Dandelion Root: Tincture or Capsules?

One "cure" you'll find all over the PUPPPs websites is Dandelion Root. Apparently, that lovely yellow weed in all of our yards has helped a lot of people! Herbalists for decades have known that dandelion is a good liver cleanser. Taraxacin and choline are the chemical compounds in dandelions that aid the liver. (source)

Here's the rundown on the liver. The liver is the major workhorse for processing junk. It's like a filter for the blood. Nasty stuff goes in (paint fumes, pesticides, chemicals in your lotion, you name it...), and the liver has to work to remove it. When we're pregnant, we're filtering for two! Not only that, but we produce way more hormones than normal. These are also processed through the liver. The alternative medicine world thinks all this may have something to do with PUPPPs.

Many of us PUPPPs sufferers have turned to dandelion root as a remedy. But there are options! Capsules? Tincture? I'll give you the pros and cons of both so you can decided which is best for you.

Tinctures

What is a tincture? It's a liquid extract of a plant. Think of vanilla extract. It's made by dropping some vanilla beans in alcohol until all the vanilla-y goodness comes out. What's left is delicious. With herbs, what's left is a potent form of the plant. Most herbalists seem to agree that a tincture is often stronger than the dried herb itself. Actual numbers seem to be lacking. One herbalist said tinctures are 5-10 times stronger than the herb itself. I would bet that it mostly depends on the quality of the herbs you start with and how much care is put into the making. As far as actually taking a tincture goes, it's pretty simple. Put your drops in some water and drink it down. Dandelion tincture is a bit bitter but totally doable, in my opinion.

The gist? If a tincture is stronger, it is most likely faster acting and better at it's job. The downside? Tinctures tend to be pricier than capsules.

Capsules

I think most of us are familiar with this form of the supplement. Dried and/or powdered herb is placed into a capsule that your body breaks down. You take it like you would any other pill. Opinions in the herbal world seemed to be a little more down on capsules. You have to digest the contents before your body can make use of it. There's more waste as lots of the plant is just fiber that passes through. You may have to take more to get a therapeutic effect. (Here's a source about some of that.)

The gist? Possibly a little slower acting and less potent. The upside? A little more reasonably priced.

The conclusion I came to for myself is that I like to have both on hand. One is great for the flare ups. One is more practical for maintenance. Both are getting me that liver cleansing goodness!

One big message that I got from all my research was that regardless of whether you're taking a tincture or a capsule, the main thing is making sure you are buying from a quality source! Research your herb supplier and be confident in their passion for their products! You don't want junk and filler. You want pure therapeutic herbs, my friends, so do your homework!

For more reading: 

Here's a good article put together by the University of Maryland Medical Center about dandelion. (click here)

Here's a list by WebMD of medications that may interact with dandelion. (click here) Please, be sure to consult with your care provider before starting new supplements.