The Consumer Guide to Dandelion
In this guide... Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Traditional Uses:
Modern Uses:
Do Scientists Know How It Works?
Safety:
Types of products:
Abstracts:
Williams CA; Goldstone F; Greenham J. Flavonoids, cinnamic acids and coumarins from the different tissues and medicinal preparations of Taraxacum officinale. Department of Botany, University of Reading, Berks, U.K. Phytochemistry, 1996 May; 42(1):121-7.
Traditional Uses
Modern Uses
Safety
Types of products
References
Abstracts
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Dandelion is a bitter but nutritious herb prepared from the roots and leaves of the common yellow-flowered plant.
Dandelion is also known (revealingly) as piss-in-bed. Traditionally it has been used as a digestive tonic, blood cleanser, mild diuretic and laxative.
Today, dandelion is used as a weight loss aid, to relieve inflammation of the liver and gallbladder, congestive jaundice, skin diseases, and PMS. It may also be useful to lower blood cholesterol levels, reduce high blood pressure, and prevent heart disease.
Although the active compound underlying dandelion's many health effects has not been identified, the fresh leaves are high in nutrients including beta carotene, vitamin C, and potassium.
People have been known to eat all parts of the plant, and it appears to be safe and nontoxic, with the exception of provoking allergic reactions in some persons.
It is sold as tablets, capsules, concentrated drops, tinctures, and extracts
Abstract: Three flavonoid glycosides: luteolin 7-glucoside and two luteolin 7-diglucosides were isolated from dandelion flowers and leaves together with free luteolin and chrysoeriol in the flower tissue. The hydroxycinnamic acids, chicoric acid, monocaffeyltartaric acid and chlorogenic acid were found throughout the plant and the coumarins, cichoriin and aesculin were identified in the leaf extracts. This represents the first report of free chrysoeriol (luteolin 3'-methyl ether) in Taraxacum officinale agg. An earlier provisional identification of chicoric acid, chlorogenic acid, cichoriin and aesculin in a phenolic survey of the tribe Cichorieae is confirmed. Chicoric acid and the related monocaffeyltartaric acid were found to be the major phenolic constituents in flowers, roots, leaves and involucral bracts and also in the medicinal preparations tested.
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