Probably the most hated weed in western culture, yet my most favorite plant to harvest by far!
Dandelions are amazing! they are versatile, colorful, and easy to grow, and easy to find. Every single part of the dandelion are edible, from the roots to the flower. Young leaves can be used in salads fresh or cooked, and can be added to soups stews, smoothies, or my favorite, you can grind it into a fine powder and place into any old salt shaker and use as a food topper, to add in extra flavorless nutrition to almost any dish.
Dandelion roots can also be used raw in salads , or in soups and stews. Just chop and add it to dishes the same way you would a parsnip. You can also Boil the roots in water to make a coffee replacement. It tastes almost like black coffee ad is 100x healthier for your body!
The flowers can be made into a really tasty wine, or the unopened buds can even be added to salads. This plant has So many uses it truly is an incredible herb.
Dandelions Are rich in allot of vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, C, E K,and B complex. Iron, Calcium, Potassium, this plants sure holds a punch for the immune system! In folk medicine, dandelion is referred to as the elixir of life because it purifies the body of residues and negative energies. Because of its cleansing effect, it is also called blood purifier, laxative agent, liver cleanser and fatigue remover. It stimulates the stomach, activates digestive glands, thus promoting digestion. Amino fatty acids, and iron, zinc boron, calcium, silicon.
Dandelions is known as a diuretic, which means this helps in the production or urine. This helps the kidneys with toxins and removing them from the body. Diuretics promote the elimination of electrolytes and water from the body through a variety of mechanisms, thereby reducing the amount of extracellular water. Historically, dandelion can also be used to help with many types of liver ailments. Dandelion roots and stems help fight diabetes. It is because they stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, which in turn stabilizes the blood sugar level. If you have digestive problems or you need to get rid of toxins, the dandelion tea may be a good herb of choice. The liver produces bile in the digestive system and also filters blood from chemicals and other impurities, and the vitamins and minerals found in this plant help to cleanse and maintain the liver.
The dandelion root, contains the sugar inulin, which is said to be an immune system stimulant. The root is known to boost immune system and improves blood. One of the little known, ( or maybe soon well known) uses for this amazing plant, is its effects on Cancer cells. In clinical studies on blood collected from leukemia patients, using a dandelion root extract, has been shown to cause cancer cell suicide, by 70% in the first 48 hours without harming the cells around it.
The other most amazing thing about these studies are that the root has been shown to cause similar results with many other types of cancer! Now i am no scientist, I am not even a herbalist, but in my opinion, dandelion is something that literally everybody should be growing or gathering. The studies done on the root have impressive results, but of course as with almost all natural cures, big pharma will not want you to know about these promising results. They try and discredit the scientists, call them quacks, or google will straight up censor the information on their servers, because if people know how to take care of themselves, with their own natural remedies then this will mean a huge loss in profit for big pharma! If they cant patent it, they dont want it nor will they fund the research for it.
I highly suggest that anyone who can , please go and do some research about dandelion, and use it. Even a daily tonic for overall preventative measures will be an amazing thing for your body and your overall health.
To harvest the dandelion, please make sure that you are harvesting from areas that are 100% free from herbicide. Dandelion is well known for being a weed, and most cities spray these all summer long. Lucky in my city, they have stopped the use of herbicides to kill off dandelion and other weeds, but this may not be the case for your city. The seeds can also be easily collected, or bought online and is very easy to grow.
To harvest the plant, use a dandelion puller so that you can extract the entire plant, root to tip.
Jam the puller as far down as possible and loosen the dirt around the roots. you can kind of twist and turn and eventually you will hear a pop. That sucker is ready to pull up ! I still have issues pulling in the entire root, but with patience and practice, you can get a large portion of it. Once the whole root and plant is up, chop the root at the base of the plant, these will need to be washed and diced into small pieces for drying later. Hold the rest of the plant upside down, and give it a bit of a shake. You can remove the loose dirt, grass, clover or whatever else that may have come up.
After a quick clean up, you are left with a whole plant! Remove the flowers and flower buds for salads or wine, or dry them for herbal tea. Then cut the leaves off that are left over at about half an inch from the base. These can be dried and ground for herbal tea or food topper. Compost the remaining base and there you go !
To make a strong root infusion you can fill up a small to medium sized pot with water, and place a hand full of roots in the water once you bring it to a boil. Once boiling, allow it to roll for about 1 or two minutes top. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and allow to simmer for a few hours. Make sure to top up the water as needed. At the end, you will be left with a very strong infusion of dandelion root tea. Add in unpasteurized honey or drink as is.
Tinctures can also be made from the root, but that is not something i have done yet When i do, i will be sure to put the recipe and photos up!
The information that i have provided is intended for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. None of the above information , or any information on our website is intended to treat, diagnose or cure in any way shape or form any disease or illness. We do not endorse the practice of self diagnosing or self treatment of any illness, therefore we highly recommend that you seek the professional advise of your trusted healthcare doctor before taking any herbs and supplements. All of our bodies are different, we all have different metabolisms and some people may react very differently then others when using any kind of natural remedy. Also be aware of any allergies that you may have before consuming plants and botanicals. As mentioned before, the information provided on this website is for education only. Please take control of your own lives and do your own thorough research!