Dandelion

A native wild plant: young leaves are pleasantly bitter in salads, pesto or wilted like spinach. Mildest in spring. Pick only in clean spots, away from roads.

What is dandelion? From lawn weed to herbal tradition

A textbook case of how far we’ve drifted from real biology: when bright yellow flowers pop up in neatly trimmed suburban lawns each spring, plenty of people reach straight for a bottle of weedkiller. Yet dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is no pest – it’s a chronically underrated plant with a long history in herbal medicine. Medieval Arab physicians already prized not so much the bright yellow flower as the jagged green leaves – the ‘lion’s teeth’ that give the plant its name – and above all the long, dark taproot that can reach a metre deep.

What’s in it: bitter compounds

Pop a freshly washed leaf in your mouth while the plant is flowering and you’ll pull a face. It’s sharp, grassy and, above all, intensely bitter.

• Bitter compounds (taraxacin, sesquiterpene lactones): These plant compounds have largely disappeared from our sugary modern European diet. Dandelion leaves are packed with them.
• Inulin in the root: Dig up the bitter root in late autumn and almost 40 % (!) of it is inulin, a fructan fibre your body can’t digest. It reaches the large intestine intact, where bacteria ferment it.

What tradition says: bile and water

Bitter taste and bile

We have taste receptors for bitterness on the tongue – and we’ve bred most of the bitterness out of vegetables such as cucumbers. In herbal tradition, the bitter taraxacin in dandelion is said to signal the body to release bile from the gallbladder into the small intestine, which is why dandelion was taken alongside rich, creamy meals. Claims that it clears wind or stops gallstones from forming aren’t backed by solid studies in people.

‘Piss-a-bed’: dandelion as a diuretic

In the Middle Ages, country folk had a blunt nickname for dandelion: ‘piss-a-bed’. Dandelion leaf has a long reputation as a diuretic – something that makes you pass more urine – and it is described that way in kidney research. Unlike many diuretic drugs, the leaf brings its own potassium: it contains plenty of it. If you have swollen ankles or water retention (oedema), though, see your GP rather than relying on dandelion tea.

Good to know: roots and coffee substitute

After the Second World War, many people couldn’t afford coffee beans, so they drank coffee substitutes out of necessity. They dug up dandelion roots, cut them into small cubes and roasted them until dark in a scorching hot iron pan. Pour hot water over these dark-roasted, very bitter root pieces today (dandelion coffee) and you get zero caffeine and no jitters – just a bitter, almost chocolatey drink that’s far more interesting than anything from a pricey coffee chain.