common names: dandelion, Lion’s tooth (dente de lion in French),
plant family: Asteraceae
botanical description: All leaves are basal aka they come directly from the root and they are smooth unlike the hairy leaved potential lookalikes chicory,hawkweed, and wild lettuce. The flower stalk of dandelion is hollow, leafless, and unbranching. Flowers are actually a collection of florets. Each yellow fleck is actually it’s own flower- which is why each one produces a seed in the glorious puff ball that we blow and cast wishes on.
habitat/growing & harvesting: This is a plant that people often are trying to get rid of with harmful herbicides. Be careful to harvest from a place where that’s not the case, and far away from potential hazardous runoff, dog pee, etc. You can harvest these year-round, but the easiest time is early spring when it is blooming (easy to find), the ground is softening up, and the leaves are young & more palatable. Dig all around a plant to prevent root damage, clean and dry roots, use leaves & flowers fresh or dry them as well. 
ethnobotany/folklore/history: Records show use of dandelion for thousands of years throughout China, Russia, India, Egypt, Greece, and First Nations people. It’s latin name comes from the Greek word taraxos, meaning “disorder”, and akos, meaning “remedy”.

It’s interesting that this plant is one that is often sprayed with harmful pesticides, and that it’s one of our most useful plants to detoxify our bodies from these same toxins and pesticides.
parts used: leaves, roots, flowers
energetics: leaf- cooling, drying, root- cooling, building
taste: bitter, slightly sweet, salty
actions: alterative, diuretic, cholagogue,
tissue states: damp stagnation, heat, depression
chemical constituents: sesquiterpene lactones, taraxasterol (TS), taraxerol, chlorogenic acid (CGA), and CRA. vitamins (A, C, D, E, and B), inositol, lecithin, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, sodium, calcium, silicon, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese. (The Review of Diabetic Studies 2016 Summer-Fall; 13(2-3): 113–131).
indications: Roots are detoxifying, nutritive & cooling. They are indicated for: acne, boils, ulcers, sinus infection, low stomach acid, gut microbiome imbalance, pms symptoms & hot flashes, breast cysts/benign swelling.

Leaves are cooling and moving. They make a great tea compress to clear heat topically. Internally, they are high in potassium, sodium and many other vitamins and minerals, so even though it increases urination, it won’t cause mineral deficiency as much as something like coffee might.
doshas: could aggravate excess vata, balances excess pitta
contraindications: Because it stimulates the liver, drugs may be cleared from your system faster when ingesting dandelion. Use caution if there is risk of gall-stone. As it’s a diuretic, it will increase urination, so beware before a long car journey! Lastly, be careful in the case of cold/weak digestion (this might look like low appetite, poor circulation,sluggishness, in conjunction with constipation), or take dandelion in formula with some warming herbs, and easy to digest, cooked foods.
preparations: tea, root decoction, tincture, vinegar infusion, young leaves & flowers fresh in salad, cooked leaves in sautée or pesto