Why We Should Not Ignore Dandelion on the street?
Here I want to talk about simple but good therapeutic effects of Dandelion on the street.
Over thousands history of Oriental Medicine has recorded the information of hundreds of herbs in a classic book, Ben Cao Gang Mu, and those herbs are useful remedies using by single or by combination of herbs in formula in clinic. Among them, dandelion called by Pu Gong Ying in the book is one of powerful therapeutic herbs that people should know about and use in a proper way instead of using OTC drugs.
According to the classic herbology book, Pu Gong Ying known as Dandelion has bitter and sweet taste, cold nature, going to Liver and stomach organs and meridians in Oriental Medicine theory.
What means by the taste, nature and going to certain organs and meridians is that in terms of taste in Oriental Medicine, first it shows the physical taste from Pu Gong Ying that we can feel on the tongue, meanwhile it indicates functional taste of bitterness, that means among five tastes-Purgent, Sweet, Sour, Bitter, and Salty- in Oriental Medicine, bitterness works to sedate heat, purge fire/inflammation, drain downwards and dry dampness, and sweetness works to tonify deficiency and harmonize herbs within a formula.
Either warm or cold of the nature means to treat the opposite nature of illness. For example, the illness shows obvious heat signs and symptoms, to speak briefly, then we apply cold nature of herbs to treat it and cold nature of illness can be treated by warm nature of herbs. Therefore, dandelion is proper to treat the warm nature of illness.
Its going to the certain organs and meridians means that the specific herb works on the certain organs and meridians mostly. That is, dandelion goes to Liver and stomach organs and their meridians and works for the illness on those organs and meridians.
As you see the nature and taste of Pu Gong Ying, and the organs and meridians that Pu Gong Ying enters, the description gives you a glimpse of idea to understand the effects of Pu Gong Ying.
With the cold nature of Pu Gong Ying, It clears heat and relieves fire toxicity, which is inflammation with high fever, especially in liver, eyes, breast and uterus. Because Oriental Medicine sees the liver meridian goes through uterus, breast, liver up to eyes, Pu Gong Ying have effect to treat illness in those organs along the meridian.
By the bitterness of Pu Gong Ying, It can dissipate nodules and reduces firm and hard sores/abscesses, especially breast and intestinal abscesses (appendicitis, colitis etc,.) as well as it helps to unblock lactation that has been blocked by excess heat and nodules after childbirth. With amazing effects, Oriental medicine doctors can even use it for breast cancer and hepatitis.
Pu Gong Ying also can treat Jaundice from Liver diseases or lymph system disorders and urinary tract infection as it has function to drain dampness/water retention and heat downward through urination.
So I would like to say that dandelion is good use on a daily basis, however, before it is used, we need to know the nature of illness to apply it and where illness occurs, then we can apply and get benefit from dandelion as its effectiveness. Otherwise it may cause the side effect from inappropriate usage.
As you know that dandelion is strong anti-inflammatory, antibiotics, diuretic, and has cholagogic and hepatoprotective effects, it should be used for a short term and stop using it as soon as the illness recovers or it needs to be advised to use it based on the exact diagnosis by Oriental medicine practitioner.
Personally just in case, I always keep some dry dandelion leaves in kitchen Instead of OCT anti-inflammatory, and it is good use to make acute inflammation such as red eyes/pus-stye better quickly.
