The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Dandelion

Episode Date: August 22, 2025

Today we discuss the medicinal properties of Dandelion. This most common of herbs is perhaps the most essential wild plant for medicine and food.Please subscribe to my youtube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuBq5NsNkT5lVceFchZTtgThe Spring Foraging Cook Book is available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRP63R54Or you can buy the eBook as a .pdf directly from the author (me), for $9.99: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-spring-foraging-cookbook.htmlYou can read about the Medicinal Trees book here https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html or buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1005082936PS. New in the woodcraft Shop: Judson Carroll Woodcraft | SubstackRead about my new books:Medicinal Weeds and Grasses of the American Southeast, an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/medicinal-weeds-and-grasses-of-american.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47LHTTHandConfirmation, an Autobiography of Faithhttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/confirmation-autobiography-of-faith.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNKVisit my Substack and sign up for my free newsletter: https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/Read about my new other books:Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies, an Herbalist's Guide https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/11/medicinal-ferns-and-fern-allies.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMSZSJPSThe Omnivore’s Guide to Home Cooking for Preppers, Homesteaders, Permaculture People and Everyone Else: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-omnivores-guide-to-home-cooking-for.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGKX37Q2Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/06/medicinal-shrubs-and-woody-vines-of.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2T4Y5L6andGrowing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Elsehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/04/growing-your-survival-herb-garden-for.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4LYV9RThe Encyclopedia of Medicinal Bitter Herbs: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-encyclopedia-of-bitter-medicina.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5MYJ35RandChristian Medicine, History and Practice: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTBHerbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.htmlAlso available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09HMWXL25Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbsBlog: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/

Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. Today, we're going to talk about one of the most common medicinal herbs you will ever encounter. It is the dandelion. Yes, that dandelion that grows in your yard is actually very powerful herbal medicine. These days, it's considered a weed. They're products like Roundup and such. They're specifically designed to kill dandelions, which is a real shame because our ancestors brought it here. to be used as food and medicine and, you know, really paying thousands of dollars in soaking land

and poison to battle against dandelions, plantain, chikery, burdock, all those things our ancestors brought with them from Europe thinking they were essential to survival is really stupid. You know, if you want a lawn that looks like a golf course, get ready to have the cancer that comes from using all those chemicals. If you want to be healthy and live a nice, long life, let the dandelions grow and eat them. Use them as food and medicine. Use them as they were intended.

The greens are good in salads. They're good cooked. The flowers make dandelion wine or dandelion syrup. The roots are great for many conditions. I mean, they're especially good for the liver. They're good for the stomach. They help with diabetes and even bladder infections. And believe it or not, dandelions have anti-cancer properties.

They've actually been shown in clinical studies to reduce the possibility of developing cancer and to help combat cancer once it's developed. As you know, I don't talk a lot about herbs for cancer because it's just too serious a subject, and there are a lot of con men that promote certain herbal formulas. It'll do that. But I will tell you that dandelion has shown anti-canceries. cancer properties. So it's been also one of the oldest herbs used in the entire history of medicine.

D.S. Cordides wrote of Dandyline. He called it Condrilla. Basically, it was interchangeable to him with chicory, and they are very, very similar plants. The chickery basically looks like a blue beat-up dandelion. The dandelion, you know. It's in your yard, most likely right now. It's got the yellow flower. got the leaf which is what we call dentate it has these large gaps in it that kind of make

it look like teeth that's where we get the common name it's actually from the French dent delion meaning the teeth of the lion so you know that's a little out there but you know that's where we get the name dandelion from so deus cordi said that after describing it we don't need to describe it if you don't know what a dandelion is just look it up online I mean, it's the most common wildflower in the Americas, by far, especially in North America. It grows a little better here than it does in South America, but it grows all over South America, too, just not really in the jungles, more in the mountainous areas. But he said that the root pounded into small pieces with myrrh,

and applied with a linen cloth, would help with excessive menstrual bleeding. The herb pounded together with the root, so the top of the plant with the root, mixed with honey, was formed into a lozenge, and they'd actually mix into that a little bit of salt peter or potassium nitrate, which we don't use a lot in herbal medicine anymore, but it was once, you know, pretty common. It's still used to cure sausages, cure meats, you know, but it was used topically to take away sunburn, and I can see how that would help. I mean, the potassium nitrate does have a certain astringent property to it, a certain antibacterial property to it as well. But anyway, the gum of the root, this is cooked down a long time in water, he said would preserve the hair, would actually help prevent baldness. I have no idea if that works or not. The root taken, while it is new, is good for the same purpose. a needle being dipped into the juice thereof and applied to the hair.

