The Health Benefits Behind Dandelions
The dandelions are up and not only does it mean that we can start planting some vegetables in our gardens (according the phenology, the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life), but we can also start harvesting the dandelions to eat!
My daughter and I were out harvesting dandelions over the weekend, she is learning about all the wonderful medicines that are available through foraging, like how dandelions are good in aiding digestion and can helpful with detoxing the liver and in creating probiotics for our tum-tums. Dandelions are one of the many wonderful sources of food and medicine that our mother earth generously provides for us. Mother really does know best.
Some people think that dandelion is nothing but a pesky weed, but we know better! Dandelion is medicine! A forgeable food source for us in the springtime. One chocked full of vitamins such as A, B, C, D, E and K, as well as minerals, like iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, which increases the excretion of water from our bodies. In other words it makes you pee a lot. The leaves can be used to spice up your salad or soup, the blooms made into jelly and the root into a coffee like substance or all parts dried and made into tea.
Dandelion is great for detoxing the liver and it aids in digestion due to the high amount of dietary fibre called inulin. Inulin is a soluble dietary fibre. It belongs to a group of carbohydrates known as fructans. Unlike most carbohydrates, inulin is not digestible. When eaten it passes through the small intestine and then it ferments in the large intestine. This fermentation process becomes healthy intestinal microflora or prebiotic.
Dandelion flower also has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help improve the immune system. Fresh or dried dandelion herb is a wonderful addition to soups, salads or breads. Please check out our recipes page for more ways to use this beautiful flower and nutritious herb.
After all dandelions are a part of summer too!