Dandelion

DANDELION, Taraxacum officinale Wigg. (and other varieties), a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Compositae, growing everywhere throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is mentioned by Theophrastus and in Arabic medical literature. In medicine, the root, dug up in the autumn, was used primarily (wild chicory). The fresh root is fleshy and succulent, secreting an abundant white milky juice that turns brown upon drying. The root contains inulin, sugar, mucus, a bitter substance called taraxacin, and a wax-like substance called taraxacerin. In the spring, soluble sugars predominate in the roots of the dandelion, while in the autumn, bitters and inulin (up to 40%) predominate. In folk medicine, it is used for various diseases (for stomach diseases, chronic constipation, during difficult labor, and for "stone" disease).

In Crimea, dandelion leaves are smoked like tobacco for coughs. Powder and extract have wide application as inert additives for binding pills. Fresh leaves are consumed as a salad.

In the 7th edition of the Pharmacopoeia, two preparations are accepted: Radix Taraxaci—dried roots and rhizomes of the dandelion harvested in the autumn, and Radix Taraxaci cum Herba—the dried whole plant, harvested in the spring before the beginning of flowering; dandelion extract is prepared from the whole plant harvested in the spring.