I bring to you a wonderful herb. Where some call this powerful plant a weed, we cherish it. Its bright yellow flower, beautiful green leafs and deep tan roots, the dandelion. What makes this herb so special is that each part of it has medicinal properties AND you don’t even have to plant it. That is if you live near fields, lawns, forests or even wasteland….probably shouldn’t use the wasteland ones though…
Dandelion has long been used in herbal medicine to aid in digestion, liver cleanse, help stimulate appetite, blood pressure, skin damage, diabetes and more. The entire plant is edible with a slightly bitter, chicory like taste. Kids find them fun to play with. My kids love to eat them right from the yard.
Dried dandelion root is often ground into a paste and mixed with water to create a soothing paste for skin disorders like acne, eczema, psoriasis, rashes and boils. It is also believed to have anti-diabetic proprieties due to a soluble fiber known as insulin. Insulin contains a complex carbohydrate known as FOS. Which supports the growth of healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and eliminates the unhealthy ones.
Dandelion root can be consumed as a tonic (tea) for a liver cleanse. According to the research, the extract was able to inactivate the pro art cells involved in fibrosis, called hepatic stellate cells. Doing so it lifted the oxidative stress on the liver. Allowing the lIver to heal and slowly regenerate.
Study’s published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Research suggests that dandelion root may have an anti-cancer agent. It does so by inducing apoptosis. Which means its programmed cell death, in certain cancer cells. Apoptosis affects all of the cells of the body. Allowing old cells to be replaced with new ones, making tthe tumor cells to grow unimpeded.
Study rom the University of Windsor in Canada
With this new information it makes you want to stop killing those “pesky weeds”, right?
Dandelion can be saved and used for tonics, tinctures, salads, soaps and more. Plus you have to advantage of just walking outside and picking them right tout of your yard without having to plant anything.
I challenge you to let those weeds grow a little and see just what medicinal herbs you can find this year. Research what is growing in your yard and use them! Dry them out and store them. Tincture them, alcohol tinctures can last up to 10 years on the shelf.
This last year Ive found over 6 “weeds” that we dug up and put into our herb garden that I found growing around the yard. Use what God has given you!!
Possible side effects: If you are allergic to ragweed, marigold, chamomile, feverfew, yarrow or plants in the Asteraceae family, you should avoid dandelion root. As it may trigger rash, watery eyes and other allergy symptoms. Dandelion also contains iodine and latex, so avoid it if you have allergies to either of these.