Dandelion

Adapting to Change, Deep Cleansing, Recognizing and Releasing Anger

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Memories, knowledge, and wisdom of the ancients course through every cell of the Earth’s soil. The Earth is a living consciousness. As her intelligence expresses itself in plants, many of us are coming to remember the forgotten language of nature. One of our green allies yearning to be honored is Dandelion. For generations, this extremely potent medicine has been sprayed and “weeded” out of gardens. Meanwhile, herbalists and medicine people worldwide praise the dandelion for the deep healing effects it has on the body. Through the lens of Shamanic Herbalism, the plants hold a consciousness. Each plant has a unique blueprint, a story, archetype, energy, and a particular medicine that it offers. The more humans recognize, honor, make offerings, cultivate, and protect these plants, the stronger the medicine the plant provides. The more experience we have with each given plant, the stronger our medicine and ability to provide that medicine for others is.

A heroic ally for our bodies and spirits, dandelion is an incarnate of the sun, a warrior of the dark, and a bringer of light to the hidden places in which toxins have become stored in the body (specifically the liver). The liver is the organ in our body that stores emotions.

The cycles and seasons of the Earth’s natural rhythm can be witnessed in the changing of dandelion’s yellow flower into a lunar seed ball; vibrant yellow sunshine petals are present during the summer months, an ally to the luminous ones.

As the seasons turn, the seed-filled ball becomes translucent, silvery like the moon with seeds resembling the stars, inviting one to set their intentions and blow the seeds to carry them into the darker days of fall and winter.

Dandelion reminds us that we too are made of these cycles and seasons. When we take care of ourselves (our cells) in alignment with the cycles of nature, our bodies function to their full capacity, our minds are clear and inspired, and our spirits are living in a vessel that fosters their full potential.

Dandelion cleans the liver. The best time to harvest their roots for this cause are during spring and fall, times of transition. The dandelion, like many plants, shows up when it is most useful to the human body.

Dandelion helps us to better process fats and vitamins in the body, a signature of how it helps us to acclimate to the cycles of nature and life on earth. Aiding us in releasing what we no longer need in order to carry our fullest selves forward. When we fully embody, come home into our bodies, we begin to assimilate nutrients and life overall in a healthy and balanced way.

Description/habitat: Dandelions can grow just about anywhere; however, because of their relationship with the sun, they prefer sunlight and wide-open spaces.

Actions: Diuretic (particularly the leaf), alterative, nutritive, bitter tonic, hepatic, and digestive stimulant

Key uses: Dandelion helps to clear toxins from the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys, increasing bile secretions from the gallbladder and liver. The root has been connected in serving the liver while the leaves are more attributed to the kidneys. Dandelion is a go-to when one needs to clear old toxins, represented as swollen lymph, swelling because of excess water or dampness in the body, and deep damp heat that has stored itself into the body over time. Dandelion is a medicine that likes to be worked with over time. Each day it is drunk as a tea, it gets deeper into the body, in the same way that its roots grow deeper into the earth, slow-acting and penetrating. Two raw dandelion greens per day provide enough Vitamin C for the body’s daily needs. Ingesting the leaves increases hydrochloric acid in the stomach which sends messages to the liver to prepare for digestion, boost the appetite, and prepare the liver to break down fats. The more bitter the better!  

Clinical uses: aids in digestion, cleansing liver, lymph, and kidneys, cooling and drying the body, helping to surface and release deeply planted anger

Constituents: bitter glycosides, triterpenoids, tannins, volatile oils, inulin, vitamins A, B complex, C, calcium, fiber, iron (particularly in leaf), magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, protein, selenium, silicon, sodium, zinc

Dosage and Method of Intake:

Presence: Sitting with a plant is the most holistic way t0 introduce yourself and receive its medicine. Sharing space with its spirit, merging your matrixes, and listening.

Tea: Bring 1 tablespoon of root and 1 quart of water to a boil—then turn down to simmer for 20 minutes—take it off the heat and enjoy.

Oxymel: All parts of the plant are edible—harvesting whichever piece most calls to your body’s needs (if you are ungrounded, work with roots; if you need more etheric/light energy in your life, work with the flower). Fill a mason jar 2/3s full of plant material and pour organic apple cider vinegar over the dandelion and add honey to taste (I usually do about ⅓ cup). Lid, date, and label. Store the medicine in a cool dark cabinet and shake it daily.

Harvest:  Dandelion is best harvested during the change of seasons: spring and fall. I generally harvest close to or on a new moon, because of the moon’s energetic interaction with the earth at this time (the energies are more downward and in). Be sure to harvest in places that have not been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals. Ask the plant if you can receive some of its medicine and make an offering before digging. If the response is yes, let the plant know that you are going to pluck or dig before invading its being.

Contraindications and cautions: Dandelion is not best suited for dry conditions (Vata). Folks who are dry and cool, or those who are too dry and yin, will find that dandelion exacerbates those conditions.

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