(Taraxacum officinale)

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Common Names: Lion’s Tooth, Priest’s Crown, Puffball, Clockflower, Pissenlit (French), Wet-the-Bed (folk)
Planetary Ruler: Jupiter
Element: Air
Astrological Signs: Sagittarius, Pisces, Libra
Chakra Correspondences: Solar Plexus (digestion, willpower), Third Eye (insight, clarity)
Magical Keywords: Cleansing, clarity, wishes, expansion, resilience, divine truth

Botanical Profile

The dandelion is a hardy perennial that flourishes almost everywhere humans walk. With its jagged “lion’s tooth” leaves, golden flower, and iconic puffball seedhead, it thrives in disturbed ground, cracks in sidewalks, and meadows alike. Dandelion is often dismissed as a weed, yet every part of the plant — root, leaf, flower, and seed — offers nourishment, healing, and magical potency.

Where burdock embodies Saturn’s discipline and boundaries, dandelion sings with Jupiter’s expansiveness: it spreads freely, grows abundantly, and teaches us to find opportunity and wisdom in unlikely places.

Medicinal Properties

Alterative & Detoxifying

As an alterative, dandelion works to purify the blood, assist elimination of waste, and encourage systemic balance. It is especially supportive for sluggish liver function, chronic skin eruptions, and metabolic stagnation.

Liver & Digestive Health

The root is a classic hepatic, supporting bile production, aiding digestion of fats, and easing liver congestion. Traditionally, dandelion root tea or tincture was used in spring cleanses to shake off winter stagnation.

The leaves, bitter and mineral-rich, act as a diuretic (“pissenlit” in French means “to wet the bed”), flushing excess fluids while replenishing potassium — making dandelion gentler than many pharmaceutical diuretics.

Nutritional Medicine

Fresh leaves contain high amounts of vitamins A, C, and K, along with iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The flowers are antioxidant-rich, often infused into honey or wine for both nourishment and joy.

Culinary Uses

Dandelion has long bridged the line between food and medicine:

• Leaves: Young spring leaves eaten raw in salads or lightly sautéed. Their bitterness stimulates digestion and appetite.

• Roots: Roasted roots make a caffeine-free “coffee” substitute, earthy and grounding yet gentle on the liver.

• Flowers: Used in fritters, added to salads for color, or fermented into dandelion wine — a solar elixir of cheer and abundance.

• Buds: Pickled as a caper-like delicacy.

Dandelion reminds us that what we call “weeds” are often ancestral foods — gifts hiding in plain sight.

Magical & Spiritual Properties

Astrological & Medical Astrology Correspondences

• Planet: Jupiter — the great expander, offering generosity, growth, and wisdom. Dandelion clears blockages so Jupiter’s gifts can flow more freely.

• Signs:

  • Sagittarius: Governs the liver, thighs, and expansive vision. Dandelion supports liver detoxification, aligning with Sagittarius’ ruling organ.

  • Pisces: Associated with the lymphatic system, feet, and sensitivity to toxins. Dandelion clears the fluids and uplifts the spirit.

  • Libra: Rules the kidneys and balance. The diuretic action of the leaves mirrors Libra’s quest for harmony and purification.

• Chakras:

  • Solar Plexus — personal power, digestion, transformation. Dandelion strengthens will while aiding physical digestion.

  • Third Eye — intuition, clarity, vision. The airy seeds and psychic uses support insight and spiritual connection.

Folklore & Myth

• Medieval Europe: Dandelion was called “priest’s crown” after the puffball’s resemblance to a tonsured head, symbolizing spiritual humility and fleeting time.

• Celtic lore: Associated with the Sun, used in divination and to call upon fae or ancestral spirits.

• Folk Magic: Carried in a pouch for protection, or brewed into tea before divination for clearer visions.

• Children’s Games: Blowing the seedhead was not only for wishes, but also to “tell the time” — each puff representing an hour.

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Practical Applications

Dandelion as Teacher

In the garden of alteratives, dandelion teaches the medicine of joy and endurance. Where burdock helps us endure discipline and shadow-work, dandelion brightens the path with optimism, reminding us that healing is not only about restriction and cleansing but also about expansion, laughter, and light.

Dandelion says:
“Stand tall in the sun. Spread your gifts freely. Root yourself deeply, yet never fear the winds of change.”

Quick Reference

Conclusion

Dandelion is the wise fool of the herbal world: common yet profound, overlooked yet invaluable, playful yet deeply healing. It bridges the mundane and the mystical — food and medicine, weed and wonder, earthly root and airy seed. In your grimoire or your garden, it serves as both ally and teacher, ever ready to guide you toward expansion, clarity, and joy.