Dandelions and your health
Almost everyone hates that pesky weed called dandelion. Every year when the weather turns warm, some garden in your neighborhood is sure to have a bumper crop of dandelions. You cringe in fear and anger at the prospect of all those dandelions going to seed. Truly, it will be a foul wind if any of those seedlings fall onto your carefully manicured lawn.
Most people don’t realize that common dandelion is a very powerful detoxification agent. It has been used for generations to treat liver and kidney ailments of all kinds. Its detoxifying power has also been used to treat respiratory problems, cure gastrointestinal ailments, and cleanse the circulatory system. It is even reputed to help dissolve some kidney stones.
In northern China, dandelion is considered one of the top 10 herbs. But if you live in the southern hemisphere, you’ve probably never seen a dandelion. Most people in North America and Europe are very familiar with the yellow-flowered dandelion.
The word dandelion literally means “dandelion” due to the irregular shape of the leaves. French, however, tend to be a bit more adventurous when it comes to naming things. They discovered the medicinal and detoxifying value of dandelions a long time ago. His name for the dandelion is “dandelion”. Can you guess what it translates to in English? You guessed it. It means “to piss in bed”.
The French gave it that name because dandelions are very powerful diuretics. In other words, they cleanse and speed up your urinary system very quickly. It is not uncommon for children playing in a field of dandelions to wet their beds later that night. It’s really not the kid’s fault. The dandelion did. This stimulation of the child’s liver also has a powerful detoxifying effect. Eliminates all kinds of toxins.
Although dandelions are almost always treated as weeds, the US Department of Agriculture lists them as one of the best vegetables for nutrition. They are packed with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. But if you decide to experiment with the detoxifying power of dandelions, how do you prepare them? What part is edible and what is thrown away? All parts are edible, but usually only the flower and leaves are eaten. You can put the leaves in a salad and eat them that way. Or put a strainer full of dandelion leaves in a juicer along with an apple and make apple dandelion juice. Searching for dandelion recipes on the internet will reveal a plethora of preparation options. Of course, make sure that the dandelions you collect have not been treated with pesticides or herbicides. And to be safe, wash them well before preparing them. If you have liver or kidney problems, be sure to check with your doctor before trying dandelions.
Dandelions have also been found to remove warts. If you rub the yellow flower part on a wart and do it once a day for a month, many people have reported that their warts disappear. Of course, this may just be an old wife’s tale. But if she has warts, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to give it a try and see if she helps. There are many detoxification treatments and cures that work, but have not yet been thoroughly tested and documented by doctors and scientists.
So when next spring brings a bumper crop of dandelions to your front yard, don’t despair. Harvest them and put them to good use before applying weed-killing pesticides. Clean out the “weeds,” but don’t let the detoxifying power of dandelions go to waste.