I can’t believe it’s May already; the Spring has come to greet us in a full swing and with it came a mass of flowers. I’m sat here looking at my garden and see the grass speckled with white daisies and yellow dandelions. I can’t help but wonder… why do we consider these amazing plants as weeds when every single part of them can be used to benefit our health?
What are the benefits of Dandelions?
- Immune system support
- Increased metabolism
- Increased production of bile and digestive enzymes
- Detox
- Liver function support
As I mentioned above, every single part of Dandelion has medicinal properties which are closely related to the time of year and stage of the plant development.
We tend to harvest dandelion root in Autumn, leaves and green buds in early Spring (before the flowering period), and flowers and stalks in late Spring/ Summer.
Seeing as most of the dandelions in my garden are in the full bloom, I am going to focus on how we can use that to our advantage.
So… what can we do with flowering dandelions?
You can pick them, wash and separate the flowers from stalks. Now we have 2 ingredients which we can use in multiple ways, some of which I described below:
14 day Dandelion stalk treatment
Slowly chewing on 5 fresh dandelion stalks each day can help with:
- Liver and gallbladder problems and pain- especially if it extends up your back under your right shoulder
- Gallstones- it can help to stimulate the gallbladder and liver function in order to dissolve any gallstones
- Pancreas problems- it can aid in enzyme production
- Diabetes – you can eat up to 10 stalks a day in order to help with regulation of sugar levels
- Stomach problems- it increases production of gastric juices as well as cleansing of any leftover material
- Skin problems- especially if they involve spots, rashes and itching
- Physical and mental fatigue, especially if it includes feelings of sadness and melancholy
- Gout, rheumatism
- Eyesight problems
You can mix the ‘milk’ from the stalks with distilled water in order to soothe irritated eyes, eczema and go over any ‘liver spots’ or other skin discolorations.
What can you do with the ‘leftover’ flowers?
Many, many things! Dandelion flowers are very beneficial in supporting our immune system and liver function. You can use them in salads (but soak them in salty water for 30 minutes beforehand in order to get rid of the bitter taste), use them to make tea, syrup, oil infusion or a tincture.
Dandelion Tea:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of dandelion flowers
- 2 cups of water
Simmer for 20 minutes before straining and serving. You can drink 1 cup of dandelion tea twice a day.
Dandelion tea is very beneficial for women and can help with:
- Irregular or scanty periods
- Inflammation of ovaries or fallopian tubes
Dandelion syrup:
Ingredients:
- 350-400 dandelion flowers
- 1litre of water
- 1 lemon
- 1kg of sugar (you can use coconut sugar, honey, etc)
Wash the flowers throughouly and add to the cold water. Bring them to boil and add sliced lemon (if you can’t find organic lemon, peel the skin) and continue to boil for another 15 minutes. Leave to cool and sit overnight.
The next day strain all of the flowers with lemon and add sugar to the liquid. Slowly bring everything to boil between 1-2hrs, checking the consistency. Pour the boiling liquid into jars, lid them and cover over with a blanket for approx 30mins.
Dandelion syrup is especially beneficial in:
- Strengthening immune system
- Aiding recovery in cold & flu
- Easing coughs and sore throats
Dandelion Oil:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of dandelion flowers
- 1cup oilive oil
Wash and dry dandelion flowers then put them in a jar and fill to the top with olive oil. Put the jar in a pan filled with water and slowly heat it up over 1-2hrs. Leave to cool before straining the flowers.
You can use dandelion oil externally in:
- Rheumatic pains
- Muscle pains
- Skin problems
Please note: avoid using dandelions found in parks, on sides of the road, fields and anywhere where you don’t know if they have been sprayed with chemicals. Remember to leave some for our bees, they rely on dandelions as one of their first sources of food before other flowers begin to bloom .
Well, it uses the Moon phases to determine whether it is a good time to replant any seedlings or plant any seeds and, if it is, whether the planted seeds will develop an abundance of leaves (like my radishes.. ahem), flowers or roots! In addition, it gives hints when it’s the best time to use fertilizers, water plants, collect crops or prepare preserves.
