WW: Dandelions
A little information on dandelions as a homeopathic remedy
Detox articles are everywhere, all the time. “The Buffalo Herbalist” wrote an excellent article on this recently.
Below that is a quick re-visit about homeopathic dandelions — Taraxacum officinale.
Julia
I am surrounded by dandelions on this holiday weekend.
As a kid, I never understood why the adults hated them so much and I’m still a little mystified by that, actually. They’re bright and fun and, heck, if you hold one under someone’s chin, it can detect whether or not they like butter? Or, was that supposed to indicate someone who wet the bed? Who comes up with this stuff we all do/did as kids?!
Anyway, cuz I’m sitting in this rare delight of a field of dandelions, I thought I would share a little bit about what they can do, both homeopathically as well as herbally.
The entire plant is edible and nutritious, according to Nicole Apelian (Apelian 2020). Lately, I have been enjoying various dandelion teas. [a word of caution — there’s a really tasty Dandelion Chai Probiotic tea that is excellent at moving things along, if you get my meaning.] Some are made from the roots; some from the leaves; some from both. Not long ago, I mentioned the dandelion beverage that helped me kick the coffee habit years ago.
She goes on to say that the bitter roots are good for liver and GI issues and the leaves have a powerful diuretic effect (makes you pee) and that “the plant makes a great general tonic for the entire body. Dandelion is high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.” Maybe I’ll put some in my salad tonight.
Taraxacum officinale is their Latin name and homeopathically, they have been used since the days of its founding father, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. I would definitely consider Taraxacum in conditions involving a weakness in the liver. It is very useful as an organ support remedy.
Taraxacum has an affinity for both the liver and the bladder. “A symptom in connection with disordered digestion, which has proved a good guide for Taraxacum in some cases is the ‘mapped tongue.’ The tongue is coated white and clears off in patches, leaving dark red, very sensitive spots” (Murphy).
Other symptoms which might point to Taraxacum:
frequent urging to urinate with copious discharge of urine
jaundice
apathy, lack of reactions, “little zest for work”
impatient and irritable
an occipital headache which is worse lying
stitching pains, especially around the liver
bitterness: bitter taste in the mouth, bitter burps, hacks up sour mucus
debilitating night sweats
Exhaustion is part of this picture and the person wants to sit or lie down but that actually makes them feel worse. They feel better from moving or walking and being in the open air. In fact, the symptoms may come on when sitting and disappear when walking.
There you have it, a little bit of information on that ubiquitous dandelion.
Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath
#wellnessawaits
original article: https://classicallypractical.com/blog/dandelions
Gardeners hate them because their roots are so long and thick they're hard to pull out of the ground but if they're left, very soon take over everywhere! I do find their leaves in salads rather bitter.