About Taraxacum formosanum Kitam.
Taraxacum mongolicum is a small perennial herb that typically grows 8 to 25 centimeters tall. Its root is slightly conical, often bent, 4 to 10 centimeters long, with a brown surface and a shriveled root head covered in brown or yellowish-white woolly hairs. The stem is shortened but visible above ground. Basal leaves (growing at the plant’s base) form a rosette and are mid-green. Their shape ranges from oblanceolate (inverted spoon-shaped) to oblong-lanceolate (narrow and tapering), and they measure 6 to 15 centimeters long and 1 to 2.5 centimeters wide. Leaves usually have 3 to 5 pairs of lateral lobes (side divisions), and their margins can be entire (smooth-edged), sparsely toothed, or pinnatifid (deeply lobed but not all the way to the center). The terminal lobe (at the leaf tip) is usually large, triangular or broadly triangular, with a rounded or blunt tip. Each leaf tapers at the base into a short petiole (leaf stalk). Most leaf surfaces are smooth to slightly hairy, and sometimes bear dark purple spots. Petioles and main leaf veins are often tinged red and may hold sparse arachnoid (cobweb-like) white hairs. The plant produces solitary leafless flower stalks called scapes that emerge from leaf axils (the point where a leaf meets the stem). These scapes grow 10 to 25 centimeters tall, and are roughly equal to or slightly taller than the leaves. They are brownish-green and densely covered in fine hairs below the flower head. The flower head, or capitulum, is 3 to 4 centimeters wide, and is made up of numerous yellow strap-shaped ligulate florets. Outer florets have grayish purple stripes, while inner florets have purple-tipped margins. The involucral bracts (modified leaves around the base of the flower, also called phyllaries) range from ovate-lanceolate (egg-shaped to spear-shaped) to lanceolate; outer bracts are often tinged pink and bear fine hairs. The anthers are dark green and the stigmas are pale green. Fruits are dry, single-seeded achenes shaped obovate-lanceolate to oblong, brown to gray in color, and approximately 4.2–4.6 mm long. The achene surface is rough and ends in a cone-shaped apex, from which a slender 7–10 mm long beak extends that supports a yellowish pappus (a ring of fine hairs that aids wind dispersal) about 6 mm long. Flowering occurs mainly from spring to early autumn, with peak blooming from March to September. This species reproduces asexually through agamospermy, which is seed production without fertilization. Taraxacum mongolicum is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows naturally in grassland ecosystems and other open, disturbed habitats. It adapts well to a wide variety of soil types and climates, particularly in temperate regions. Across its native range, it has long been a common species in uplands, fields, and along roadsides. It was introduced to North America as a food crop, and has since become widely naturalized across the continent, now occurring throughout North America in both residential and agricultural landscapes. Beyond North America, T. mongolicum has also established populations in Southern Africa, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and India, and is now broadly distributed across the world’s subtropical and temperate zones. It tolerates both heat and cold. The leaves of Taraxacum mongolicum were first documented in 659 AD in the Xinxiu Bencao, an early Chinese materia medica. In traditional East Asian medicine, the species is considered to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and has historically been used to treat mastitis, breast abscesses, and mammary gland hyperplasia. Pharmacokinetic studies have explored potential interactions between T. mongolicum and pharmaceutical drugs. In one animal study, co-administration of an aqueous extract of the plant with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin significantly reduced the drug’s maximum plasma concentration, by approximately 73% in rats. Additionally, the extract altered the drug’s distribution and elimination profile, increasing its apparent volume of distribution and terminal half-life. However, the drug’s overall bioavailability, measured by the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC), remained largely unchanged. These findings indicate that T. mongolicum may affect the pharmacokinetics of certain medications, and should be used with caution in clinical settings involving concurrent drug therapy. A 2020 study investigated the effects of T. mongolicum extract in a mouse model of mastitis caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Mice treated with the extract had significantly lower levels of key inflammatory molecules in mammary tissue, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). The extract also reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme released by immune cells during inflammation that acts as another marker of immune response. Microscopic examination of tissue samples showed that the extract reduced swelling, cell damage, and necrosis in affected mammary glands. On a molecular level, the anti-inflammatory effects were linked to decreased activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, which are involved in the body’s immune response. The extract also lowered the expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), a protein that helps immune cells recognize bacterial infections. By interfering with these pathways, T. mongolicum reduced inflammation and protected tissues from further damage, suggesting it has potential for therapeutic use in infections that involve excessive inflammation, such as mastitis. In addition to traditional medicine, Taraxacum mongolicum is used in the food and nutraceutical industries. It has been used to make wines, candies, energy drinks, and various functional food products. Its roots are also dried and brewed into teas. The plant contains a diverse array of active phytoconstituents, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, phenolic acids, sesquiterpene lactones, pigments, coumarins, and sterols. These compounds contribute to its characteristic flavor, described as "bitter and sweet", and its potential health-promoting properties.
