Do Dandelions Cause Bedwetting?

Traditional folklore throughout the Euro-American world tells us that children who handle dandelions are likely to wet the bed. This may sound like alarming news to the parents of children who pick these flowers routinely, and may sound like nonsense to parents skeptical of urban myth and folklore. While the overall effect of dandelions on the urinary system is somewhat negligible, this popular playground legend begs a second look.

The concept of dandelions causing bedwetting is so popular that it actually influences the common names of the plant in many languages. In French, the dandelion is often called "pissenlit"-- literally, "piss in the bed". Similar meanings can be found in the Spanish counterpart of the word, "meacamas", and in the Italian, "piscialletto". In England, children and adults both widely call the dandelion a "pissabed" flower.

As a result of this widespread myth, many children are nervous about coming anywhere near these bright-yellow, flowering weeds. On playgrounds throughout the world, children are told by their schoolmates that if they touch, smell, or handle a dandelion flower, they will wet the bed that night. Parents, nervous about the possibility of their child bedwetting, may also repeat this folklore warning.

Surprisingly, however, there is a mild grain of truth to the legend. Dandelion roots, stems, and flowers contain a powerful, natural diuretic, which increases urine production in both adults and children. This can, in large quantities, lead to sufficient enough urine production to cause bedwetting, especially in children who already have somewhat limited control over their bodily functions.

When any person handles any substance, it is quite likely that small to moderate amounts of the active constituent chemicals can be absorbed through the skin. However, unless already distilled to an essential oil, few herbs are powerful enough to transition their volatile oils into the blood stream-- especially not in doses large enough to cause noticeable effects.

Most likely, the legend of dandelions and bedwetting stemmed from bedwetting experiences that resulted from dandelion tea being given medicinally to children. When used as a deliberate diuretic or tonic for a child, the tea or extract is capable of causing bedwetting episodes or other temporary losses of bladder control, especially when taken in large amounts.

The medical use of dandelion is now relatively obscure, but children who were given the tea likely repeated the warning to their friends and classmates. For children, to whom the world is widely misunderstood, warnings become exaggerated and unfounded rumors. A single child who says, "Don't put that flower in your mouth! My mummy gave it to me in a tea and it made me wet the bed!" can easily have his message distorted to, "Don't touch that flower! It will make you wet the bed!" The legend, then, develops its own power as an urban myth.