NURTURING: Dandelions - a surprising harvest Part 2

Dandelions – a surprising harvest


Having dealt with culinary uses for dandelions, medical herbalist Sabine Hiller now looks at the medicinal uses for the common flower

Nurturing
Sabine Hiller

Part 2 –  medicinal uses
In part one I dealt with the culinary uses of Dandelion roots, leaves and flowers. Now, in part two I focus on their medicinal uses. (If you missed part one, check out the recipes at www.mayonews.ie/living).
Dandelion is first mentioned as a medicine in the works of Arab physicians of the 10th and 11th centuries, and appears in most herbals of the Middle ages.
Culpepper wrote that it ‘openeth the passages of the urine in young and old’ and that ‘the distilled water can be drunk in pestilential fever.’
Irish folklore tells us that ‘this herb is a great cure for anyone suffering from consumption’ and recommends that ‘one cup full before breakfast every morning’ be drunk. Old German herbalists describe its use for various digestive disorders, ‘dropsy’ and to help with sore joints.In more recent times, pharmacological and clinical research has done a lot to increase our understanding of this plant.  Though roots and leaves share a lot of their actions, for the sake of clarity I will treat them separately.

Dandelion roots
Dandelion roots contain large amounts of the carbohydrate inulin. Common food sources also rich in inulin include onions, leeks, garlic, bananas, Jerusalem and globe artichokes, chicory root, asparagus and most whole grains, such as oats, rye, barley, wheat.
Inulin is a so-called oligosaccharide, composed of chains of two to 60 glucose and fructose molecules. Inulin has a prebiotic effect, meaning that it is not digested or absorbed like other carbohydrates, but instead promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine, in particular bifidobacteria.
These bacteria metabolise inulin into so-called short-chain fatty acids, compounds which greatly improve bowel function. So, it’s not altogether surprising that inulin has been shown to considerably ease constipation. And it supports the present day use of dandelion by medical herbalists in the treatment of various digestive problems, in particular intestinal dysbiosis (meaning imbalances in the flora of your gut) and constipation. There is however another reason as well: Dandelion roots have a long history of use as a liver tonic and they do indeed contain bitter compounds which stimulate bile flow. Improving your bile flow means a better environment for your ‘good’ bacteria to survive in and it also contributes to the mild laxative effect of Dandelion roots.
However, before you self-medicate to treat constipation, remember that any changes in your bowel habit have to be taken seriously and their causes need to be diagnosed first! Furthermore, some authorities recommend that people with obstructions of the bile ducts or other serious gallbladder disease avoid medicinal doses of dandelion root. Otherwise, unless you suffer from a known sensitivity to plants of the Daisy family, dandelions are extremely safe and are even considered safe in pregnancy and during lactation!
Dandelion roots have also been shown to exhibit mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting various inflammatory mediators – which may (after further studies) come to support the traditional use of Dandelion for rheumatic conditions and skin diseases. There are some indications that dandelion root may help to lower blood lipid levels.

Dandelion leaves
Dandelion leaves, while they also contain some of the same constituents as the roots, are used mostly for their diuretic effect. Dried dandelion leaves contain up to 4.5 per cent potassium, which may be partly responsible for this effect. I find dandelion leaves (and roots also, to a lesser extent) extremely effective as part of a prescription for treating pre-menstrual bloating.
Preliminary research suggests that dandelion flowers have an anti-oxidant activity, that they enhance the function of the immune system and may even inhibit cancer cells.
As described in part one, Dandelion flower buds make nice ‘capers’, and you can also make wine from the flowers. (However, make sure you remove the stalks, as the fresh latex in the flower stems is not recommended for consumption!)

NEXT TIME The medicinal properties and uses of dandelions.