Dandelion may kill breast cancer cells, lower hypertension, cholesterol, and improve liver health
Dandelion is regarded as a stubborn weed but has diverse medicinal properties. Naturopathic practitioners have used dandelion for many years to treat several medical conditions such as promoting better digestion to healing the liver. Also, Native American tribes chewed the dandelion root to relieve pain, while others steamed the leaves and applied them topically to ease sore throats.
History has it that dandelion usage started somewhere in 659 B.C. in ancient China. Dandelion is low in calories, but high in fiber as well as antioxidants, vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Studies have confirmed that Dandelion can help reduce cancer growth, lower cholesterol levels, and support liver function.
In some countries, including Scotland and France, these plants earned the nickname pee-the-beds, or pissenlit in French, due to their natural diuretic effects that can cause increased urination.
Dandelions, also known as Taraxacum officinale, are a type of flowering plant native to Europe, Asia, and North America. Dandelion belongs to the daisy family of plants, dandelions are linked to dahlias, thistle, ragweed, lettuce, artichokes, and sunflowers.
![IT must be one of the most difficult – and exasperating – tasks in the world to be the President of a nation like Ghana. For you may travel all over4 the world, talking to the leaders of “the developed nations”, to try persuade them that the pandemic that is afflicting the world, Covid-19 (with its variants) is a truly global destroyer and thatnowhere is safe from it, until everywhere is safe. You may deploy your most eloquent language to point out that although, the scientists of the “developed countries” have managed to manufacture a vaccine that has been seen to work against the pandemic, the politicians of the “developed countries” are, contrary to undertakings they have made to the World Health Organisation (WHO) hoarding the vaccine in their countries. Reports suggest that whereas the governments of the “developed countries” are targeting 100 percent of their populace for vaccination, and getting closer to their objective every day, less than 10% of the populace of the developing countries have so far been vaccinated, as a result of a lack of vaccines. Is this fair? you ask. Air travel (you continue) has made international contacts extremely easy. And since the Covid-19 virus and its latest variant (Omicron) in particOman Ghana versus Covid-19 08 www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh GHANAIAN Times Features TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2021ular, are very transmissible. So it is in everyone's educated self-interest to see that all people on the planet are fully vaccinated. As a result of your Government's efforts, you hear that plenty of vaccines have arrived in your country and you are emboldened to announce that your Government will soon be able to vaccinate its entire adult population. Then, you get the shock of your life: an intelligence report tells you that some mischievous people are spreading the fake news that if a person allows himself or herself to be vaccinated, the “vaccine will make that person vote for your governing NPP whether he/she wants to do so or not!” WHAAAAT! How does one counter such fake news? If the Government say it is not true, the conspiracy theorists shoot back, “And are you so naïve as to expect them to admit that the vaccine will make you vote for the NPP?” Wow! Are people so wicked that despite the gains that the world has already made through vaccination (such as the elimination of small pox from the world and the near-extinction of polio and yellow fever) they try to dissuade others from taking advantage of anti-Covid vaccination? Especially since people who are clever enough to invent such fake news must know of the horrible pain that Covid-19 subjects people to, before it finally kills them? What makes the anti-Covid vaccination story doubly awful is that its seeds are sown on pre-fertilised ground. In the past, some wicked scientists in the developed countries have allowed themselves to be used by their [usually racist] governments to administer harmful vaccines and other medications to people, using the lie that such interventions can save them from certain disease. One of the most devastating such deceptions occurred in the United States in 1932. Below is the horrible story as told on the OFFICIAL website of the US CENTRES FOR DISEASE CONTROL [CDC]: https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm QUOTE: THE U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE SYPHILIS STUDY AT TUSKEGEE In 1932, the USPHS, [US Public Health Service] working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphillis. It was originally called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphillis in the Negro Male” (sic) [now referred to as the “USPHS Syphilis Study at Tuskegee”]. The study initially involved 600 Black men — 399 with syphillis, 201 who did not have the disease. Participants’ informed consent was not collected. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphillis, anaemia, and fatigue. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance (sic)! By 1943, penicillin was the treatment of choice for syphilis and becoming widely available, but the participants in the study were not offered treatment. In 1972, an Associated Press story about the study was published. As a result, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs appointed an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to review the study. The advisory panel concluded that the study was “ethically unjustified”; that is, the “results [were] disproportionately meagre, compared with known risks to [the] human subjects involved.” In March 1973, the panel advised the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to instruct the USPHS to provide all necessary medical care for the survivors of the study. The Tuskegee Health Benefit Programme was established to provide these services and in 1975, participants’ wives, widows and children were added to the program. In 1995, the program was expanded to include health, as well as medical, benefits. The last study participant died in January 2004. The last widow receiving THBP benefits died in January 2009. ... I973, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the study participants and their families, resulting in a $10 million, out-of-court settlement in 1974. On May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton issued a formal Presidential Apology [over the study.] UNQUOTE In Ghana, the fake news that the anti-Covid vaccine would make people “vote for the NPP” has already begun to cause disagreements in some households. A family known to me has had to dismiss its house-help because she obstinately refused to take the jab. To illustrate the way the way the political message contained in the fake news has been camouflaged, I offer a version of the last conversation between the head of the household and the house-help: BOSS: Hey, “A”, you are very lucky! Instead of you going around to look for the vaccinators, they are coming to our estate! HOUSE-HELP: They are coming here? B: Yes! H: But Boss, I told you that my brother took the jab and had to be admitted into hospital. B: It doesn't mean that you too will become ill if you get the jab. It affects different people in different ways. Look, as you know, I have had all my own jabs and I have never been ill – as you know! H: But Boss, if you have taken all your jabs, then you are PROTECTED, are you not? B: Yes, I am. H: In that case, even if I become infected because I have not taken the jab, I cannot transmit the disease to you and YOU will be all right? B: I can't say that! Because, as I have explained to you, the pandemic can affect different people in different ways. H: Then the jab is useless? B: Listen, I can't take any risks with such a dangerous disease. Either you take it or you leave, I am sorry. I cannot allow you to expose me and my family to the risk of catching Covid. As I reported earlier, the House-help chose to leave. Both her Boss and I are convinced that it wasn't mere logicthat made her decide not to take the jab. She was probably under the influence of a church/cult. Or political propaganda! • Omicron cases at Kotoka International Airport are amongst the unvaccinated](https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GT-8.pdf-Adobe-Acrobat-Pro-DC-4-220x150.jpg)
DANDELION, SCIENCE
Link, R(2022) article explained that dandelions are highly nutritious plants loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Every part of the plant is nutritious; root to flower. US Department of Agriculture reports that dandelion can be consumed raw or cooked. Which one you opted, they are a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. Dandelion is also loaded with vitamin E, folate, and slight amounts of other B vitamins. The report also found that dandelion greens also have a considerable quantity of numerous minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
One study by Vandeputte et al.(2017) also reports that dandelion root is rich in the carbohydrate inulin, a type of soluble fiber found in plants that supports the growth and maintenance of healthy gut bacteria in your digestive tract.
