Standardization of roots of Taraxacum officinale

Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion) belongs to the Asteraceae family; an edible herb commonly found in subtropical and temperate regions worldwide. Traditionally dandelion is used in diarrhea, gout, jaundice, diabetes, pneumonia, urinary problems and to purify the blood. The phytochemical study of dandelion discovered the occurrence of β- sitosterol, stigmasterol, taraxsterol, lactucopicrin, lactucin, cichorin, taraxacoside, taraxacerin, campesterol, homotaraxasterol, etc. Anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, antimicrobial, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of dandelion were studied. This plant has great therapeutic value and in order to overcome the problem of adulteration, the present study was aimed to standardize and preserve the quality parameters of the plant. Roots of Taraxacum officinale were subjected to measurements including macroscopy, microscopy, foreign organic content, ash value, extractive value, phytochemical screening, fluorescence analysis and chromatographic analysis. HPTLC analysis confirmed the presence of various phytocomponents. The macroscopic, microscopic and physico-chemical criteria presented here can help to identify the drug and to prepare the monograph.