Dandelion – A Foraging Guide to Its Food, Medicine and Other Uses

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

Taraxacum officinale

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.

• Dandelion distribution map

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.

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.