Pharmaceutical Name:

Herba Taraxaci

Botanical Name:

Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz
Taraxacum sinicum Kitag.

Common Name:

Dandelion herb

Source of Earliest Record:

Xinxiu Bencao

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The whole plant is gathered in summer or autumn, cleaned in water and then dried in the sun.

Properties and Taste:

Bitter, sweet and cold

Meridian:

Stomach and liver

Functions:

To clear heat and release toxins
To resolve dampness

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Boils, carbuncles and furuncles.
*Use with Viola (Zihuadiding), Wild chrysanthemum flower (Yejuhua) and Honeysuckle flower (Jinyinhua).

2.      Damp-heat jaundice.
*Use with Oriental wormwood (Yinchenhao).

3.     Turbid urination.
*Use with Lysimachia (Jinqiancao) and Imperata rhizome (Baimaogen).

Dosage:

10-30 g

Cautions:

Overdosing of this herb may cause mild diarrhea.