before meals.
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Cautions
- Pair it with a moistening herb if you run very dry.
- With gallstones or a blocked bile duct, use it only with guidance.
- The leaf adds to diuretic and lithium medications; check with your prescriber.
- Daisy-family allergies can apply.
Medication interactions
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for dandelion, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
PregnancyGenerally compatible
A nutritious food and tea throughout pregnancy. The leaf is mildly diuretic, so keep well hydrated.
BreastfeedingGenerally compatible
Generally considered compatible and nutritive, with a folk reputation for supporting milk.
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.
Folklore
The name comes from the French dent de lion, lion's tooth, for the jagged leaves. French children also called it pissenlit, wet-the-bed, for the leaf's effect on the kidneys, and English children said piss-a-bed. Blowing the seed head told the hour by the number of breaths it took to clear, and the roasted root stood in for coffee whenever coffee ran short. During the Second World War a close relative, the Russian dandelion, was planted across the Soviet Union, the United States, and Europe for the rubber in its milky latex.
How to grow
It hardly needs help. For tender greens, grow a cultivated French variety in rich soil and pick young. Dig roots in autumn for sweeter, inulin-rich roots, or in spring for the most bitterness.
In the wild
Lawns, meadows, roadsides, and cracks in pavement across the temperate world. Harvest away from roads and sprayed lawns.
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