If you have children or pets, you can quickly become alarmed when your protégé suddenly makes acquaintance with dandelion leaves or dandelion flowers. Is that justified? Are dandelion inedible or even poisonous?
The milky sap of the dandelion is slightly poisonous
Taraxacin is mildly toxic
You shouldn't panic now, even if you read that dandelion contains some less beneficial substances. Consumption has not yet led to death. Only to intolerance or slight symptoms of intoxication.
It's not just the high oxalic acid content in the leaves to watch out for. The milky sap in the stalks isn't exactly harmless either. The milky juice contains a substance called taraxacin. When consumed in large amounts, it can cause:
- liver pain
- diarrhea
- stomach pain
- nausea
- rheumatic complaints
- cardiac arrhythmias
External irritation may occur
The white milky sap contained in the stems can also cause symptoms when the plant is collected. Sensitive people then often suffer from skin irritation. Itching and eczema may occur. However, that should not be a reason to remove the dandelion from the garden entirely.
Contains lots of beneficial nutrients
Since dandelion contains lots of vitamin C, carotene and minerals such as iron and potassium, it should not be eliminated from the diet once you have got to know and like it. Only the stalks with the milky juice should be cut off and discarded. The bitter substances are harmless and even healing in small amounts.
tips
In small amounts, dandelion is absolutely not harmful! You can safely eat a few leaves and several buds each day without experiencing any negative after-effects.