ANTIOXIDANTS
It has been reported that Dandelion has many potent antioxidants, this is linked to its numerous medicinal properties. For instance, some studies(Wirngo et al. 2016; Gerbino et al. 2018; Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006–. Beta-Carotene. 2022 ) also found that dandelions are loaded with many antioxidants such as beta carotene, which protect against cell damage and oxidative stress.
Additionally, Wirngo et al. (2016) study also found that dandelion is loaded with
polyphenols, another antioxidant, are mostly found in the flower, but can also be found in the roots, leaves, and stems as well.
INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is a normal immune system response to injury or infection. However, long-term inflammation may lead to permanent damage to your body’s tissues and DNA. However, two test-tube studies( Park et al. 2014; Jeon et al. 2017) found that dandelion decreased markers of inflammation in cells treated with compounds extracted from dandelion. Another study in mice with inflammatory lung disease by Ma et al. (2015) found a substantial decrease in lung inflammation in the test group.
BLOOD SUGAR
In one article by Semeco, A (2021), the author explained that Chicoric and chlorogenic acid are two bioactive compounds found in dandelion that aid in reducing blood sugar levels. For instance, in one test-tube study by Ferrare et al. (2018) these compounds found in dandelion could enhance the secretion of insulin — a hormone that controls blood sugar levels — as well as the absorption of glucose (sugar) in our muscles. Thus leading to enhanced insulin sensitivity and decreased blood sugar levels.
Wirngo et al.(2016) thus found that some animal studies, also found that chicoric and chlorogenic acid slows the digestion of starchy, high-carb foods, and in turn helps to reduce blood sugar levels.
Cholesterol and triglyceride levels
One test-tube study by García-Carrasco et al. (2015) established that dandelion leaf and root extract reduced triglyceride buildup in fat cells. Additionally, a recent 4-week animal study by Majewski et al.( 2020) found that giving dandelion leaf extract to rats drastically decreased stages of total cholesterol and triglycerides. A previous rabbit study by Choi et al. (2010) found that consuming dandelion roots and leaves to a high-cholesterol diet decreased cholesterol levels.
Blood Pressure
Anecdotal evidence has it that Traditional herbal medicine practitioners prescribe dandelion, due to its diuretic and detoxification properties. Hence, dandelion could act as a conventional diuretic from anecdotal evidence. For instance, in one clinical trial which involved only 17 people, Clare et al.(2009) found dandelion to be an effective diuretic.
Furthermore, one review by Binia et al. (2015) found that dandelion is loaded with potassium, a mineral linked with decreased blood pressure in those with earlier raised levels. Hence, dandelion could have an indirect effect on blood pressure due to its potassium center.
Liver and Kidney Support
Both animal and human studies have confirmed the benefits of dandelion on liver and kidney health. For instance, one animal study by Hfaiedh et al. (2016) found that dandelion averts liver damage in mice exposed to sodium dichromate, a compound used to induce liver injury. Fast forward, another study by Abdel-Magied et al.( 2019) also found that dandelion root benefits the liver, helping protect it from oxidative stress and keep it working effectively.
Two other studies( Wirngo et al. 2016; Pfingstgraf et al. 2021) also found that dandelion extract could decrease levels of excess fat stored in the liver and protect against oxidative stress. A similar study by Devaraj et al.(2016) also agreed that folk medicines originating from China, India, and Russia have long recognized dandelion’s effect as a liver tonic, mostly due to its anti-inflammatory effects and ability to fight oxidative stress.
A previous Korean in vivo study by ( You et al. 2010) established that dandelion extract prevented damage to the liver caused by alcohol toxicity in both liver cells and mice. The study further agreed that these protective effects are likely due to the number of antioxidants found in the dandelion root, as well as its ability to prevent cell damage.
Dandelion is also kidney-friendly. Dandelion has been recognized as having natural diuretic effects, meaning it increases the frequency of urination, which can help keep the kidneys healthy. This also means that dandelion can be used for managing prostate health.
Finally, Mount Sinai Medical Group, also explained that “Herbalists use dandelion root to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, and dandelion leaves to help kidney function.” For centuries, Native Americans boiled dandelion in the water and took it to treat kidney disease, as well as other digestive issues like heartburn and upset stomach.
To be continued
BY PROF. RAPHAEL NYARKOTEY OBU
