Rowan Remedies

tarax-flora

Latin:Taraxacum officinale

Also Known As: Witch Gowan, Devil’s Milk Plant, Lion’s Teeth, Golden Suns, Clocks and Watches, Piss a Bed, Stink Davie, Heart Fever Grass, Dog Posy, Blowball, Peasant’s Clock, Cankerwort, Crow-parsnip, Irish Daisy, Doon-Head-Clock, Fortune Teller, One O’clocks, Swinesnout, Wet-a-bed, Shit-a-bed, Bum-pie, Burning Fire, Clocks, Combs & Hairpins, Conquer More, Devil’s Milk Pail, Fairy Clocks, Farmer’s Clocks, Horse Gowan, Lay-a-bed, Male, Mess-a-bed, Pishamoolag, Pissimire, Pittle Bed, Priest’s Crown, Schoolboy’s Clocks, Shepherd’s Clock, Stink Davine, Tell-time, Time Flower, Time Teller, Twelve O’clock, Wishes, Wet-weed, White Endive, Wild Endive (to name but a few!) The wide variety of charming – and not so charming – names for Dandelion portray many of the folkloric beliefs associated with it as well as reflecting its properties as a strong diuretic.

Family:Asteraceae

Habitat and Description: Dandelion is found growing wild pretty much all the way around the world and pops up in many different places, from wasteland, scrub, road sides, lawns and meadows to the patches in the garden that you would really rather were Dandelion free! The leaves are jagged edged, lance shaped and plentiful, forming a basal rosette from which the flower stems rise, with tall, hairless, hollow stems topped by bright yellow, many petaled flower heads. The plant blooms in March – May and often again between July – September. The rather pretty flower heads are followed by the familiar Dandelion clock, or seed head, so beloved of children.

Parts Used: The whole plant is used for different purposes. The sap from the stem is useful in the treatment of warts, although it should not be taken internally as it is slightly toxic, especially to children. The root and leaf are often tinctured as separate remedies, as the root is more active on the liver, and the leaf is a useful diuretic.

Constituents: Dandelion contains sesquiterpene lactones, taraxacoside, taraxinic acid, dihydrotaraxinic acid and taraxacolide glucosides, etc. it also contains polyphenolic caffeoyltartaric acids, coumarins, triterpenes such as taraxol, taraxerol and taraxasterol, beta amyrin, stimgasterol and beta sitosterol. It apparently has a higher vitamin A content than carrots. It also contains potassium, bitter glycoside, triterpenoids, tannins and mucilage.

Planetary Influence: Jupiter

Associated Deities and Heroes: Hecate, St George, Theseus

Festival: Beltane, Samhain

Constitution: Warm & moist (some authors disagree with this assessment though and state that it is cold and dry. Personally I disagree.)

Spiritual and Energetic Uses: There are several fairly substantial accounts of the energetic uses of dandelion. The plant has a grounding and centering influence, with a particular influence on the solar plexus, bringing focus to emotions. It helps to ground emotions that are scattered and strengthens the emotional body, giving a stronger sense of self. The solar plexus is the source of connections between ourselves and other people, and that it is in this energy centre that usually provides instant likes or dislikes of people, sometimes irrationally. Because the root is a digestive bitter, it works on bitterness and hostility (which are often trapped in the liver) in order to ‘sweeten the person up’. Anger and resentment get trapped in the liver and can lead to depression and self hate if not relieved. Most of the herbs that act on the liver can help with this problem, but that dandelion can be particularly effective. The root can be used to stimulate people who are dutiful and fearful of change. This is interesting because it shows, yet again, the balancing influence of the herb, restoring emotions to a more even keel. I’ve used it, myself, to help deal with anger that became trapped in the liver, leading to elevated liver enzyme readings with nothing actually wrong to cause the problem. It was later diagnosed as fatty liver, which was resolved with the use of bitter digestive herbs – incidentally, and perhaps unsurprisingly, I struggled with a lot of anger while I was healing my liver.

Dandelion is the flower of survival, and that the flower remedy is well suited to people who cram too much in their lives, leaving insufficient time for relaxation. They are compulsive ‘doers’ who over plan and overstructure their lives and leave no time for reflection, til they reach the point where they do not know how to be quiet or relaxed. There is little space in their lives for emotional or spiritual expression, and they forget how to listen to the needs of their own body as they have pushed themselves beyond their body’s natural capacity. They work so hard and restrain their inner selves so much that they become very tense across the shoulders and in the neck. Dandelion eases the tension and allows emotions to be expressed instead of trapped in the muscles. It allows a person to shift themselves from the state of being a human doing across to a human being, and balances energy, excessive activity and enthusiasm, bringing a sense of inner ease and relaxation.

