"Natural Healing with Herbs for a Healthier You"
THE BENEFITS OF THE USE OF DANDELION
IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF DANDELION
IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF DANDELION
[Table of Contents] [History] [Location] [Chemical Constituents] [Medicinal Qualities] [Contra-Indications]
[Known Herbal Formulas] [Dosages & Applications] [Personal Experiences] [Bibliography]
[Known Herbal Formulas] [Dosages & Applications] [Personal Experiences] [Bibliography]
DANDELION
by Yashpal (Paul) Chhabra
by Yashpal (Paul) Chhabra
The chief constituents of Dandelion root are Taraxacin, acrystalline, bitter substance, of which the yield varies in roots collected at different seasons, and Taraxacerin, an acrid resin, with Inulin (a sort of sugar which replaces starch in many of the Dandelion family, Compositae), gluten, gum and potash. The root contains no starch, but early in the year contains much uncrystallizable sugar and laevulin, which differ from Inulin in being soluble in cold water. This diminishes in quantity during the summer and becomes Inulin in the autumn. The root may contain as much as 24 per cent. In the fresh root, the Inulin is present in the cell sap, but in the dry root it occurs as an amorphous, transparent solid, which is only slightly soluble in cold water, but soluble in hot water.
There is a difference of opinion as to the best time for collecting the roots. The British Pharmacopoeia considers the autumn dug root more bitter than the spring root, and that as it contains about 25 per cent insoluble Inulin, it is to be preferred on this account to the spring root, and it is, therefore, directed that in England the root should be collected between September and February, it being considered to be in perfection for Extract making in the month of November.
Bentley, on the other hand, contended that it is more bitter in March and most of all in July, but that as in the latter month it would generally be inconvenient for digging it, it should be dug in the spring, when the yield of Taraxacin, the bitter soluble principle, is greatest.
On account of the variability of the constituents of the plant according to the time of year when gathered, the yield and composition of the extract are very variable. If gathered from roots collected in autumn, the resulting product yields a turbid solution with water; if from spring-collected roots, the aqueous solution will be clear and yield but very little sediment on standing, because of the conversion of the Inulin into Laevulose and sugar at this active period of the plant's life.
In former days, Dandelion Juice was the favorite preparation both in official and domestic medicine. Provincial druggists sent their collectors for the roots and expressed the juice while these were quite fresh. Many country druggists prided themselves on their Dandelion Juice. The most active preparations of Dandelion, the Juice (Succus Taraxaci) and the Extract (Extractum Taraxaci), are made from the bruised fresh root. The Extract prepared from the fresh root is sometimes almost devoid of bitterness. The dried root alone was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia. In every 100 gm of fresh dandelion there are plenty of nutrients and minerals, which are as follows:
VITAMINS (MG/100G) fresh leaves
A 14,000
Thiamine .19
Riboflavin .26
Niacin .0
C 35
MINERALS (MG/100G)
Calcium 187
Phosphorus 66
Iron 3.1
Sodium 76
Potassium 397
OTHER NUTRIENTS (MG/100G)
Calories 45
Protein 2.7
Fat 0.7
Carbohydrates 9.2
There is a difference of opinion as to the best time for collecting the roots. The British Pharmacopoeia considers the autumn dug root more bitter than the spring root, and that as it contains about 25 per cent insoluble Inulin, it is to be preferred on this account to the spring root, and it is, therefore, directed that in England the root should be collected between September and February, it being considered to be in perfection for Extract making in the month of November.
Bentley, on the other hand, contended that it is more bitter in March and most of all in July, but that as in the latter month it would generally be inconvenient for digging it, it should be dug in the spring, when the yield of Taraxacin, the bitter soluble principle, is greatest.
On account of the variability of the constituents of the plant according to the time of year when gathered, the yield and composition of the extract are very variable. If gathered from roots collected in autumn, the resulting product yields a turbid solution with water; if from spring-collected roots, the aqueous solution will be clear and yield but very little sediment on standing, because of the conversion of the Inulin into Laevulose and sugar at this active period of the plant's life.
In former days, Dandelion Juice was the favorite preparation both in official and domestic medicine. Provincial druggists sent their collectors for the roots and expressed the juice while these were quite fresh. Many country druggists prided themselves on their Dandelion Juice. The most active preparations of Dandelion, the Juice (Succus Taraxaci) and the Extract (Extractum Taraxaci), are made from the bruised fresh root. The Extract prepared from the fresh root is sometimes almost devoid of bitterness. The dried root alone was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia. In every 100 gm of fresh dandelion there are plenty of nutrients and minerals, which are as follows:
VITAMINS (MG/100G) fresh leaves
A 14,000
Thiamine .19
Riboflavin .26
Niacin .0
C 35
MINERALS (MG/100G)
Calcium 187
Phosphorus 66
Iron 3.1
Sodium 76
Potassium 397
OTHER NUTRIENTS (MG/100G)
Calories 45
Protein 2.7
Fat 0.7
Carbohydrates 9.2