Bone Health Rich in calcium, vitamin C and a nutrient called luteolin, dandelions help protect against bone damage during aging. It is available in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, salves, dandelion tinctures, and pastes. In addition to helping you get your buzz on, dandelion wine is actually a medicinal drink. Stem to stern, this plant packs a potent punch. Use a small trowel or, if you are serious, a dandelion fork, to dig up this versatile plant. Practitioners of folk and monastic medicine (or, Klosterheilkunde) believed that nature provided this ancient medicinal plant to revive our metabolism after the cold and dark season. Dandelions are also high in something called prebiotic fiber inulin. Add the leaves to your salad, and combine with other herbs, spices and greens to suit your taste. The plants can even be blanched like endive by covering them with a large flower pot or a basket to exclude sunlight. Studies show that dandelion root is especially high in antioxidants, which may account for its many potent health benefits. Dandelion is a green leafy plant that can be eaten. Dandelion is abundant, affordable, and makes digestion-promoting vinegar. They can be used for medicinal purposes or food purposes! Thanks for your interest in herbs! Yes, you read that correctly. Dandelion and Vinegar Benefits. The leaves of young dandelion plants, whether fresh or dried, make a strong sharp tea. About Dandelions Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) has a long history of purported health benefits. It was later forgotten and supplanted by grape wine, which is easier to produce and probably cheaper. Dandelion - Benefits, Uses, Side Effects The dandelion is a safe, natural low tech remedy that is often over looked in the uber tech world of ours. Dandelions are more nutritious than spinach, have 25 times the vitamin A of tomato juice, and are a good source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, lecithin, and vitamins C,B, and E. For many early settlers, dandelions made a life-saving spring tonic. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was not proper for ladies to drink alcohol. Infused Dandelion Vinegar: Flower, Leaf, and Roots in Season As a member of the daisy family of plants, dandelions are related to dahlias, thistle, ragweed, lettuce, artichokesand sunflowers. Additionally, it has been used traditionally for liver dysfunction. The leaves and flowers are rich in antioxidants. Dandelion heads, when processed (don’t try eating them raw, they are extremely bitter), have a sweet, lemony flavor. The bigger ones, you can use for salads and other dishes. The dandelion is a safe, natural low tech remedy that is often over looked in the uber tech world of ours. All you have to do is pour hot water and you will be able to extract all of the dandelion health benefits. The health benefits of dandelion can be obtained via some dandelion recipes as well as certain methods of consumption and administration. Uses and Benefits Dandelion is on the FDA's list of safe foods and is approved by the Council of Europe. Check out and subscribe to our. Since all parts of the plant are edible and rich in vitamins, that is not a bad thing. I start making dandelion vinegar in the spring, harvesting young leaves and flowers and I make lots of it. The dandelion is considered a very safe herb that has many benefits. The Normans called this plant “dent de lion”—tooth of the lion—for its jagged leaves. All parts are edible, except for the hollow stalk of the flower. My friend Maria Noel Groves has just published a book called Body in Balance that is about herbal medicine. Dandelions produce many small yellow flowers, called florets, which collectively form one flower head. Make dandelion wine, of course, or dandelion jelly! Perhaps one of the most intriguing health claims of dandelion is their potential to … Many of us grew up considering this little sunny flower a pesky weed, but little did we know it long has been an herbal medicine in cultures around the world. This is one of the easiest forms of obtaining the benefits of dandelion. Dandelion, as a natural detoxifying herb, is a great way help clear these potential toxins from the skin. The root, leaves, and flowers all are edible. May Fight Cancer. These are great in reducing free radicals which are considered cancer-causing agents. Dandelions are one of the simplest plants to recognize, and they grow on most lawns, walkways and fields. Once it has finished flowering, the flower head dries out, the florets drop off and a … Diuretic. Lower Cholesterol. 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