Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale A perennial herb, abundant throughout the British Isles, which occurs in pastures, meadows, lawns, waysides and waste places. The dandelion flowers profusely in April and the leaves can be found at any time of the year, except the very coldest months.

The name dandelion is derived from the French dent-de-lion referring to the toothed edges of the leaves or, possibly, to the white pointed roots. Therapeutic use of the dandelion was first recorded by the Arabian physician and herbalist Avicenna in the 10th century, and in the 13th century it occurs in the Welsh herbal of the physicians of Mydrai. John Evelyn, the 17th-century diarist, tells us that ‘With this homely salley, Hecate entertained Theseus’; and in wartime England Charles Hill, the Radio Doctor, recommended the leaves as a food.