Where does the drink dandelion and burdock come from?
The flavour of dandelion and burdock drinks nowadays is artificial sassafras artificial because real sassafras was found to be toxic and banned some years ago. This same flavour dominates a number of other soft drinks, such as sarsaparilla and root beer, which are really just the same thing by a different name. Dandelion and burdock, like sarsaparilla, have no flavour to speak of. They used to be included in the forerunners of modern soft drinks not for their flavour but for their function, which is cleansing or detoxifying. Dandelion root is a cholalogue which markedly increases bile flow, and burdock root is both cleansing and stimulating to the appetite. There is now an effective Detox Cordial on the market, which lists both dandelion and burdock as principal ingredients.