Dandelion Extract

Dandelion extract is produced from Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg. (Asteraceae). Thovek quotes three distinct raw articles because they are not interchangeable: root (Taraxaci officinalis radix), herb with root (radix cum herba) and leaf. Each has its own European Pharmacopoeia entry and its own constituent balance, and a buyer's finished-product specification usually implies one of them. State the plant part on the enquiry and it will be carried through identity testing, the COA and the shipping documents. Material is extracted with water or ethanol-water, vacuum concentrated and spray dried; incoming crude is confirmed by macroscopic, microscopic and TLC comparison against a pharmacopoeial reference before it enters the line. The root carries the fructan fraction. Inulin in dandelion root swings widely with harvest season - reported at roughly 2% of the root in spring and up to about 40% in autumn - which is why an unstandardised root extract cannot be relied on for a fixed fibre contribution and why the trade settled on a stated assay. The common standardised grade is 25% inulin. Alongside the fructans the root supplies sesquiterpene lactones of the taraxinic acid type, pentacyclic triterpenes including taraxasterol and psi-taraxasterol, phytosterols, and phenolic acids such as chlorogenic, caffeic and chicoric acid. Taraxasterol-assayed grades by GC are available where a triterpene marker is specified rather than a fibre one. Native ratio powders at 4:1 and 10:1 are stocked for formulators who work to a drug-to-extract ratio. Dandelion is markedly bitter and that is a formulation fact worth planning for: the material is widely used in herbal teas, roasted root beverages and bitter spirit and digestive-food applications precisely for that character, and it will carry through into an unmasked capsule fill or a beverage base. Dandelion belongs to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, so brands selling into markets where Compositae cross-sensitivity is declared voluntarily - ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, daisy - should reflect that on their own label; it is not one of the statutory declarable allergens. The extract itself is vegan and vegetarian, of plant origin only, and free of milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, nut, gluten and the other regulated allergen inputs. Every lot ships with COA, heavy-metal and microbiological results, MSDS, allergen, GMO and botanical identity statements, with pesticide residue and irradiation certificates on request.