July 2026

Constipation

• Why am I constipated?
• Dandelion – Move Your Shit
• Cascara Sagrada – A Stimulant Laxative
• Psyllium -Bulk Your Poop

Dandelion – Move Your Shit

Botanical Family: Asteraceae
Part used: roots and leaves; flowers can also be used.

Degree

Dandelion is a 1st degree herb, meaning it can be used as food. You can eat a bowl of dandelion greens or prepare a daily beverage from roasted dandelion root.

Description

Roots: Thick, fibrous, and brown on the outside with a white interior, typically growing 6 to 12 inches deep. Dandelion roots produce an abundant, milky sap.

Leaves: Dandelion forms a rosette of toothed leaves close to the ground. The leaves are green and smooth on top, lighter and smoother underneath, and a white central rib exudes milky sap.

Flowers: Bright yellow flower heads consist of many tiny florets, a trait of the Asteraceae family. The blooms display heliotropism, following the sun.

Seeds: Dandelion seeds form into characteristic “wish balls,” each containing around 5,000 seeds that disperse by wind.

Growing

Dandelions grow on every lawn, but they thrive in soil rich in potassium and nitrogen. If wildcrafting, make sure the lawn hasn’t been sprayed and that pets haven’t used it as a toilet.

To grow dandelions, spread seeds directly on the soil in a sunny spot. Do not cover the seeds; they need light to germinate. After germination, thin the seedlings to about 6-9 inches apart. Dandelion is a resilient plant and requires little care.

History and lore

Dandelion is native to Asia and Europe, where it holds a long tradition as both food and medicine. Historical records indicate cultivation and use dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries in China and Egypt, where dandelion was valued for its roles in detoxification, increased urine output, and support for digestion.

In traditional Chinese medicine, dandelion first appeared in “Tang Bencao,” the oldest classical medical text from the Tang Dynasty (657–659 AD), where it was described as a remedy for breast swelling and pain. Later, the Yunnan Materia Medica by Ren Lanmao from the Ming Dynasty included dandelion, as did the Compendium of Materia Medica by Li Shizhen; both reference dandelion as a detoxification herb.

The record shows that dandelion was used in Egypt during the 10th and 11th centuries as food and for detoxification, increased urine output, and improved digestive health.

Nicholas Culpeper, an 18th-century English botanist and physician, described dandelion as beneficial for liver, gallbladder, and spleen obstructions.

“it wonderfully openeth the passages of urine, both in young and old; it powerfully cleanseth aposthumes, and inward tumours in the urinary passages, and, by during the temperate quality, doth afterwards heal them; for which purpose the decoction of the roots and leaves in white wine, or the leaves chopped as pot-herbs with a few alisanders, and boiled in their broth, is very effectual.”
~ Nicholas Culpeper

Energetic Architecture

Psychological Profile

People who might benefit from dandelion show two opposing psychological profiles.

They tend to be short-tempered, easily angered, irritable, or dull-minded, experiencing mental sluggishness, brain fog, or a reduced capacity for sharp, quick thinking.

These psychological profiles have a direct link to the liver.

Taste

Leaves – Bitter Salty
Roots – Bitter Sweet

Energetics

Temperature: Cooling
Fluids: Drying
Tone: N/A

Tissue State

Hot/Excitation – Dandelion is used when the liver’s hepatic and biliary pathways are running hot, overworked, and inflamed. Symptoms can include constipation from bile deficiency, or skin issues and fatigue due to detox problems.

Damp/Stagnation – Dandelion helps biliary stagnation, sluggish portal circulation, fluid retention, and metabolic waste buildup. The heat excitation may result from stagnation.

Pharmacology

Sesquiterpenoids – are responsible for the dandelion’s bitter taste. Plants make bitter compounds to deter herbivores. Sesquiterpenoids are best extracted in high alcohol and are degraded by heat. In dandelion, these compounds directly affect the liver.

Inulin – Dandelion root is one of the richest dietary sources of inulin. Spring root contains 12-15%, while autumn-harvested root is up to 35-40% of its dry weight. Inulin acts as a resistant starch. It does not break down in the stomach or small intestines but works as a prebiotic in the colon.

Phenolic Compounds – These give the dandelion flower its bright yellow color. Plants produce phenolic acids to protect against sunlight. Phenolic acids are best extracted in water and are more stable in that medium. They provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Triterpenoids – are produced to maintain plant structural integrity. They are best extracted in oil or 60-70%A. They give dandelion its anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and possibly anti-tumor and membrane-stabilizing actions.

Phytosterols  – regulate cell membrane enzyme activity and signaling. They are best extracted in oil or 60-70%A. Their effects include hormone modulation, reducing cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory action.

Flavonoids – Dandelion contains the flavonoids uteolin and quercetin, which are antioxidants.

Actions

Foundational action

Foundational action is associated with the energetic pattern and can be experienced viscerally in the body.

Dandelion’s foundational action is bitterness. It binds to bitter receptors, triggering a whole-body response. This increases vagal tone, digestive enzymes, and bile production. It also supports liver and gallbladder function. 

Primary actions

Primary actions relate to organs, systems, or tissues.

Digestive tonic – The term tonic suggests long term use and a capacity building action. Dandelion promotes HCL, pancreatic enzymes, and bile production, and improves digestive system tone. 

Cholagogue – Dandelion enhances bile production. 