I’ve noticed that the uses of the flower essence often apply to the use of the herbal tincture, with equal degrees, and are in some cases even more powerful and useful in medicine – whether used in drop doses or in larger, more material doses, as it is the bitter action on the liver that releases the emotions that are often trapped there by the excessive activity that is sometimes used to run away from unpleasant emotions.

Magical Uses: Apparently Dandelion is associated with the element of air and is therefore used in air spells. Dreaming of the dandelion plant indicates troubled times ahead, whilst burying dandelions in the north west corner of the garden brings favourable winds. Placing a tea of dandelion by the bed before sleep calls spirits. The plant is associated with the sun (unsurprising given it is ruled by Jupiter!) and it is therefore used in sun related spells, and to increase the strength of sun incense. The leaf tea enhances psychic ability and could be taken before divination is undertaken, whilst the flowers can be added to divination incenses (possibly to shed light on a matter?) The white seeds connect the plant to lunar energies and provide balance. Dandelion root has a strong association with the Underworld, as it is deeply rooted and able to regenerate from the tiniest piece left in the soil during harvesting, so it is associated with rebirth and immortality. As a result of this, it can be used to invoke Hecate, if gathered fresh and sliced into discs, then strung on thick thread and dried. These beads can then be used when invoking Hecate.

The special powers of the dandelion involve divination, wishes and the calling of the spirits of the deceased. It’s possible that Dandelion tea is used to increase psychic abilities because of its cleansing and rejuvenating properties. The plant belongs to the ‘Belenountion’ – a set of ritual herbs associated with the Celtic God Belenos. These are yellow pigmented plants that are gathered ritually in Britanny around Midsummer, and form the body of the God. (As an aside, this is an interesting piece of folklore – there is at least one flower maiden in Celtic mythology but the possibility of a ‘Flower God’ is unusual and fascinating – the use of yellow plants is again quite appropriate given the association of Belenos with the sun.)

Interestingly, some disagrees with the association of the plant with Beltane, being of the opinion that as it is associated with Hecate, the plant is by extension associated with Samhain and is suitable for use in rituals at this time. This seems to point out a duel nature to the plant, association with both ends of the year, and also highlights balance, as the plant is associated with opposing festivals and, due to the colour of the flowers and seeds, is also associated with the opposite polarities of sun and moon. Perhaps this plant can also be used to bring about internal balance? The medicinal uses of the plant as a tonic for the kidneys and liver indicate that a restoration to balance is an integral part of this remedy, so perhaps further research could be done on whether or not the plant can restore mental and emotional balance.

Actions and Indications: Dandelion enjoys a long history of use in herbal medicine, with a wide array of uses and ailments it is useful in the treatment of.

The root of the plant contains most of the bitter principles which have an action on the liver, and helps to build up liver tissue, making it useful in the treatment of cirrhosis, hepatitis, jaundice, gall stones, and chronic liver congestion. It is also useful in treating ailments of the circulatory system, such as varicose veins and haemorrhoids, and is a blood cleanser, making it useful in the treatment of rheumatism, gout and chronic skin conditions. It is a non irritant remedy for constipation and can be used to remove toxins from the system (remember the old dandelion and burdock drink?) It can also be used for chronic, deep seated illnesses such as glandular fever. The root can be used in the treatment of problems relating to glycaemic control, making it useful in the treatment of diabetes and PCOS. The leaf is a useful diuretic, with a high potassium level, making it very suitable for any kind of water retention, especially where this is due to cardiac failure. It is demulcent and healing to the kidneys and bladder, and can be used to treat cystitis and other inflammations of the urinary tract. It can also be used to treat lung complaints such as bronchitis and asthma as it strengthens the lung tissue.

In addition to the above, the plant is a pancreatic regulator, galactagogue, cholagogue, pancreatic and bile duct stimulant, and is stimulant to the portal circulation. It is a mild laxative, urinary antiseptic detoxicant and choleretic, and contains vitamins A, B and C, as well as being rich in minerals. It is used to treat inflammation of the gall bladder, ‘to clear a yellowish complexion and brighten the eyes’ – possibly again due to its action on the liver, as jaundice causes a yellow complexion – and to treat indigestion, anorexia, cachexia and related wasting diseases, as well as to treat congestive heart failure, and for oedema relating to this. The milky sap from the stem is applied fresh to warts. It combines well with alfalfa and kelp in the provision of nutrient minerals, and with yarrow and lime flowers for high blood pressure, and promotes weight loss during dieting (possibly due to improved digestion, water loss and better circulation.)

