Dandelion is a well-known cosmopolitan weed, one of about 60 species in the genus Taraxacum, which is familiar for its appearances in lawns and along roadsides. Many populations are triploid or tetraploid and usually reproduce asexually, making seeds that contain the same genes as the parent plant through a process called apomixis. Though considered a nuisance in suburban lawns, dandelion is a valuable edible plant. Its young leaves, when not soaked with pesticide, are a nutritious and tasty addition to salads; its attractive yellow flowers are used to make dandelion wine; and its roots may be used to produce a beverage that is claimed to resemble coffee (at least in being brownish).

Dandelion root, and sometimes leaves, have long been used medicinally as a mild laxative and diuretic or aquaretic (hence the French name pissenlit, or ?wet-the-bed?) and for inflammatory diseases. In modern European phytomedicinal practice, dandelion is used for dyspepsia and as a cholagogue, or stimulant of bile production or flow. Very limited animal studies have examined the aquaretic activity of dandelion root and its ability to reduce the severity of chemically induced pancreatitis. Whether because mild activities are seen as too difficult to document or not worth the expense, or because common lawn weeds are not perceived as important subjects of research, there have been no human studies of single-species dandelion preparations. At least, given the plant?s long history of use as a food, it has an extremely strong presumption of safety.

Selected References

Houghton, P. J. 1999. The scientific basis for the reputed activity of Valerian. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 51:505-512.

Keane, B., M. H. Collier, and S. H. Rogstad. 2005. Pollution and genetic structure of North American populations of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Environ. Monit. Assess. 105:341-357.

Richards, A. J., and P. D. Sell. 1976. Taraxacum. Pp. 332-343 in: T. G. Tutin et al., eds. Flora Europaea, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

Seo, S. W., H. N. Koo, H. J. An, K. B. Kwon, B. C. Lim, E. A. Seo, D. G. Ryu, G. Moon, H. Y. Kim, H. M. Kim, and S. H. Hong. 2005. Taraxacum officinale protects against cholecystokinin-induced acute pancreatitis in rats. World J. Gastroenterol. 11:597-599.

van Baarlen, P., P. J. van Dijk, R. F. Hoekstra, and J. H. de Jong. 2000. Meiotic recombination in sexual diploid and apomictic triploid dandelions (Taraxacum officinale L.). Genome 43: 827-835.