Medicine in Folklore
Dandelion
“Taraxacum
Officinale”
A much maligned
but useful herb. Found all over the world and widely recognised. Flowering throughout
the year. Commonly known as “piss-a-beds” or in France “piss-en-lit”, meaning
the same thing, because of its diuretic properties. The name Dandelion comes
from the French “Dent-de-leon” meaning lions teeth, describing the serrated
shaping of the leaves. The Irish word for the dandelion is Caisearbhan meaning
stream of white and is linked to St Briget. The flower, leaves and root are
used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. The white fluffy seedhead has
no such use but has a name and a more etheric use to man. Sometimes called the
fairy clock, in Irish it is known as Bupogs or blown kisses, which is more or
less what one does when blowing away at the light seeds. Dandelion flowers can
be used to make wine or the petals added to a salad. The young fresh leaves
may also be added to a salad
or cooked like spinach. The root is
added to soups in France and may also be dried and ground and used as a coffee
substitute. As a diuretic the dandelion is superior to many produced synthetically
by pharmaceutical companies. It is a tonic and cleanser for the liver, spleen
and gall bladder increasing the production of bile. It is effective in the treatment
of rheumatism, gout and eczema. The leaves are particularly strong and are ideal
for flushing out stones from the kidneys and urinary tract and the white sap
in the stem has been traditionally used as a cure for warts. A great tonic.