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Dandelion Herb - Uses And Side Effects

What is dandelion ?

A well-known herbal remedy and natural food item, dandelion is one of nine herbal ingredients in a British product used to treat viral hepatitis. Some people roast dandelion root and use it as a coffee substitute. Others make wine and schnapps from dandelion flowers or add the herb to soups and salads. Dandelion contains more vitamin A than carrots.

Active herbal components come from the leaves and roots of Taraxacum officinale or T. laevigatum. These common, low-growing weeds are native to Europe and Asia and naturalized worldwide.

Common doses of dandelion

Dandelion comes as capsules, extracts, and teas. Some experts recommend the following doses:

• As dried root, 2 to 8 grams taken orally by infusion or decoction three times daily.
• As dried leaf, 4 to 10 grams taken orally by infusion three times daily
• As fluid extract (1: 1 in 25% alcohol), 4 to 8 milliliters (1 to 2 teaspoon) taken orally three times daily.
• As tincture of root (1:5 in 45% alcohol), 5 to 10 milliliters taken orally three times daily.
• As juice of root, 4 to 8 milliliters taken orally three times daily.

Why people use dandelion herb

• Constipation
• Digestive complaints
• Fluid retention from premenstrual syndrome, heart failure, or high blood pressure
• Gallbladder problems
• Liver disorders
• Rheumatism
• To aid weight reduction to help remove corns, calluses, and warts
• To stimulate bile production

Side effects of dandelion

Call your health care practitioner if you experience skin irritation when using dandelion.

Dandelion can also cause:

• blockage of the digestive or biliary tract
• gallbladder inflammation
• gallstones.

Interactions

Combining herbs with certain drugs may alter their action or produce unwanted side effects. Don't use dandelion while taking:

• diuretics
• drugs that lower blood pressure
• drugs that lower blood sugar.

Important points to remember

• Don't use dandelion if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.
• If you have diabetes, check your blood sugar level carefully when using dandelion. The herb may make your blood sugar level drop too low.
• If you're taking dandelion along with a drug used to lower blood pressure, be aware that you may feel dizzy or lose consciousness briefly when rising from a sitting or lying position.

What the research shows

In a small group of patients, dandelion root successfully treated chronic nonspecific colitis (inflammation of the colon). In these patients, the herb relieved abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea.

Nonetheless, scientists have little information to justify dandelion's reported therapeutic uses. Although the plant has been used in foods without side effects, medical experts caution against ingesting large amounts.

Other names for dandelion : -

Other names for dandelion include lion's tooth, priest's crown, and wild endive.

A product containing dandelion is sold as Dandelion.

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