The culinary world cooks with dandelion roots and plant extracts.
Dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale, plants, the kind you see growing wild along roadsides, offer an array of medical benefits that range from lessening the effects of diabetics to promoting digestive health, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Herbalists in Europe used the dandelion plant to treat fevers, boils and eye issues. Chinese medical practitioners administered dandelion to deal with problems including appendicitis, and gave the herb to women with inconsistencies relating to breast milk flow. Native Americans made a drink to reduce the effects of swelling and kidney disease. Does this Spark an idea?
Preparations
Dosage recommendations for eating dandelion include 1 tsp. to 2 tsp. dried leaf infusions administered three times per day. Take it after you steep the infusion and pour it over the dandelion leaves. Drink 1 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. dried root decoction -- a water-based extract -- three times per day. Boil the root in water for five to 10 minutes. Strain the mixture before drinking. You can give yourself a dosage of 500mg standardized powdered extract once to three times each day. Root tincture -- alcohol-based extracts -- made from a fresh dandelion root, work best when you use 100 to 150 drops three times per day. Leaf tincture dosage: 100 to 150 drops, taken three times per day. Check with your doctor before taking medicinal dosages. You can prepare homemade soups and salads with dandelion roots and extracts.
Benefits
Leaves from the dandelion plant have uses that range from decreasing hunger to aiding in gastrointestinal health, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dandelion flowers contain a Luteolin antioxidant that promotes bone heath. Other dandelion benefits include the plant's potentially good source of calcium. Dandelions are listed as a natural preventative against diabetes when taken in juice form to stimulate insulin. Dandelion helps prevent jaundice by keeping bile production in check.
Allergy Information
Although dandelion is considered safe -- most people aren't allergic -- some people may show symptoms of mouth sores and reactions to touching the flower. If you have a known allergic reaction to plants including ragweed, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, iodine and daisies, avoid eating or touching dandelions because they could prompt a reaction. If you have gallstones or diseases of the gallbladder, seek the opinion of a doctor before eating dandelions.
Interactions
Dandelion may cause an interaction for people who take lithium because, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it can exacerbate the side effects of the drug used to treat bipolar disorder. Quinolone antibiotics including, but not limited to, levofloxacin and ofloxacin may interact with the Chinese dandelion -- Taraxacum mongolicum -- by lessening the absorption rate of the medicine. The University of Maryland Medical center recommends avoiding antacids, which reduce acids in the stomach, while eating dandelion.
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