Dandelion is a small perennial from the Asteraceae family that grows well in soils of all types—a quality that makes this plant so resilient, adaptable and widespread. Although a native of Europe and Western Asia, dandelion is now naturalized in many countries around the world. It attracts pollinators and earthworms and loosens the soil with its strong, deep roots.

Key identifiers for finding a “true” dandelion, as there are many Asteraceae look-alikes, is the singular, hollow stem attached to each bright yellow flower. When picked, the stem produces a drippy white substance that is actually a form of latex. Many yellow dandelion look-alikes will have multiple flowers branching off the same stem. 

Another trait specific to dandelion is its jagged, hairless leaves, which earned it the name, dent de lion, meaning “lion’s tooth” in French and Spanish. Its round yellow flower has inspired others to call it “swine snout.” But it is dandelion’s botanical name of Taraxacum officinale, which speaks more favorably to the herb’s true purpose, in some translations as “healing herb.”

The medicinal parts are dried leaves harvested before the flowering season; the root collected and dried in autumn; the aerial parts and the rhizome harvested before the flowering season and then dried.