There is an interesting set of indications for the use of dandelion, including heavy tongue mapping, with a covering of white film, which comes off in patches, leaving raw red patches. I’ve seen this myself in clinic – it’s quite fascinating to see, and even more fascinating to see how well it responds to Dandelion. The film coating is sometimes yellowish in colour, and the area of the mapping on the tongue can vary between the top, middle and bottom of the tongue. The colour of the tongue is dark red, showing a deep, internal heat, with spots of bright red showing inflammation. The lips can sometimes be dark red, and often dry. Dandelion can be used in the treatment of manic depression where this is accompanied by a mapped tongue. The dandelion leaf is well suited to the treatment of achy infections causing fever and discomfort relieved by urination. In addition to uses already mentioned by other authors, the root is useful in the treatment of leaky gut syndrome. The plant is useful in the treatment of dull, sleepy, lethargic individuals with congestion, as well as to treat mania.

The plant is apparently antineoplastic and antivenomous, and can be used for obstructed conditions of the liver, gall bladder and spleen, and is diuretic, tonic, anti rheumatic and a mild aperient, used chiefly in kidney and liver disorders, for rheumatism and as an all round tonic. Animal studies have confirmed an anti inflammatory action.

Some are of the opinion that the fresh juice is the most useful part of the plant and can be taken at a dose of one teaspoon three times a day in milk in order to treat constipation, poor digestion, fever, rheumatic conditions, insomnia and gout.

The plant can also be used for some women’s problems, such as painful menopause, PMT and menstruation, possibly because the herb improves the liver’s metabolism of hormones. The flowers are apparently useful when eaten fresh to relieve headaches. The flowers generally need to be picked during the day however, when they are open, as they are very bitter when closed. The plant can be used to relieve hypocholesterolaemia and arteriosclerosis. It can be taken as part of a healthy diet to help prevent cancers such as breast cancer. The infused oil of the flowers can be used topically for muscle tension and aches, stiff neck and arthritis – it would be interesting to find out whether this is because it enters the skin and acts on an energetic level to relieve the underlying emotional problems causing the tension.

Folklore: The dandelion seed heads, or clocks, have a plentiful array of folk practices associated with them. If you whisper thoughts about a loved one to the seed head then blow the seeds off, the wind will carry your words as well as the seeds to the loved one in question. In addition to this, several different versions of folklore are associated with the amount of seeds left on the seedhead after one good, hard puff – ranging from the amount of years a person has left to live, to how many years before they will marry, to how many children they will bear or father.

The latin name of Taraxacum derives from the Greek word ‘Taraxo’ or disorder, and ‘akos’, meaning both pain and remedy. There is some dispute concerning this but most authors do seem to agree with her. Hecate apparently entertained Theseus with the dandelion, and therefore the best time to gather the root is in November, the month of Hecate. (another aside – this makes sense in that the bitter principles in the plant root are most evident in autumn, and from a purely poetic point of view, November is a pretty bitter month! I would be interested to know exactly how Hecate used the dandelion to entertain Theseus. Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing the all singing, all dancing Taraxacum! No? Perhaps not…) The little information found during research indicates that Hecate fed Theseus dandelions for 30 days so that he would become powerful enough to defeat the minotaur – testament indeed to the value of this excellent herb!

Dose: Dosage instructions vary. The root tincture can be taken in doses of up to 10mls three times a day. The leaf tincture dose is 10mls three times a day, as well. The dosage of dried leaf is up to 4tsp of dried leaf per cup of tea, infused for ten minutes then drunk three times a day. Dosage of dried root is 1tsp of dried root, in a cup of water, brought to the boil and simmered for ten minutes, one cup of this three times per day.

Contraindications: None known at present, although Wood mentioned one elderly gentleman had an adverse reaction to the tincture, finding it worsened problems instead of easing them. Excessive doses can cause slight nausea and diarrhoea, and dandelion should be avoided in excess stomach heat such as acid indigestion as it can worsen it.

Brought to you be Alex English at http://www.eldrumherbs.co.uk