Is there gold in dandelions?

In 2011, what commodity cost nine times what it did in 2001? It wasn?t gold or even oil. It was natural rubber. And, because rubber trees aren?t suited to our climate, we depend on overseas sources.

As a result, people have long been looking for alternate sources of natural rubber. Harvey Firestone put his friend, Thomas Edison, on the search back in the 1920s.

Edison saw promise in goldenrod. During WWII, a desert shrub, guayule, was cultivated in the American southwest.

A promising source being investigated by Bridgestone today is the root of the Russian dandelion. It grows well in cooler climates and matures far more quickly than rubber trees or guayule.

There's more information on natural rubber in this issue of Real Answers, in the "Ask The Doctor" article.