Dandelion grows abundantly in many parks and gardens. This easily recognisable weed was once a cure-all of herbal medicine and is still popular in food and drink.
Scientific name
Family
Asteraceae.
Botanical description
Bright yellow composite flowers crown an erect stem (up to 1-30 cm) emerging from a rosette of large jagged, green leaves. Older plants have a long tapering white root and younger plants have thinner roots and rhizomes.
Status
Perennial. Distributed in temperate zones.
Habitat and distribution
Native to many temperate parts of the world, they are found growing in gardens, parks, lawns, roadsides, waysides, meadows, fields, orchards and woodlands.
Parts used for food
Roots, leaves, buds and flowers.
Harvest time
Early spring to late autumn.
Food uses of dandelion
Dandelion-and-burdock is a popular fizzy drink made in the north of England. The root has also traditionally been used to make a coffee substitute.
The leaves of the plant are considered to be very nutritious and can be eaten as a salad or fresh vegetable. In Asian cooking, for example, the leaves are used like lettuce, boiled, made into soup or fried.
The flower-buds can be added to omelettes and fritters, the flowers baked into cakes, and even the pollen sprinkled on food for decoration and colouring. Blossoms make a delicious country wine and beer is brewed from the whole plant before it flowers.
Nutritional profile of dandelion
The greens contain vitamins A, C, E, K, B6, beta carotene, folate, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium and manganese.
Dandelion recipes
- Dandelion root coffee
- Braised dandelion greens with maple syrup
- A simple dandelion salad
- Dandelion flower vinegar
- Hairy bittercress, dandelion and papaya salad
- Eva’s warm dandelion salad
- Roasted cherry tomatoes with dandelion dressing
Herbal medicine uses of dandelion
The plant has been used as herbal medicine to treat wide-ranging conditions, including stomach and liver complaints, diabetes, heart problems, anaemia, respiratory ailments, consumption (tuberculosis), toothache, broken bones and sprains, sore eyes, cuts and nervousness.
Other uses
The plant provides a rich source of nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects from early spring to late autumn.
Safety note
As a member of the same plant family as ragwort and daisies, dandelion may potentially cause allergies. However, there are few documented cases of the plant’s toxicity in humans.
Related
- Foraging safety guidelines
- Edible and medicinal wild plants of Britain and Ireland
- Foraging through the year
- Nasreddin and the tale of the dandelion
Plant identification
References
Couplan, F. (1998) The encyclopedia of edible plants of North America. New Canaan: Keats Pub.
Facciola, S. (1998) Cornucopia II: a source book of edible plants. Vista, CA: Kampong Publications.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Mills, S. Y. & Bone, K. (eds.) (2005) The essential guide to herbal safety. St. Louis: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Tanaka, Y. & Nguyen, V. K. (2007) Edible wild plants of Vietnam: the bountiful garden. Bangkok: Orchid Press.
Thayer, S. (2006) The forager’s harvest: a guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants. Ogema: Forager’s Harvest.
Jackson, P. (2013) Ireland’s generous nature: the past and present uses of wild plants in Ireland. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Lovely, thanks for the fascinating information and the delicious recipes, Robin! Young dandelion leaves are the perfect partner with cheese for a yummy granary sandwich.
Keep stuffing your sandwiches with weeds 😉
Lots of great research on the anti-cancer properties of Dandelion!
Chatterjee, S. J., Ovadje, P., Mousa, M., Hamm, C., & Pandey, S. (2011). The Efficacy of Dandelion Root Extract in Inducing Apoptosis in Drug-Resistant Human Melanoma Cells. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011, e129045. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/129045
News, C. (n.d.-a). Cancer-killing dandelion tea gets $157K research grant. Retrieved May 3, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/cancer-killing-dandelion-tea-gets-157k-research-grant-1.1248382
News, C. (n.d.-b). Researcher honoured for work on anti-cancer properties of dandelions. Retrieved June 23, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-s-dandelion-tea-researcher-pamela-ovadje-recognized-for-anti-cancer-work-1.3331660
Ovadje, P. (2014, January 1). Anticancer Activity of Natural Health Products (Dandelion Root & Long Pepper Extracts); Extensive Study Of Efficacy And Mechanism Of Action. University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario. Retrieved from http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5209
Ovadje, P., Ammar, S., Guerrero, J.-A., Arnason, J. T., & Pandey, S. (2016). Dandelion root extract affects colorectal cancer proliferation and survival through the activation of multiple death signalling pathways. Oncotarget, 7(45), 73080–73100. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.11485
Ovadje, P., Chatterjee, S., Griffin, C., Tran, C., Hamm, C., & Pandey, S. (2011). Selective induction of apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 in human leukemia cells (Jurkat) by dandelion root extract. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 133(1), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2010.09.005
Thanks Marc – The profiles are just the start, they will be fleshed out more over time and include the references. Appreciate the references.
Would love to try the braised dandelion recipe BUT where on earth do I get Korean pepper flakes from? Not a fan of chilli so always keen to try any substitute that may not have as much heat
I grabbed some Korean pepper flakes from Amazon for use in a kimchi recipe. The quality was good.
I just pop a handful of flowers into a mug of boiling water for a couple of minutes to make a tea. Any longer spoils the flavour.
Friend of mine making vegan dandelion honey. Looks delicious
I made some a couple weeks ago! It doesn’t taste quite like honey like they say but it’s still sooo good. And only takes around 6hr of minimal effort to make.
Fabulous information. Thanks