Taraxacum officinale (common name Dandelion)
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Dandelion, often overlooked as a stubborn weed, has been used medicinally for centuries. Its use has expanded beyond physical ailment, and has been utilized for energetic imbalance, mental stability and is reported to have been used for spiritual practices and ancient rituals.
In Celtic cultures it was believed that Dandelion belonged to the Celtic Deity Belenos and it was said that a dandelion in one’s dream is a symbol of difficult times ahead.
The therapeutic action of dandelion is owed to the diuretic properties of the leaves. It is well celebrated as a liver and digestive tonic. Dandelion roots are a popular liver tonic that promotes the flow of bile. Dandelion holds a mild laxative property and is considered antirheumatic, therefore offering pain relief.
Dandelion was introduced into European medicine as early as the 10th century. Taraxacum comes from the Greek taraxis, "to move or disturb", but the name originally may have come from the Persian name for the herb, tarashqun. The shape of the leaves gives the French name, dents de lion, or "teeth of the lion." Another French name is pis en lit or "pee in bed" from its diuretic effects.
It was once deliberately introduced into the Midwest to provide food for bees.
Some interesting legends and lore of how dandelions came to be as follows:
Centuries ago, an old miser found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Instead of sharing it, he decided to bury it in the ground, so that only he could find it. He took the gold home, put it into a sack, and went to bed. While he was asleep, however, a mouse searching for food gnawed a hole in the sack. The next morning, very early so that none would see or follow him, the old man got up and went off to the deep woods to bury his treasure. He was so intent on his plan that he did not notice the coins dropping out of the sack one by one through the hole the mouse had made. Finally, when he reached the darkest part of the forest, he realized the sack seemed very light. He looked inside, and sure enough, it was empty, except for a few coins that were left at the bottom. "Aha," he cried. "All my gold has fallen out? Well, I'll just go back and pick it all up again!" He looked around. "that should be very easy, for I can see them from here, shining in the grass." He hurried back and bent down to pick them up. But to his astonishment, he could not, for the gold pieces seemed rooted to the ground! Sure enough, when the old miser looked closely, he saw that what had been a shining golden coin was now a beautiful yellow flower! Amazed, he hurried from one golden spot to another, but all the coins had taken root for the wood sprites had overheard his plan to hide the gold away, and to punish him for his selfishness, they changed the coins into Dandelion flowers, for everyone to love and share.
Note: Some information gathered from Herbalpedia.
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