Dandelion coffee

Harvested roots of the dandelion plant. Each plant has one taproot.

Dandelion coffee (also dandelion tea) is an infusion or herbal tea, and coffee substitute, made from the root of the dandelion plant. The roasted dandelion root pieces and the beverage have some resemblance to coffee in appearance and taste.

History

Susanna Moodie explained how to prepare dandelion coffee in her memoir of living in Canada, Roughing it in the bush^[1] (1852), where she mentions that she had heard of it from an article published in the 1830's in New York Albion by a certain Dr. Harrison. Dandelion coffee was later mentioned in a Harpers New Monthly Magazine story in 1886.^[2] In 1919, dandelion root was noted as a source of cheap coffee.^[3] It has also been part of edible plant classes dating back at least to the 1970s.^[4]

Harvesting

Roasted dandelion root, ready to be used to prepare dandelion coffee.

Harvesting dandelion roots requires differentiating 'true' dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) from other yellow daisy-like flowers such as catsear and hawksbeard. True dandelions have a ground-level rosette of deep-toothed leaves and hollow straw-like stems. Large plants that are 3–4 years old, with taproots approximately 0.5 inch (13 mm) in diameter, are harvested for dandelion coffee. These taproots are similar in appearance to pale carrots.

Preparation

After harvesting, the dandelion roots are dried, chopped, and roasted. They are then ground into granules which are steeped in boiling water to produce dandelion coffee. ^[5]

Benefits

Dandelion coffee is said to be a good tonic for the liver.^[6] A bitter tonic made from the dandelion root is also used as a laxative.^[7]

Chemistry

Unroasted Taraxacum officinale (among other dandelion species) root contains:^[8]

Sesquiterpene lactones

• Taraxacin^[9] (a sesquiterpene guaianolide)
• Phenylpropanoid glycosides
• Phenylpropanoid glycosides: dihydroconiferin, syringin, and dihydrosyringin
• Taraxacoside(a cylated gamma-butyrolactone glycoside) and
• Lactupircin

Carotenoids

• Lutein
• Violaxanthin

Coumarins

• Esculin
• Scopoletin

Flavonoids

• Apigenin-7-glucoside
• Luteolin-7-glucoside
• Isorhamnetin 3-glucoside
• Luteolin-7-diglucoside
• Quercetin-7-glucoside
• Quercetin
• Luteolin
• Rutin and
• Chrysoeriol

Phenolic acids

• Caffeic acid
• Chlorogenic acid
• Chicoric acid (dicaffeoyltartaric acid) and
• ρ-hydroxyphenylacetic acids

Polysaccharides

• Glucans mannans and inulin (8).

Cyanogenic glycosides

• Prunasin

Sesquiterpene lactones (of the germacranolide type)

• 11β, 13-dihydrolactucin
• Ixerin D
• Ainslioside taraxinic acid
• β-glucopyranosyl
• Taraxinic acid
• Glucosyl ester
• 11-dihydrotaraxinic acid and 13-dihydrotaraxinic acid
• l'-glucoside
• Lactucopicrin
• Lactucin and
• Cichorin

Eudesmanolides

• Tetrahydroridentin-B
• Taraxacolide-O-β-glucopyranoside
• Prunasin
• Dihydroconiferin
• Syringin
• Dihydrosyringin
• Taraxasterol
• ψ-taraxasterol
• Homo-taraxasterol and
• Stigmatsterol

Triterpenes

• Cycloartenol
• A Serine proteinase
• Taraxalisin
• α-amyrin
• β-amyrin
• Arnidiol
• Faradiol
• Lupeol
• Taraxol
• Taraxaserol and
• 3β-hydroxylup-18-ene-21-one

Sterols

• Taraxasterol
• ψ-taraxasterol
• Homo-taraxasterol
• β-sitosterol
• Stigmatsterol and
• Campesterol

Other

• Lettucenin A and
• Taraxalisin
• Amino acids
• Choline
• Mucilage and
• Pectin

References

1. ^ Moodie, Susanna. "Roughing it in the bush". McClelland and Stewart. p. 385. http://books.google.ca/books?id=jS683nGHbdQC&q=dandelion+coffee#v=snippet&q=dandelion%20coffee&f=false. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 
2. ^ Whiting, Julia D. (1886-09-01). The End of a Love Match. Harpers New Monthly Magazine. http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?frames=1&coll=moa&view=50&root=%2Fmoa%2Fharp%2Fharp0073%2F&tif=00588.TIF. Retrieved 2008-12-26. 
3. ^ "Much of the surpassing cheap brand coffee is made from dandelion root, according to Prof. William Trelease, of the department of botany at the University of Illinois." Jul 6, 1919 p. V13 Los Angeles Times
4. ^ Edible Wild Plants Class to Feature Dandelion Coffee Jun 16, 1977 p. CS8 Los Angeles Times [1]
5. ^ Naturenet: Costa Coffee? Free actually
6. ^ "dandelion root “coffee” is a good liver tonic" Avoid Christmas hangover Karen McElroy 19 December 2008 The daily.com.au http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/dec/19/avoid-christmas-hangover/
7. ^ "Dandelion". The Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press. 2001-07. http://www.bartleby.com/65/da/dandelio.html. Retrieved 2008-12-26. 
8. ^ http://66.102.1.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&client=opera&q=cache:nZbRBUYUaPsJ:www.phcog.net/reviews/issue3/18.pdf+taraxacin
9. ^ http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/np990495%2B