Dandelion - background reading

Dandelion root is a cholagogue (enhances bile flow), thus improving conditions such as liver congestion, bile duct inflammation, hepatitis, gallstones, and jaundice. Dandelion increases bile flow by:

1) Affecting the liver directly to cause an increase in bile production and flow to the gallbladder
2) Exerting a direct effect on the gallbladder by causing a contraction and release of stored bile.

Dandelion's hepatic tonic effect may be attributable to the high choline content which enhances the excretion of a hormone called Cholecystokinin. This is the most important hormone for promoting gallbladder contraction and relaxing the valve that controls bile flow into the duodenum.

There isn't any medical evidence to support this function and The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) official position is that: any therapeutic value is not supported by evidence (They forgot to include it). It is included in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1831 to 1926, and various studies across the world have found its benefits to be widespread.

Dandelion doubles bile output with leaf extracts, and a quadruples bile output with root extract. Bile assists with the emulsification, digestion and absorption of fats, in alkalinizing the intestines and in the prevention of putrefaction. This could explain the effectiveness of dandelion in reducing the effects of fatty foods (heartburn and acid indigestion);

A French scientist Henri Leclerc studied the dandelion from 1941 to 1952. He demonstrated the effectiveness of dandelion on chronic liver problems related to bile stones. He found that roots gathered in late summer to fall, when they are richest in the bitter, white milky latex, are best for treating the liver.

A reduction in serum cholesterol and urine bilirubin levels by as much as half in humans with severe liver imbalances has been demonstrated by Italian researchers using dandelion concoctions.

A 70 year old man from Manorville, NY, had been diagnosed with diabetes melitis and was put on 5 grams of Micronase. He took Micronase for about a month before he learned, from his wife who is a nurse, that Micronase can do damage to the liver. Without saying anything to his doctors, he stopped taking Micronase and began drinking dandelion coffee each day. During the first week, his urinary sugar, measured night and morning, was erratic and unstable, but after a week, his Sugar stabilized with negative urine Sugar readings. The doctors are amazed and can't explain it. An interesting side benefit to replacing Micronase with dandelion coffee is that, while Micronase damages the liver as a side effect, dandelions are particularly known for strengthening the liver.

Whilst I like a good anecdotal, herbal remedies do not work for everyone in the same way. Different bodies respond differently to medicines, and what works for one person may work less well for someone else. Also people with severe medical problems tend to change many aspects of their lifestyle at once and it may be combination of these changes that cause the improvement.

Nevertheless, the humble dandelion has been overlooked as a liver herb. It would appear to be specifically useful in supporting Liver Flushes providing a precise mixture of chemicals that are difficult to find elsewhere.

An old English remedy for Gallstones and persistent liver complaints was to make a broth from simmering dandelion roots in water and drinking a cup of this each day with an egg yolk.

Telman