Taken as a drink with wine is good against the bites of vipers. Dandelion was very much used in the ancient world as an antidote to snake and spider and such bee stings, etc. The juice spoiled with wine or even taken alone stops discharges of the bowels. and I guess that's about wraps it up. He then says how the chickery is used about the same. In monastic medicine of the Middle Ages, dandelion was an official herb of the officina. That was the apothecary that every single monastery in church

was required to have under the law. Charlemagne is called the Capitular. Charlemagne wrote the capitular, and he mandated that all churches and monasteries and abbees and such would have an official herb garden, and that was to be used for medicine and for food. And that's really how Christianity spread throughout Europe was through opening free hospitals. And those hospitals had that herb garden, which was called the officina, well, actually the little pantry. they would keep the dried herbs or the tinctures in was the officina, but that was called an apothecary garden. And it was listed as taraxicum officinali,

meaning that it was part of the officina. So it was very widely used by the Benedictines and all the monastic medicine of the Middle Ages. St. Hildegard von Bingen wrote of it in the old German term, Sunny Werble. That's the best I can pronounce it. I don't speak German much, us old German. It was S-U-N-N-E-W-I-R-B-L, and that was also interchangeable for dandelion or chickery.

They were used interchangeably. She recommended that the herb be infused in wine with Burdock for one who has pain in the chest or a hoarse voice. She also recommended this combination of verbs for digestion. And that combination of dandelion and burdock is common to this day. It's very good for the liver, very good for digestion, also good for the lungs and throat, and for any bladder issue. This is a go-to for bladder infection, cystitis, anything like that. From that tradition, it began to be used in German folk medicine and continue to be to feature prominently. Brother Aloysius, who was an herbalist, I guess, around 1920, listed used for jaundice, disorders, weak stomach, consumption, fevers, gravel, or kidney stones, bladder stones, anything like

that, renal pain, scurvy, dropsy, swollen glands, eczema, liver complaints, pneumonia, and dysentery. So next time you're thinking about spraying or digging up your dandelions, realize you have essentially a medicine cabinet in that one little plant. It is one of the, if I had to do my top ten herbs, as I always say, dandelion is probably going to list number one or two. I mean, it's that good, really, and easy to find, and you don't have to pay for it. You can just go dig them up. Just make sure you don't dig them up where there's contaminated soil. So not by a roadside or a parking lot, not where, not on a golf course, not where they've been spraying, or, you know, near a field where the farmer's been spraying, a lot of pesticides

and herbicides. Maria Trebin wrote some excellent books in the 70s and 80s. She was an Austrian an herbalist. And she said, this plant looked upon as a troublesome weed in lawns is nature's greatest healer and healing aid for all suffering mankind. Then she describes it, which again, we don't need to use. She said it was especially useful in disorders of the liver and gallbladder. Now, you can gather the tops of dandelion at any time. The buds can be pickled. They're like capers. The flowers, as I said, make an excellent syrup. You just boil them down with sugar. You can then take that syrup and dilute it and add some yeast and make a wine out of it, which is very common.

The leaves are excellent as a pot herb or in salads, but they are a little bitter. Basically, it depends on where the dandelion is grown. If the dandelion is grown in partial shade or full shade, it's not going to be as bitter as a dandelion. line grown in full sun. But I have actually pulled dandelions out of a gravel driveway that were small and just totally full sun exposed and they weren't bitter at all. She mentions that when she was on a cure in, I guess this is Yugoslavia, she noticed guests received a small bowl of dandelion greens with their fresh salad and asked why the physician, a well-known liver specialist, told me that dandelion has a beneficial effect on the liver.

Today, I know the fresh stems and flowers, five to six pieces, chewed daily, bring swift relief in chronic inflammation of the liver, which is characterized by a sharp pain felt in the region of the lower corner of the right shoulder blade. Interesting. As long as the plant is in flower, diabetic should eat up to 10 stems daily, and the stems are the most bitter part, and that would be more for type 1 diabetes. but would be helpful for all because it does help with insulin spikes, essentially. The bitterness of the plant helps control the insulin.