Alterative – Alterative herbs help eliminate metabolic waste, allowing fluids to flow smoothly. Dandelion’s alterative action is threefold. It promotes bile production, which increases stool formation and elimination. Dandelion also supports gut bacteria and enhances urination, helping remove water-soluble toxins. 

Diuretic – Dandelion leaves promote urination. 

Hepatoprotective – Glutathione is the body’s main antioxidant. Dandelion contains flavonoids that deliver antioxidants directly. These compounds also prompt the liver to make more of its own antioxidants.

Secondary action 

Secondary actions imply an end result without specifying energetics or the system affected. 

Anti-inflammatory – By reducing oxidative stress in the liver, dandelion reduce liver inflammation. 

Organ affinity

• Liver
• Gallblader
• Digestive system
• Kidneys
• Lymph

Clinical Pattern

“ Often, a few months on dandelion can really tone up the hepatic structures, remove stagnation, jaundice, or gallstones, improve digestion, decongest the portal system, and remove difficulties caused by heat rising to the skin. It also seems to act on the waters of the body, gently promoting lymphatic activity”

~Matthew Wood

Liver health

Dandelion has a long history of use for liver and gallbladder conditions. Recent studies suggest that dandelion is hepatoprotective due to the antioxidant effect of the phenolic acids and flavonoids on liver cells. Dandelion was found to not only exhibit scavenging effect but also to increase glutathione, the body’s innate anti oxidant. 

Dandelion has an anti-inflammatory protective effect on liver cells. By inhibiting NF-κB activation (the inflammation switch in cells) and reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6, it reduces liver inflammation.

In addition, compounds in dandelion, specifically taraxasterol, may prevent liver cell death (apoptosis). Taraxasterol may also inhibit the activation of cells responsible for excessive scar tissue production in the liver, thus preventing liver fibrosis. 

Digestive health

A digestive tonic, dandelion slowly restores tone and function to the digestive system

and liver. The famous herbalist Dr. William Cook wrote about dandelion in his book, The Physiomedical Dispensatory (1869):

“The root is a mild laxative and alterant, of the relaxing-tonic grade, slowly and gently influencing the liver, small intestines, and kidneys. It is most useful in mild grades of chronic hepatic obstruction and torpor, with biliousness and weakness of the stomach; in engorgements of the liver and spleen, and abdominal dropsy dependent on these conditions. Though slow in action, it is well received by the system. “

Dandelion roots and aerial parts contain sesquiterpene lactones, bitter tasting compounds that promote appetite, increase digestive enzyme activity, and support bowel movement and diuresis.

Inulin, a naturally occurring polysaccharide and dietary fiber found in dandelion, acts as a probiotic, promoting the development of a healthy intestinal microbiome.  

Alterative qualities

Alterative herbs support nutrient assimilation and waste product elimination through fluid metabolism. A sluggish liver and low bile production can lead to constipation. 

Irregular bowel movement causes dysbiosis, changes to gut bacteria, which increases gut permeability and systemic low grade inflammation, leading to skin conditions such as acne and eczema. 

Dandelion is a gentle lymphatic deobstructant; it removes blockage in lymph vessels. Dandelion is beneficial for skin conditions associated with liver or digestive imbalances.

Metabolic health

The roots, leaves, and flowers of dandelion are the sources of its metabolic benefits. All parts of the plant contain compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and inulin that regulate lipid and sugar metabolism.

Blood sugar regulation

The roots and leaves of dandelion were found to help regulate blood sugar by inhibiting ⍺ amylase production. ⍺ Amylase is a pancreatic enzyme that breaks down di- and oligosaccharides to monosaccharides. In the absence of ⍺ Amylase, sugars are not digested, therefore they can’t be absorbed. 

Chicoric acid from dandelion increases insulin production and enhances insulin receptor sensitivity, reducing diabetes and insulin resistance. 

Improving lipid profile

Tincture of dandelion root increases pancreatic lipase, the enzyme that breaks down fats into fatty acids and monoglycerides. Lipase inhibition reduces fat absorption, which can help reduce obesity. 

Animal studies that used all parts of dandelion and various preparations (capsules, powder, and tincture) found that dandelion decreased total cholesterol and triglycerides and increased HDL. 

Cardiovascular benefits

Dandelion leaves are a rich source of potassium, which is directly linked to lowering blood pressure. The leaves also possess diuretic properties that help reduce fluid retention.

The plant’s high concentration of polyphenols and flavonoids helps combat oxidative stress, a major driver of hypertension and metabolic dysfunction.

Phenolic compounds in dandelion may regulate nitric oxide synthase, helping blood vessels dilate, and inhibit atherosclerosis. 

Preparation and dosage

Fresh leaves can be eaten in a salad.

Standard infusion: Leaf 4-8 ounces 3 times daily

Standard decoction: Root 2-4 ounces 3 times daily. 

Tincture: fresh leaves 1:2 95%A, dried leaves 1:5 30%A

Dosage: 2-5 ml (0.4-1tsp) 3 times daily

Tincture fresh root 1:2 30%A

Dosage 4-5 ml (0.8-1 tsp) 3 times daily

Glycerite: dried root 1:5

Dosage:  1-3 ml (0.2-0.6 tsp) 3 times daily

Safety

Generally safe to use

Avoid if allergic to plants in the Asteraceae botanical family. 

Recipes for Remedies