Common name: Dandelion
Latin name: Taraxacum officinalis
Element: Air
Gender: Masculine
Process: Evolution (Brings matter into spirit)
Energy: Cooling and Drying
Planet association: Jupiter (Joy, expansion, spirit lifting, vitality) and Sun (Vital Force, confidence, will power)
Part of plant used: (Whole plant) Leaf, flower and root
Day of the week associated: Thursday and Sunday
Taste: Bitter (leaf) sweet and slightly bitter (Root)
History and Lore: Dandelions are everywhere! So colorful, growing in concrete, diminished soil, pristine places, and yet are always pulled as weeds because they are so common, and people have forgotten their value and what they have to offer but they keep trying to remind us everywhere we go. They have been used for food and medicine for centuries and are still used today and carry lots of history with them. When woven into a wedding bouquet they are meant for good luck for a newly wedded couple. When dandelion appears in dreams, they are thought to represent happy unions. They are also considered to be symbols of hope, joy, summer and childhood. There are many stories surrounding dandelions answering questions or bringing good luck. When the seeds are blown off a dandelion it was said to carry thoughts and affections to a loved one. Another legend surrounding Dandelion is that the tallest Dandelion stalks that a child could find in the early spring would show how much taller they would grow in a year. They have been used to ask if you are loved by your lover like the daisy, plucking one petal at a time, “he loves me, he loves me not”. If you blow on a white dandelion head and every seed goes then you are loved. If some seeds still cling to the flower head, then who you’re asking about is not feeling the same. It is also said that if you make a wish immediately before blowing on dandelion your wish may come true. Another belief was that the number of seeds left after blowing the seed head indicated the number of children that a woman would have throughout her lifetime.
Body: Supports kidneys, liver, and lymph for skin, digestive stimulant, immune enhancing, relaxes the musculoskeletal system and balances reproductive system.
Dandelion leaf: Alterative (Blood cleanser), diuretic, nutritive and tonic.
Great food medicine! They are naturally salty which tells you they are high in nutrients (Vitamins A, C, and E) and are specific for anytime you need to nourish or tone your kidneys. They are an effective diuretic that put potassium back into the body rather than depleting as a lot of pharmaceutical diuretics do. They can be eaten raw or cooked, used in teas or tincture form. Dandelion leaves are a bitter, this indicates they are good for flushing the liver and lymph while stimulating digestion. They release digestive enzymes by releasing more saliva to help break down food and assimilate nutrients. Also stimulating liver function due to the bitter quality. As a blood cleanser, they can help with skin disorders and flush toxins from the system. Add fresh dandelion greens to salads, make pesto, use in hummus or make a dandelion vinegar with apple cider vinegar to use as a dressing on food!
Mind: helps with seeing the bright side of things
Heart: Encourages a sunnier disposition and relieves anger (anger is hot and is associated with the liver) (Clears liver and detoxifies)
Soul: Deepens awareness of one’s interactions with all life everywhere.
Dandelion pops up everywhere reminding us we can flower and bloom in no matter what situation we are in. That there is light beyond as Dandelion shines with bright colors offering nutrition and therapeutic properties so that are widely available to us.
Everyone has a childhood memory of Dandelion bringing back these memories of our childhood during summer months creating joy in our hearts.
Dandelion is associated with the solar plexus in the body, the flame that burns in you is the flame that burns in me, to manifest dreams and to alleviate depression and bring light into the body. The solar plexus is like the sun of our body. Our sun of our solar system within. Nourishing this area of the body can keep your light shining bright even through dark times. Dandelion root is also corelated with the root chakra as it is a root and brings in that grounding to Earth energy alleviating anxiety as well depression by helping us feel connected not only to the Earth but our own selves.
Dandelion is overall healing brining all 4 elements into the body as well as the sun and moon. In his yellow flowering phase, he is aligned with sun and the fire element invigorating the body and enhancing mood and sparking your personal power. In his white phase he is aligned with the moon and water as well as the air element. Through fertility (seeds spreading), opening your intuition, nourishing the water element in the body and bringing matter into spirit. Dandelion can help balance all energies in the body.