Delicious dandelion root
Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is an incredible little 'weed'. It grows in most parts of the world, is lacking in fussiness about where it grows and all parts of it are edible. I drink dandelion root coffee every morning and I love it, with a little bit of salt 👌I enjoy the leaves in a salad most days of the week. This wonderful herb has been still growing in the cooler weather. It is easily identified by the yellow flowers and indentations in the leaves (and that is where its common name comes from) as other similar plants lack that.
Dandelion has yellow flowers so we recognise its affinity with the liver. It has a bitter taste as that is connected to the liver and digestion too. It stimulates bile and has mild diuretic action as well as the leaf being indicated where there is hypertension and oedema.
Practicing what I preach, I decided to dig dandelion root for my morning drinks. Autumn is the ideal time to harvest roots for medicinal use as the goodness returns to the roots from the aerial parts. I found the smaller dandelions had roots that were easier to harvest and they were shallower and straighter.
I dug the roots (the hens had a feast on the large leaves) and scrubbed them. I put them in the oven at 125 degrees Celsius for about 90 minutes, turning them every 20-30 minutes. I checked now and again if they were crispy and broke up easily so I knew they were dry. After all of that, it looks like a paultry harvest as dehydrated there is such a low volume. Still, I will enjoy them.
Dandelion showing all aerial parts, from the indented leaves, bright yellow flowers and ‘clocks’
Dandelion forms a basal rosette of leaves
Cleaning the roots
The roots before drying them
The dried roots