She said that the stems with flowers, wash, removed, chew the stems slowly. Okay. You can also make a nice digestive bitters just out of those stems. Now, they do have a white sap inside, a latex type sap that can be irritating. So you never want to get that in your eye. You can also actually use that sap to remove warts. So it's fairly useful. She said it was particularly good for itchy and scaly rashes and eczema.

The flow of gastric juices is improved in the stomach and cleansed of all waste matter. The fresh stems help remove gallstones painlessly. They stimulate the liver and the gallbladder. So she goes on, let's see, the dandelion roots. She said purify the blood, improved digestion. have a diuretic and pseudorific effect as well as being stimulating well pseudorific means it can help with sleep but it also stimulates digestion so probably sleeplessness due to digestive troubles she said that yeah she

mentions that the the plant was used in old herbals for as a beauty aid women used to wash their faces with it it would make the skin whiter and actually kind of help prevent, especially, you know, marks from aging, you know, liver spots and such as that. She mentions making the syrup of the dandelion blossoms and said it was just like honey. And she, you know, people often thought it was honey. I'm going to skip ahead because, wow, she writes a lot about dandelions. But in Poland, Sophie Hodderwick Snab says that in the 16th century, Dandelion became a very versatile herb used in the removal of freckles and liver spots and for fevers,

contagious diseases, liver and stomach ailments, and even malaria. It does have some anti-fever properties. Cooked with lentils. Dandelion cooked with lentils. That's interesting. I've never tried that. She said it was administered for diarrhea and dysentery. The root boiled in wine or vinegar was given situations where there was difficulty voiding.

It's a diarrhea. aeretic. It stimulates urination. As a treatment for the liver, it was prepared in conjunction with fennel. The leaf was applied to cuts and stab wounds, and to this day, a syrup is made from the flowers and used for coughs. In Russia, Igor Vilevich Zeven says that Dandelion was called the elixir of life. He said that Dandelion roots were purported to be the favorite remedy of Pantelli, Pentelemon, I guess is his name. Pentelemon, the healer, is a Russian, an Orthodox saint, and he was a great herbalist. The dandelion was a favorite remedy among members of the imperial court and was used extensively

by members of the royal family as a general tonic and treat a variety of health problems. Getting to the British tradition, Gerard, right in the 1500s, says again that dandelion and chickory, or as he called it, suckery, could be used pretty much interchangeably. and he talks about how the chicory was developed into what we now knows the Indive or Andeve and was being grown in English gardens in the 1500s and it was particularly good as a diuretic

Let's see here Coalpepper, I'll skip ahead to Cole Pepper He's about 100 years later than Gerard But both of them said the common name in England of dandelion was Pissabed because of its diuretic properties. It might actually make you wet the bed. So he said, well, he describes it, and again, we don't need to do that. But he said it is of an opening and cleansing quality

and therefore very effectual for obstructions of the liver go and spleen and diseases that arise from them, such as jaundice and hypochondria. That's actually an inflammation around the lining. of the lungs in this case. It openedeth the passage of the urine, both in young and old, powerfully cleansing in posthumes and inward ulcers of the urinary passage. And it's true. It is one of the best remedies for any kind of bladder issue. He mentions it being used as a poultice for any kind of wound. The roots and leaves mixed with white wine and cooked were a good pot herb. I guess the wine gave it a little more sweetness. That would make a lot of sense.

He said, anyone who has consumption or another, an old cat, cachiccia, I'm not even sure what that is, but consumption, of course, would be tuberculosis would be benefited by it. He said they shall find it a wonderful help. It helpeth also to procure rest and sleep and for fevers and, yeah, Good wash for sores. So going to the Irish tradition, John Kehoe said that Dandelion has a cold and dry nature. It strengthens the stomach, causes good digestion, reduces inflammation of the liver, and cleanses the kidneys and bladder. Ms. Grieve, writing, I guess, 1930s, England.

Let me skip ahead to her specific indications on this. She goes a lot into how it was used for food and different ways to prepare it, which is still a very, very good idea. We should absolutely be eating our dandelions. That's one of the most nutritious plants on earth. She even recommended making a sandwich out of dandelion leaves. Slices of butter bread sprinkle with salt. A little bit of lemon juice and pepper, she said, would be good.

