D is for Dandelion

By Dr. Ralph Moss
from CancerDecisions.com Newsletter

When I was growing up in Brooklyn, I used to marvel at the old Italian women who gathered dandelions in the spring. They would dodge traffic on the Belt Parkway to pick greens for their family table. My parents who got their cellophane-wrapped iceberg lettuce from  the supermarket, laughed at these weed gatherers.

But those old ladies knew something that modern Americans have forgotten: all over the world, the appearance of the dandelion is a signal that winter is over and it is time for a good healing cleanse. And what better internal cleanser than the dandelion, a plant that by reputation is excellent for liver, kidney and digestive problems?

The dandelion exists in easy harmony with its environment. It is attractive to the eye. Apparently animals think so as well, for 93 different kinds of insects visit to drink its lavish supply of nectar. In fine weather, its flower is outstretched, but as soon as rain threatens, the whole head tightens up at once. "It closes against the dews of night, by five o'clock in the evening, being prepared for its night's sleep, opening again at seven in the morning," to quote the British herbalist Mrs. Margaret Grieve.

Dandelion's botanical name is Taraxacum, from the Greek words for disorder (taraxos) and remedy (akos). This is a clear allusion to its medicinal power. Its common name is derived from the French "dent de lion," meaning "tooth of the lion," which refers to its sharply indented leaves . More graphic is the French term "pis-en-lit," which means "urinate-in-bed." This is a reference to dandelion's use as a diuretic. Gerard in her herbal (1597) said that dandelion "doth withal cleanse and open by reason of its bitterness."

In the 19th century, Eclectic physicians promoted the idea that dandelion could combat "auto-intoxication," a concept that was foreign to conventional medicine. Dandelion's reputation consequently took a tailspin in conventional medicine. In recent years, however,  some scientists have begun to investigate the nature of dandelion's effects on the body. Just this month (3/02), Korean researchers showed that dandelion extracts significantly reduced the blood sugar level in diabetic rats and might be a useful tool against that  disease. This was known to Appalachian herbalists decades, maybe centuries, ago.

The level of a helpful compound superoxide dismutase (SOD) was also significantly increased in the liver, while other enzymes were normalized. In the same mice, dandelion extracts lowered the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while increasing the "good" HDL cholesterol. If one is suffering from either diabetes or high cholesterol, it might makes sense to bring these findings to the attention of your doctor.

Particularly intriguing are experiments showing that dandelion has anticancer effects. Using dandelion extract, scientists were able to prevent skin cancer in a mouse mice. "These results suggest that an extract of the roots of the Taraxacum plant could be a valuable chemopreventive agent against chemical carcinogenesis," Korean scientists wrote.

Chinese researchers  have shown that dandelion can restore the three major types of immune functions: cell-mediated, humoral, and non-specific immunity. Dandelion also inhibits a harmful natural substance, TNF-alpha, that is involved in the wasting syndrome of cancer (cachexia). It has anti-inflammatory effects, particularly in the central nervous system.

Clearly, there is something important about the humble dandelion. So why haven't these results been expanded upon? My explanation is the lack of commercial possibilities. Plants are fine if you can find some way to monopolize them. But weeds are free for the taking. The profits from all the dandelions in the world wouldn't turn on the lights at the laboratory needed to study them. It is the same thing that keeps many natural agents from the marketplace.

Would-be dandelion consumers do need to take care. The leaf is classified by the American Herbal Products Association as class 1, meaning it can be safely consumed when used appropriately. But the root is contraindicated in blockages of the bile duct, acute inflammation of the gallbladder and intestinal blockages. In addition, be on the lookout for any stomach upset (unlikely to occur, but always possible with any bitter herb).

In addition, you needs to secures a safe supply. This plant tends to grow in waste places, and can absorb harmful minerals, chemicals and pollutants in its vicinity. Do not emulate the Italian women of my youth, whose dandelions were probably contaminated with automobile exhausts. Seek out a supply from an area that is uncontaminated by herbicides or industrial pollution.

The root, fresh and dried, the young tops are used medicinally. But the most powerful part is the juice of the root. Roasted roots are used to form "dandelion coffee." Roots are thoroughly cleaned, then dried in a low temperature oven, then slightly roasted till they are the color of coffee. Finally, they are ground and ready for use. It is sometimes mixed with coffee or chocolate.

If dandelion turns out to have scientific merit, it will mark a turnabout in our attitude towards the plant. Americans in particular have been engaged in a life-long battle with this tenacious plant. Tons of herbicides have been sprayed on lawns in an effort to eradicate this foe. Instead, it seems to spread ever wider. I myself have never resorted to herbicides, but I have done hand-to-hand combat using a special dandelion weeder, made of strong ash wood and high carbon steel. Each year they come back more tenacious than before.

My solution is to no longer recognize dandelions as a foe. What is a weed, anyway? The word simply means herb or grass. Webster says a weed is an undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome plant, especially one growing where it is not wanted.  But if a weed helps digestion, liver and kidney complaints, edema, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cancer is it still a weed?  I think we all need some attitude adjustment on the topic. My suggestion is to relax on the patio with a cup of dandelion coffee, stare out at the lawn, and think of the valuable herbs that are lurking there.

Dandelions have been around for about 130 million years. The great naturalist Charles Darwin called flowering plants "an abominable mystery," since, to this day no one knows how they evolved. Abominable or not, I think we need to grant these ancient and mysterious inhabitants the right to live.

My grandchildren, who visit in the summer, have not yet mastered the concept of weeds. Last summer, we suggested they pick wild flowers for the table: they proudly brought home fistfuls of yellow dandelions and were confused when our enthusiasm faltered. They are equally fascinated by what comes after the flowers, the delicate white puffballs, as architecturally involved as any of Buckminster Fuller's domes.

The dandelion is the emblem of summer and of naive exuberance. My advice is to hang the weeder on a hook, take the herbicide to the dump, and cultivate a revised attitude towards these wild flowers. Pick the tender leaves for your salad, as the Italian women did and dig the roots for your decoctions and drinks. Here's a prescription for paradise: lay on your back in the grass, preferably with a child, and holding a puffball by the stem, blast its parachute seeds onto the passing wind. Behold the dandelion: it neither pays taxes nor does it answer email, yet it has managed to maintain itself happily for 130 million years. We humans should live as long.