Are Dandelions Healthy to Eat?
Gardeners curse the ubiquitous dandelion and its pervasive nature; that darn tap-root goes to China! However, all parts of the plant are edible and rich in vitamins, and that is not a bad thing! Learn more about dandelion’s health benefits.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a perennial weed with a long, strong taproot. It can make itself at home almost anywhere!
Dandelion History
It is hard to believe, but at one time, there were no dandelions in North America. Dandelions originated in Asia Minor and quickly spread throughout Asia and Europe.
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- The Normans called this plant dent de lion—tooth of the lion—for its jagged leaves. Anglo-Saxons corrupted this name into dandylion.
- The Vikings brought dandelion seeds with them to Iceland and Greenland, where the plant still thrives today.
- The Chinese call it “nail in the earth” for its long taproot, which draws nutrients and moisture from deep in the ground.
- In medieval times, dandelions gathered on St. John’s Eve—June 24—were believed to repel witches. The milky sap, given the name “devil’s milkpail”, was used to cure warts and pimples.
Dandelion Health Benefits
Seeds were brought here by the Puritans to plant in their herb gardens and the plants soon escaped, making their way across the country. However, for many early settlers, this plant made a life-saving spring tonic.
- Young dandelion leaves are completely edible and more nutritious than spinach! They have 25 times the vitamin A of tomato juice, and are a good source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, lecithin, and vitamins C, B, and E.
- The dandelion was a standard medicinal plant used by herbalists for generations. Their Latin name—Taraxacum officinale—means a remedy for disorders. The leaves are a powerful diuretic, but since they do not flush potassium from the body, they are actually safer than pharmaceutical diuretics. The roots are slightly laxative and a tea made from ground fresh or dried roots is reported to improve digestion.
- Similar to their cousin chicory, the roots can be roasted until they are dark brown inside and out, ground into a powder, and used as a coffee substitute.
Dandelion Recipes
When life gives us lemons we are told to make lemonade, but what should we do with too many dandelions? Make dandelion wine, of course, or dandelion jelly! Both will be sweet reminders of spring to enjoy next winter.
Since dandelions are closely related to those bitter epicurean greens endive, chicory, escarole, and radicchio, you could harvest the free, rampant growing dandelion greens and put them to good use.
- The young leaves are tasty in salad if you pick them before the flowers appear to avoid too much bitterness.
- The plants can even be blanched like endive by covering them with a large flower pot or a basket to exclude sunlight.
- Older leaves can be boiled, with a bit of salt pork or bacon, like collards, stir-fried with garlic and onions, or cut up and added to risotto or pasta.
- Dip the flower heads in a light batter and deep fry. See Fried Dandelion Blossoms recipe.
During the first year of growth, the plant produces only leaves while growing a large sustaining root. It will blossom the next year producing many flowers in rapid succession.
If you get out your magnifying glass and look closely, you’ll see that each petal is made from five fused petals. The protective green bracts fold up around the flowers at night or on cloudy, cool, or rainy days. The more sun the plant receives, the more deeply notched the leaf edges will be. Dandelions are self-pollinating, so every seed is capable of producing an exact copy of the parent plant.
The seeds are called “achenes,” the white fluff is called “pappus,” and the stem connecting the two is the beak. While the seeds are maturing the flower stalk lengthens making the dandelion puff more accessible to passing breezes.
You can curse dandelions all you want but, what is now considered a noxious weed, fed and healed us for thousands of years. Every part of this plant is edible!
And dandelions aren’t only healthy for humans. The dandelion is one of the first flowers that bees and other pollinators can depend on for food in the early spring. It’s not the ideal source of food compared to native flowers, but for those urban folks with few plants in their yard, leave some flowers for the bees!
Now, try your hand at making some dandelion wine and raise your glass in a salute to spring!
For other greens to use in your cuisine, see the Leafy Greens: Health Benefits page.
Robin Sweetser
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So, I recently read an article which states the yard dandelions are different than culinary dandelions and can be poisonous. I don't know the author of the article and can't remember where I read it, but I consider the Farmer's Almanac to be a top notch resource. My question though is if there is perhaps another plant that resembles it but is bad to eat? I want to make sure I'm clear on this.
Many thanks! I can't wait to try your dandelion recipes. What about a tea?
I've picked dandelions out of my yard and ate them. I've also eaten my violet flowers and leaves. Again, as long as your yard hasn't been treated with chemicals, you're good to go.
I can't think of another weed that resembles dandelions.
What they are calling “culinary dandelions” are probably chicory. Similar look and slightly bitter flavor but why go to the bother of cultivating something that grows wild in your yard? The wild dandelions growing in your yard are perfectly fine to eat unless they have been contaminated in some way by fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, or other chemicals. I can’t think of any poisonous green that looks like a dandelion but you should always be careful when harvesting any plants from the wild to make sure you are correctly identifying them before eating them. As for dandelion tea, it can be made from the roots, stems, and flowers and is supposed to have many health benefits. Or chop and roast the roots to make a coffee substitute.
PLEASE verify spelling of plant parts: "bracts" and "achenes"; also, the "five fused petals" mentioned are only visible as tiny teeth, evolutionary evidence of this fusion.
Bracts and achenes are correctly spelled. The 5 fused petals are a feature of the flower often overlooked since they require close examination, with the help of a magnifying glass as stated, to see them.
PLEASE!!!!! Check with your doctor before chowing down on a bowl of dandelion if you have certain medical conditions like diabetes or are taking certain medications.
Do you have a book that tells all about the herbs and the vitamins and the ones that you can eat and walk through good for either love to have a book like that if you know anything please let me know thank you
Thanks for your interest in herbs! There are hundreds of great books on the subject. My bible has been Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. It covers herbs for all uses. My friend Maria Noel Groves has just published a book called Body in Balance that is about herbal medicine. Author Rosemary Gladstar has several books on herbs for health and healing. Herbs are a fascinating topic to read about!
