Taraxacum officinale
Monograph
- Plant Family:
- Asteraceae, or
daisy family [1]
- Habitat & Cultivation:
- The common
dandelion is considered a weed that easily grows in temperate
environments. Taraxacum officinale is native to Europe and Asia, and was
originally imported to America as a food crop. Dandelion can be found in
backyards, sidewalks, near water, or anywhere that the soil is damp. [1]
- Parts Used:
- Herbal Actions:
- Diuretic
(strong!)
- Cholagogue
- Laxative
- Tonic
- Bitter
- Nutritive
(prebiotic & high in potassium) [1]
- Indications:
- Tissue
stagnation, edema from hypertension or cardiovascular issues. [2]
- Plant Constituents:
- Sesquiterpene
lactones, sterols, carotenoids, flavonoids, polysaccharides [1]
- System Affinities:
- Digestive,
urinary, lymphatic, circulatory [1]
- Energetics:
- Cool, bitter,
salty, and dry [3]
- Safety:
- No
contraindication known. [1]
- Interactions:
Personal
Experience
- Organoleptics:
- The dried
dandelion leaf is fairly dark green – this assures me that it is a
nutritive herb and rich in minerals. I can slightly smell the bitterness…
kind of sour. It already smells like tea greens so I’m suspecting it to
be a nice mild tea.
- Preparation Method:
- Tincture:
(1:5
in 40%) 5 – 10 ml 3x/day
- Hot
Infusion:
1 cup boiling water over 1 – 2 tsps dried leaf and infuse for 10 – 15
mins. Drink 3x/day.
- Raw: Eat raw leaf
in salads. Or juice – drink 5 – 10 ml juice from fresh leaves 2x/day. [2]
- Usage Notes:
- I made a hot
infusion out of the dried dandelion leaf. I was definitely correct in
hypothesizing that this would be a mild tea – there’s barely any flavor
apart from a general herbiness and bitter aftertaste on my tongue. Even
after drinking one cup I could feel the diuretic properties! Kind of an
underwhelming tea – next time I will try eating the raw leaves or juicing
them!
Sources:
- Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L.
(2018). Week 9 Study Questions. Bastyr University: SP-18_MW5123-A
Botanicals 3: Pregnancy.
- Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical
Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT:
Healing Arts Press.
- Frawley, D. & Lad, V. (2001).
The Yoga of Herbs. Twin Lakes, Wisconsin: Lotus Press.
Crataegus spp
Monograph
- Plant Family:
- Rosaceae, or the rose
family [1]
- Habitat & Cultivation:
- Hawthorn is
native to northern temperate zones, including those of North America,
East Asia, Central Asia, and Europe. There is a discrepancy in how many
species grow in North America. Somewhere between 20-1000 different
species. In the Pacific Northwest, Crataegus
douglasii and Crataegus
columbiana grow natively. [1]
- Parts Used:
- Leaves,
flowers, berries [1]
- Herbal Actions:
- Leaf & Flower:
- Cardiotonic,
cardioprotective, hypotensive, diuretic, antiarrhythmic, vasodilatory,
antioxidant, sedative, hypocholesterolemic (Upton, 1999). “Increases
contractility of the cardiac muscle (positively inotropic), increases
cardiac nerve conductivity (positively dromotropic), decreases
contraction rate of heart (negatively chronotropic), decreases
reactiveness of cardiac tissue to external stimuli (negatively
bathmotropic)” (Upton, 1999). [1]
- Berries:
- Cardiotonic,
diuretic, astringent, hypotensive [1]
- Indications:
- Cardiac failure
or early myocardial insufficiency, mild hypertension, arteriosclerosis,
mild tachycardia or bradycardia, cardiac palpitations/arrhythmias,
shortness of breath with heavy exertion, digestive complaints, and
anxiety [1]
- Plant Constituents:
- Flavonoids,
flavonol glycosides (including quercetin, rutin, vitexin), oligomer
procyanidins, pentacylic triterpenoid acids, aromatic carbonic acids [1]
- System Affinities:
- Cardiovascular
- Integumentary
- Digestive [2]
- Energetics:
- Safety:
- No
contraindications known. [1]
- Interactions:
- Take care when mixing with other blood pressure/heart medications.
[1]
Personal
Experience
- Organoleptics:
- The dried
berries are sweet and fruity-smelling. Dark in color, and round. The
leaf/flower mixture is dark green and also smells sweet.
- Preparation Method:
- Tincture:
(1:5
in 40%) 2.5 – 3 ml 3x/day as a maintenance dose. For acute dosing, use up
to 5 ml 3x/day.
- Hot
Infusion:
2 teaspoons dried herb in 1 cup boiling water, drink 3x/day. [2]
- Usage Notes:
- I made a
tincture out of both the berries, and the dried leaf/flower. I really
enjoy the berry tincture! It’s tart and sweet, makes it very easy to
take. The other tincture is like any other tincture – not as pleasant to
take but is a pretty dark green color and has been helping my heart
palpitations.
Sources:
- Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L.
(2018). Week 9 Study Questions. Bastyr University: SP-18_MW5123-A
Botanicals 3: Pregnancy.
- Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism:
The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts
Press.
- Frawley, D. & Lad, V. (2001).
The Yoga of Herbs. Twin Lakes, Wisconsin: Lotus Press.
