De les van de paardenbloem

Les geven bij Syntra Leuven. Even buiten rondsnuffelen tussen straatstenen en stoep. Heermoes, bijvoet, smalle weegbree, paardenbloem. Superfoods zijn het, om maar eens een irritante, modieuze term te gebruiken. Draai ze maar door de smoothie, om nog maar zo'n mode-term te gebruiken.

Smoothie is toch gewoon sap van van alles en nog wat en de term superfood wordt meestal gebruikt voor planten en zeewieren die van ver komen, spirulina, gojibes... Planten die als extract meestal duur verkocht worden en zeker wel waardevol kunnen zijn, maar onze massaal voorkomende onkruiden zoals heermoes, paardenbloem en brandnetel zijn zeker even super.
Kijk bijvoorbeeld maar eens naar het wetenschappelijk onderzoek over paardenbloem.

Fitoterapia. 2004 Dec;75(7-8):760-3. The bifidogenic effect of Taraxacum officinale root. Trojanová I1, Rada V, Kokoska L, Vlková E.
The infusion of dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) stimulated in vitro the growth of 14 strains of bifidobacteria. The utilization of oligofructans, glucose, fructose and total saccharides was determined by enzymatic and phenol-sulfuric methods. Dandelion oligofructans were important source of carbon and energy for bifidobacteria tested.

Int J Mol Sci. 2010 Jan 6;11(1):67-78. doi: 10.3390/ijms11010067.
Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root and leaf on cholesterol-fed rabbits. Choi UK1, Lee OH, Yim JH, Cho CW, Rhee YK, Lim SI, Kim YC.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), an herbal medicine, has been shown to favorably affect choleretic, antirheumatic and diuretin properties. Recent reports have indicated that excessive oxidative stress contributes to the development of atherosclerosis-linked metabolic syndrome. The objective of this current study was to investigate the possible hypolipidemic and antioxidative effects of dandelion root and leaf in rabbits fed with a high-cholesterol diet. A group of twenty eight male rabbits was divided into four subgroups; a normal diet group, a high-cholesterol diet group, a high-cholesterol diet with 1% (w/w) dandelion leaf group, and a high-cholesterol diet with 1% (w/w) dandelion root group. After the treatment period, the plasma antioxidant enzymes and lipid profiles were determined. Our results show that treatment with dandelion root and leaf positively changed plasma antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid profiles in cholesterol-fed rabbits, and thus may have potential hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. Dandelion root and leaf could protect against oxidative stress linked atherosclerosis and decrease the atherogenic index.

Acta Biol Hung. 2010 Jun;61(2):175-90. Hepatocurative potential of sesquiterpene lactones of Taraxacum officinale on carbon tetrachloride induced liver toxicity in mice. Mahesh A1, Jeyachandran R, Cindrella L, Thangadurai D, Veerapur VP, Muralidhara Rao D.

The hepatocurative potential of ethanolic extract (ETO) and sesquiterpene lactones enriched fraction (SL) of Taraxacum officinale roots was evaluated against carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The diagnostic markers such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin contents were significantly elevated, whereas significant reduction in the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and enhanced hepatic lipid peroxidation, liver weight and liver protein were observed in CCl 4 induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Post-treatment with ETO and SL significantly protected the hepatotoxicity as evident from the lower levels of hepatic enzyme markers, such as serum transaminase (ALT, AST), ALP and total bilirubin. Further, significant reduction in the liver weight and liver protein in drug-treated hepatotoxic mice and also reduced oxidative stress by increasing reduced glutathione content and decreasing lipid peroxidation level has been noticed. The histopathological evaluation of the liver also revealed that ETO and SL reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl 4 . The results indicate that sesquiterpene lactones have a protective effect against acute hepatotoxicity induced by the administration of CCl 4 in mice. Furthermore, observed activity of SL may be due to the synergistic action of two sesquiterpene lactones identified from enriched ethyl acetate fraction by HPLC method.

En zelfs de bloemen van onze paardenbloem werden door ijverige wetenschappers onderzocht. Phytomedicine. 2005 Aug;12(8):588-97. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flower extract suppresses both reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide and prevents lipid oxidation in vitro. Hu C1, Kitts
Flavonoids and coumaric acid derivatives were identified from dandelion flower (Taraxacum officinale). Characteristics of chain-breaking antioxidants, such as extended lag phase and reduced propagation rate, were observed in oxidation of linoleic acid emulsion with the addition of dandelion flower extract (DFE). DFE suppressed both superoxide and hydroxyl radical, while the latter was further distinguished by both site-specific and non-specific hydroxyl radical inhibition. DPPH-radical-scavenging activity and a synergistic effect with alpha-tocopherol were attributed to the reducing activity derived from phenolic content of DFE. A significant (p < 0.05) and concentration-dependent, reduced nitric oxide production from acterial-lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells was observed with the addition of DFE. Moreover, peroxyl-radical-induced intracellular oxidation of RAW264.7 cells was inhibited significantly (p < 0.05) by the addition of DFE over a range of concentrations. These results showed that the DFE possessed marked antioxidant activity in both biological and chemical models. Furthermore, the efficacy of DFE in inhibiting both reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide were attributed to its phenolic content.

Wat paardenbloemblad knabbelen zoals de konijnen en dat kan zowat het hele jaar door, is dus een verstandige, goedkope en zelfs smakelijke manier om gezond te blijven.

https://sites.google.com/site/kruidwis/kruiden-a/taraxacum