Dandelion is a plant without an aerial stem. Its root is cylindrical and slightly branched, and can be about 20 cm long. Like other parts of the plant, the root contains considerable amounts of white, milky juice.
The leaves are in the shape of a rosette, pinnately cut. The aerial part consists of a rosette of leaves, from the central part of which, at the time of flowering, a naked, tubular flower stalk 15-30 cm high with a flower head on top develops.
The flowers are bisexual, tongue-shaped, golden yellow, collected in heads with a diameter of 3-5 cm. The flowers are open until noon, and when the light disappears and in cloudy weather, they close. After flowering, the flower turns into recognizable white airy balls similar to lanterns, which we all happily blew into in childhood. These are seeds that have a plume or pappus, that is, small hairs, which serve as a parachute for spreading the seeds with the help of the wind.
Use for medicinal purposes
The root (Taraxaci radix) and leaf (Taraxaci folium) are used for medicinal purposes.
The drug is the dried root of the dandelion, Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber. In some pharmacopoeias, the official drug is root with the aerial part – Taraxaci radix cum herba.
The aerial part of the plant is collected in the spring when the amount of bitter substances is the highest, while the root is collected in the fall, when it contains the highest amount of inulin (40%). Due to its high inulin content, it can, like chicory, be used as a substitute for coffee.
Dandelion leaves, which are collected young in spring, are used as food in salads.
Ingredients
- bitter substances: sesquiterpene compounds
- triterpenes
- phytosterols
- vitamins A, B, C and D
- polysaccharides: inulin
- mineral substances: potassium salts
Leaves contain:
- coumarins
- carotenoids
- minerals: especially potassium
Roots contain:
- taraxacosides
- phenolic acids
- minerals: potassium, calcium
Mode of action
Bitter substances (sesquiterpene lactones) stimulate the secretion of saliva and gastric juice (gastric acid, pepsin) and stimulate the appetite. Bitter substances reduce the pH value in the stomach. They also improve the efficiency of proteolytic enzymes in the digestive tract (by stimulating a suitable pH). The bitter substances of dandelion also stimulate the secretion of bile (choleretic effect).
Inulin is a polyfructoside that has a favorable effect on bifido bacteria and, as a vegetable fiber, has a favorable effect on digestion. Due to the content of potassium salts, the drug Taraxaci radix cum herba has a diuretic effect.
Usage
The drug Taraxaci radix ocum herba is used for disorders in the secretion of bile, to stimulate the appetite and for dyspeptic problems. Dandelion is also used to stimulate the excretion of urine, i.e. to promote diuresis. In traditional medicine, it is used in the so-called spring cure for “organism cleansing” (improvement of digestion, acceleration of diuresis).
The daily dose of the drug is 3-4 g (2½-3½ teaspoons) per cup, and it is prepared by putting it in cold water and boiling it. It is also available on the market in finished products in the form of tablets or capsules.
Care should be taken when using it in people who have gallstones. Contraindications are biliary obstruction and ileus. When in contact with the fresh plant, allergic reactions are possible due to the content of sesquiterpene lactones.
TAXONOMY
KINGDOM: Plantae
ORDER: Asterales
FAMILY: Asteraceae
GENUS: Taraxacum
SPECIES: Taraxacum officinale
COMMON NAME
Blowball, cankerwort, doon-head-clock, witch’s gowan, milk witch, lion’s-tooth, yellow-gowan, Irish daisy, monks-head, priest’s-crown, and puff-ball
FLOWERING TIME
IV,V, sometimes repeatedly IX,X month
References:
Flora Croatica database, https://hirc.botanic.hr/
Josip Gelenčir, Jasenka Gelenčir: Atlas ljekovitog bilja, Prosvjeta Zagreb, 1991.
Source: Maslačak https://www.plantea.com.hr/maslacak
Schafner, Willi: Ljekovito bilje: kompendij, Leo-commerce, 1999.
Prof.dr.sc. Zdenka Kalođera, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Farmaceutsko-biokemijski fakultet, Farmakognozija II, Zagreb, 2006./2007.