Never tried that? Probably quite good, actually. But skipping ahead, several pages. She gets in the history of how it was bred and developed and how it moved from the Middle East throughout Europe and now it's, of course, all over the world. She says specifically good for cases of dropsy or edema and swellings of the liver, any skin disorders, gallstones, bladder stones, liver and kidney piles or hemorrhoids, actually very good for that. Wow. So, yeah, she goes on for several pages. We won't bother with all that because it's a lot of repeating stuff. But in modern use, medicinal use of dandelion for plants for a future, the dandelion is commonly used as an herbal remedy, is especially effective and valuable as a diuretic because it contains high levels of potassium salts and therefore can replace the potassium that is lost from the body when diuretics are used. All parts of the plant, but especially the root, are slightly apparent,

colagogne, depurative, strongly hypoglycemic, and an antibiotic against yeast infections. Also, diuretic, hepatic, laxative, stomatic, and tonic. A lot of big words. Settles the stomach, helps remove excess fluids from the body, good for the liver, laxative, of course you know. Stomatic means it's good for the stomach and basically so does tonic, good for digestion. Hypoglycemic means it lowers blood sugar and of course antibiotic against yeast infections. The root has a weaker action than the tops. The roots can be used fresh or dried

and should be harvested in the autumn when two years old. That's one thing I should point out. It does take two years for the dandelion to develop a mature root and that's when we harvest the root. You can take the tops at any time. Leaves harvest in spring when the plant is in flour and can be dried for later use. So tea can be made from the leaves. but is more commonly made from the root. The plant is used internally in the treatment of gallbladder and urinary disorders, gallstones, jaundice, cirrhosis, dyspepsia, and constipation, edema, associated with high blood pressure, and heart weakness, chronic joint and skin complaints, gout, eczema, and acne. The plant has an antibacterial action inhibiting the growth of staphylococcus, pneumocococcily, dysentery,

well, and a bunch of others that I can't pronounce. So it's a really good one to have on hand, especially if you're a prep or if you're in a situation where you might be drinking some bad water or anything like that. You can't get to a doctor. You don't want to have dandelion around. The latex containing the plant sap can be used

to remove corns, warts, etc. The latex has a specific action on inflammation of the gallbladder and is believed and is believed to remove stones from the liver. A tea made from the leaves is laxative. Wow. Dandelion is just one of the absolute best herbs there is. There's an entire industry based on eradicating dandelion,

which is just insanity. You should not only harvest the dandelions from your yard and eat them and dry some and save them for teas and make tinctures, but consider growing some dandelion. in your garden. The dandelions you grow in your garden will be in good conditions with plenty of water and good soil. They're going to grow nice big leaves that aren't going to be as bitter as wild dandelions. There are several sources where you can buy dandelion seeds. I think the whole seeds catalog, what is the name of that company? I can't remember right now,

but if you look up a whole seeds catalog, it's going to pop up. They carry a French variety of dandelion that's specifically been bred to be a tasty salad grain. The bitterness is very, very mild in it. The stems are almost purplish. You're going to grow a nice and big and a very pretty plant as well. And, you know, you should definitely grow them in your garden, but dandelion is one you're going to find everywhere. It's one of the most common wildflowers

and one of the most overlooked in terms of nutritional value and herbal medicine. If you only had a couple of plants you could eat, you know, in your diet, you want to get your protein from meats, of course. Legumes are fine, but you still need animal protein. The plants you would look for to give you all the vitamins and minerals you need, dandelion would be number one, without a doubt. Probably plantain number two and nettles number three. Yeah, those three plants would give you all the vitamins and minerals you need, and they're all considered weeds, and they're all wild plants, which is ridiculous. A little wild mustard would round that out very nicely,

and you'd have a very good diet. So remember, in terms of foraging, especially in like an emergency, a survival situation, these are really common plants. So learn them, and you don't need a field guide to identify a dandelion or plantain or nettles. You know the nettles by their sting. Super simple.

Burdock, I mean, these are just like the easiest plants to identify and also nutritious and medicinal. So anyway, y'all, have a good one, and I will talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or right has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine, and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice.

I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb has helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb, anyone recommends you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you.

you may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares that you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself to your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.