INGREDIENT SPOTLIGHT

Dandelion Root/Pú Gōng Yīng 蒲公英

Taraxacum mongolicum — the humble "liver bitter"
of both Chinese and Western herbalism, used to clear heat, resolve toxins, and support the liver and digestion.

FORMULA ROLE

Why LunarSip uses it.

Dandelion root gives LunarSip's Liver Detox Night Tea its gentle bitter backbone. In both Chinese and Western herbal tradition, dandelion is the everyday liver herb — bitter enough to wake up digestion, mild enough to drink daily. In this 7-herb formula, it works with burdock root to support the body's clearing pathways from below, while chrysanthemum and honeysuckle cool from above and goji berry keeps the liver nourished rather than merely cleared.
Dried dandelion (Pu Gong Ying) – LunarSip Chinese herbal tea ingredient

HOW IT'S USED

The common weed with an uncommon record.

In Chinese herbal practices, Pú Gōng Yīng — 蒲公英 — was recorded in the Tang Dynasty Xin Xiu Ben Cao (659 CE) and later detailed in the Ben Cao Gang Mu (1578). Its traditional actions are to clear heat and resolve toxins (清熱解毒), reduce swelling and dissipate nodules (消腫散結), and promote urination (利尿通淋). It is a cooling, bitter-sweet herb entering the liver and stomach channels, used when heat and stagnation build up after heavy meals, alcohol, and late nights.

In Western herbal traditions, Taraxacum root is one of the oldest liver and digestive bitters in European pharmacopoeias. It contains sesquiterpene lactones (the source of its bitterness), taraxasterol, inulin, chicoric and chlorogenic acids, and potassium. Modern pharmacology has examined its hepatoprotective, choleretic, diuretic, antioxidant, and prebiotic activities, with particular interest in how dandelion root supports bile flow and liver function.

THE EVIDENCE

What the research says.

Modern research on dandelion has focused on its sesquiterpene lactones, taraxasterol, and liver-protective and antioxidant activity.
PHARMACOLOGY REVIEW · 2024

Taraxacum: A Review of Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activity

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine · 2024

A 2024 review surveyed the Taraxacum genus, traditionally used for detoxification, diuresis and liver protection. It identified sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, flavones and phenolic acids as key constituents and noted that crude extracts have shown antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and liver-protective activity in laboratory and animal studies, broadly consistent with traditional uses, though clinical data remain limited.

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HUMAN PILOT TRIAL · 2009

The diuretic effect in human subjects of an extract of Taraxacum officinale folium over a single day

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · 2009

In a small pilot study, 17 volunteers took 8 mL of fresh dandelion leaf extract three times in one day. Research suggests urination frequency rose significantly in the five hours after the first dose and urine output ratio rose after the second dose, but not after the third. The authors called for larger controlled trials of dandelion's traditional diuretic use.

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NARRATIVE REVIEW · 2025

The Role of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in Liver Health and Hepatoprotective Properties

Pharmaceuticals · 2025

A 2025 review gathered preclinical evidence that dandelion extracts may protect the liver against damage from alcohol, carbon tetrachloride and paracetamol in animal models, with taraxasterol highlighted as a compound that modulates inflammatory and oxidative pathways. The authors stressed that human clinical trials are still needed to confirm dosing, safety and efficacy.

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FOUND HERE

In these LunarSip formulas.

Explore the herbs featured in LunarSip blends: