Dandelion

About Dandelion

Every part of Taraxacum officinale is edible. Young leaves are eaten as a bitter salad green rich in vitamins A and K. The roasted root makes a caffeine free coffee substitute. The flowers are used for wine and jelly. The name comes from the French dent de lion, lion tooth, after the jagged leaves. It is a traditional diuretic, which gave rise to the French folk name pissenlit. Its seeds drift on the wind from the familiar round seed heads.