Characteristics of Dandelions

Dandelion is one of the most common flowers and plants in our daily life. It has a very strong vitality and is found in every corner. It is also a beautiful landscape. It belongs to the Asteraceae family and can be said to be the most common wild plant. Its leaves are spread flat in a row. In the spring of each year, the inflorescence at the top is very beautiful and leisurely. Being among the dandelions gives you endless leisure time.

In our impression, dandelion may be simply considered as a common wild flower. In fact, dandelion is widely used in the traditional Chinese medicine industry in my country, and has made certain contributions to the industry. It can be seen that its characteristics are extraordinary.

Dandelion, also known as yellow flower dandelion, is a perennial herb with red sticky pulp and latex. The whole plant is covered with sparse white soft hairs. The roots are deep and long, cylindrical, and yellow-brown in surface. The leaves are basal, oblong-oblanceolate, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide. The inflorescence is single, terminal, and the involucre is bell-shaped; the involucre is multi-layered; the flowers are all ligulate, bisexual, and the corolla is yellow; there are 5 stamens, and the anthers are fused; the ovary is inferior, the style is slender, and the stigma is 2-lobed into strips. Achenes are 4 to 5 mm long. It has longitudinal ridges and numerous thorn-like protrusions, with a long beak at the top; the pappus is white. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from June to July.

Habitat and distribution: It grows on roadsides, ditches, beside houses and in field grasslands. It is distributed throughout the county, mostly in Daizhong, Daixi, Xiushan and Guihua. The whole plant with dried medicinal parts.

Dandelion is sweet and slightly bitter in nature. It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, and eliminating swelling and pain. In our traditional Chinese medicine, it is mainly used to treat upper respiratory tract infections, gastritis, hepatitis, acute appendicitis, mastitis, etc., and it has many functions. Moreover, dandelion itself is a natural plant that has not been damaged or polluted. It is a plant that looks ordinary but is actually very practical.