Dandelion, also known as dandelion grass, bedwetting grass, and milkweed, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae family. It has a cold nature and a slightly bitter taste. It enters the liver and stomach meridians. Dandelion contains components such as taraxasterol, taraxasterone, choline, organic acids, inulin, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements, and vitamins. It has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling, and dispersing masses. It is used for treating acute mastitis, lymphadenitis, scrofula, carbuncle, acute conjunctivitis, cold with fever, acute tonsillitis, acute bronchitis, urinary tract infections, and other conditions. There are counterfeit products on the market that use the same family of plants, such as Cichorium intybus (also known as chicory), pretending to be dandelion, so be careful when using.
Authentic Dandelion
It appears as a wrinkled and curled mass. The roots are conical in shape. The surface is rough and brownish-brown. The outer periphery of the root head is brownish-brown or black. The basal leaves are wrinkled and broken, and when moistened and flattened, the intact leaves are lanceolate in shape, green-brown or dark grayish-green, with pointed or blunt tips, shallowly lobed or pinnately lobed at the edge, gradually narrowing at the base, and extending downwards into a stalk shape, with conspicuous lower surface veins. There are 1 to several flower stems, hollow and flattened straw-like stems, slender and elongated, almost equal in width both above and below, without branching and nodes, each with a terminal solitary head-like inflorescence, some with numerous long elliptical achenes with white corolla-like hairs. The newly grown flower stems are short, with obvious pubescence, and egg-shaped flower buds are borne at the top. It has a slight scent and a slightly bitter taste when tasted.
Counterfeit Chicory
Its roots are cylindrical, with a pale yellow-brown surface, and the surface of the root head is not black. The leaves are wrinkled or broken, dark green on the upper surface and grayish-green on the lower surface. When the intact leaves are flattened, they are broadly lanceolate or elongated lanceolate, with no fissures at the edges, small thorns at the tips, and ear-shaped leaf bases. Occasionally, stems can be seen, slightly hard, uneven in width, with leaf scars. It also has a slight scent, but tastes slightly salty.
Modern pharmacological research has confirmed that authentic dandelion has good anti-infective effects and has been formulated into different dosage forms such as injections, tablets, and syrups. Dandelion extract and injection have strong bactericidal effects against various pathogens and can be used to replace antibiotics to a certain extent. It can also inhibit the elevation of alanine aminotransferase, contract the gallbladder, relax the sphincter, and have hepatoprotective and choleretic effects. It can protect against stress-induced gastric ulcers and improve immunity. However, counterfeit chicory, although belonging to the same family of plants as dandelion, does not possess the aforementioned medicinal properties of dandelion and therefore cannot be used as a substitute for dandelion.
