Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinalis) The word, “Dandelion is from the French, “Dent de lion (tooth of the lion), probably because its leaves are serrated, like long teeth. Dandelion was considered as part of the official pharmacopeia of Rome, and is also part of the Chinese Materia Medica. Taraxacum is called Pu Gong Ying, and is used to clear heat in the body and remove fire poison*. Dandelion is one plant most everyone can recognize. Lawn owners are perturbed every spring when dandelion sends up its early yellow flowers. Children delight at blowing the fluffy white top off the seed heads, sometimes along with a wish. Thankfully, the continued use of strong, deadly herbicides has not eradicated this wonderful plant. In fact, dandelions tenacity, even in the face of a genocidal assault by “green lawn advocates, speaks to its inner strength, which it confers to those who respect and use it for food and as a remedy*.