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Ask The Herbalist 

Dear James:

Can I still gather Dandelion leaves (they are “organic” ) for tea?  Everything I read, talks about Springtime concerning Dandelions ? Are the Larger ones any less useful ?    Jodi

Dear Jodi: 

Thank you so much for your email about Dandelion Leaves. You have brought up a great issue that needs to be discussed which is, when do you gather plants? The best way to answer this question is to think about when the part of the plant you want to gather is at its best. So, to start, you need to know what part of the plant you want to harvest is, in your case this is the leaves of Dandelion. Let’s do a quick walk through of the lifecycle of a plant and see when the best times are to gather. In the early spring, much of the vitality and energy of the plant are underground in the roots as the plant is preparing to start its growth for the year. This is a great time to gather the root or rhizome, but keeping in mind that doing so at this time may damage the plant, or kill it completely. Once the warmth comes, the plant begins to produce the stem and leaves as it reaches towards the sun. As the leaves begin to open, this is the perfect time to gather them. They are at their prime at this point in time.

Select leaves that are free of any imperfections or damage from insects. This is also the time to gather aerial parts (meaning parts that grow above the ground such as stems and leaves) as long as you do not need the flowers. The next phase of growth is for the flowers. The energy of the plant now focuses on their production and as soon as the flowers begin to open, this is the ideal time for harvesting. Again, if you are collecting the aerial parts that include the flowers, this is the perfect time to harvest. After the flowers have pollinated, the fruit or seeds begin to develop.  

Gather fruit as they are becoming ripe, but have not fallen to the ground. Again, select the best looking fruit for your medicines. Seeds can be gathered after they have been created and will generally store well as that is what they are designed to do!

As the fruit and seed fall, the lifeforce of the plant begins to diminish and return underground prior to the winter arriving again. So, in the late fall as the vitality of the plant returns to the roots and rhizomes, you get another opportunity to gather these parts as well as saps and pitches.

So, the basic answer to your question is that you can absolutely gather the leaves of Dandelion later in the fall, but be careful of the quality. Try to locate the freshest looking leaves. They will be more bitter at this time of the season, but there should still be adequate mineral and vitamin content.

Remember, that your food or medicine can not be made any better than the plant quality that you start with. If you use poor quality plants, then your medicine and food will be low in quality. Try to choose the best looking and healthiest parts that you collect.

A few other rules to keep in mind when gathering:
* Avoid collecting endangered or over-harvested species
* Avoid collecting in areas such as around waste dumps, highly travelled roads or protected areas
* Gather anywhere from 5-20%  of plants available as a maximum to allow for the natural continuation of the plants
* Provide a thanks to the plants that you are gathering for providing you with the food and medicine you need.

James Christian  is a medical herbalist at Pacific rim College in Victoria, B.C. Ask the Herbalist is a column that runs in the Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 9:18 pm and is filed under Herbology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.