Standardized Plant Extract - TITREX®

Dandelion

Lion's tooth - Meadow gold, total drainer, and liver tonic

Latin name

Taraxacum officinale Weber ex F.H.Wigg.

Family

Asteraceae

History & Botany

Dandelion is native to Eurasia but has spread across all continents, colonizing meadows, gardens, roadsides, and uncultivated areas with remarkable vigor. Its Latin name, Taraxacum, derives from the Greek taraxos (disorder) and akos (remedy), perfectly summarizing its therapeutic vocation. Its French nickname, "pissenlit," dates back to the 15th century and directly reflects its well-known diuretic properties. In English, it is called "dandelion" (lion's tooth), referring to its characteristic toothed leaves.

Described since ancient Greece and mentioned in the writings of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) around the year 1000, it entered the first European medieval pharmacopoeias in the 16th century for its hepatobiliary and renal properties. A total food plant (leaves, flowers, and roots are all edible and medicinal), it is also valuable in biodynamic agriculture: its dried flowers are used in Rudolf Steiner's BD 506 preparation to vitalize composts. Today, it is recognized by the EMA, ESCOP, and listed in the European Pharmacopoeia.

Morphology

Perennial plant with a rosette of deeply toothed basal leaves (hence "lion's tooth"). Bright yellow flowers in solitary capitula borne on a hollow, milky stem. Fruits: achenes with a silky pappus forming the famous "clock of the shepherd." Long, fleshy taproot, dark brown on the outside, white and milky on the inside, with a characteristic bitter taste.

Parts used

Leaves (spring, rich in minerals and diuretics) and roots (autumn, richer in inulin and bitter principles, choleretic and cholagogue). Both parts are complementary and often combined in high-quality total extracts.

Taraxacum officinale Weber

Characteristic toothed leaves and bright yellow capitulum with taproot

Organoleptic Characteristics

Appearance

Deeply toothed green leaves; dark brown root, milky white latex when cut. Extract powder ranges from yellow-brown to dark brown depending on the part used (leaf or root).

Odor

Slightly herbal and milky, not pronounced in the leaves. The root develops a more earthy and slightly bitter odor, characteristic of bitter plants in the Asteraceae family.

Taste

Frankly bitter (bitter tonic), slightly salty. Spring leaves are less bitter. Autumn root is the most bitter and most active. Slightly sweet aftertaste due to inulin.

Infusion

Clear light golden-yellow liquid (leaves) to amber-brown (root), slightly cloudy. Persistent bitter taste, pleasantly vegetal. Often combined with chicory or roasted dandelion.

Active Principles & Biochemistry

Medicinal Properties & Traditional Use

Hepatobiliary & Digestive Drainer

The root stimulates bile production and evacuation. Relieves hepatic congestion, biliary insufficiency, and small gallstones. Valuable bitter tonic for revitalizing a sluggish liver after dietary excess, alcohol, or medication. Improves appetite and reduces intestinal fermentation.

Diuretic & Depurative

The leaves are powerful diuretics without potassium depletion (naturally contained in the plant) — a major advantage over chemical diuretics. Eliminate uric acid, toxins, and nitrogenous waste. Traditional use for gout, rheumatism, water retention, and dermatoses.

Metabolic Regulator & Prebiotic

Prebiotic inulin and flavonoids modulate lipid and glucose metabolism. Mild hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic properties. Supports the intestinal microbiota. Useful in metabolic syndromes, mild dyslipidemia, and prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Hepatoprotective & Antioxidant

Flavonoids and phytosterols protect hepatocytes against toxic aggression (alcohol, drugs, pollutants). Supports liver regeneration during detoxification cures. Growing interest in complementary management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH).