Dandelion is an excellent food and medicine!
Dandelion is most often thought of as a pesky weed that likes to take over our lawns and gardens. They overwhelm meadows, soccer fields, and are the bane of golf courses. They even pop up in cracked sidewalks and pavement. Dandelion is invasive and pervasive. Lucky for us, it's also an excellent food and herbal medicine that anyone can find, grow, and put to use. Dandelion is a very rich source of beta-carotene which we convert into vitamin A. This flowering plant is also rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. It's a good place to get B-complex vitamins, trace minerals, organic sodium, and even some vitamin D too. Dandelion also contains protein, more than spinach. It has been eaten for thousands of years as a food and as a medicine to treat anemia, scurvy, skin problems, blood disorders, and depression.
If you collect them wild, try to choose ones you know have not been subjected to pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. The ones in your lawn are not usually the best. Pick them instead from a mountain meadow or abandoned lot. Seeds can be bought or you can gather them from the familiar puff balls you see each summer. Seeds grow readily in your garden, planter boxes, or pots. Dandelion leaves can also be found fresh in some health food markets or as a freeze-dried herb. Dandelion tea, capsules, and tinctures are also available.
Digestive Aid
Dandelion acts as a mild laxative that promotes digestion, stimulates appetite, and balances the natural and beneficial bacteria in the intestines. It can increase the release of stomach acid and bile to aid digestion, especially of fats.
Kidney
This weed-like superfood is a diuretic that helps the kidneys clear out waste, salt, and excess water by increasing urine production. In French it is called piss en lit, which translates roughly to ?wet the bed.? This inhibits microbial growth in the urinary system too. Dandelion also replaces some of the potassium lost in the process.
Liver
Dandelion has been shown to improve liver function by removing toxins and re-establishing hydration and electrolyte balance. It also increases the release of bile.
Antioxidants
Every part of the dandelion plant is rich in antioxidants that prevent free-radical damage to cells and DNA, slowing down the aging process in our cells. It is rich in vitamin C and vitamin A as beta-carotene and increases the liver's production of superoxide dismutase.
Cancer
The ability to combat cancer is not a claim made lightly, but dandelion seems to show promise in study after study after study. Dandelion may slow cancer's growth and prevent it from spreading. The leaves are especially rich in the antioxidants and phytonutrients that combat cancer.
Diabetes
Recent animal studies show dandelion helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. Most of this is done through its ability to control lipid levels.
High Blood Pressure
As a diuretic, dandelion increases urination which then lowers blood pressure. The fiber and potassium in dandelion also help regulate blood pressure.
Cholesterol
Animal studies have shown how dandelion lowers and controls cholesterol levels while improving cholesterol ratios by raising HDL.
Gallbladder
Dandelion increases bile production and reduces inflammation to help with gallbladder problems and blockages.
Inflammation
Dandelion contains essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that all reduce inflammation throughout the body. This can relieve pain and swelling.
Immune System
Studies also show that dandelion boosts immune function and fights off microbes and fungi.
Dandelion leaves, flowers, and roots are all edible. They have a slightly bitter flavor that can be minimized by harvesting them in the fall or spring. The young leaves are tenderer and less bitter, making a great addition to raw salads. Cooking dandelion cuts the bitter flavor of both the leaves and the roots.
Dandelion is generally considered safe in food and medicinal levels. Some people may have allergic reactions to dandelion. Anyone with an allergy to ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, or daisy should avoid dandelion, and anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding something new to their diet.
Claims on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. expert writers do not replace doctors and don’t always cite studies, so do your research, as is wise. Seek the advice of a medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle or diet.
"St. Paul, Minn. It was announced today that biology students attending the Minnesota Institute of Nontraditional Studies (MINS) have succeeded in splicing the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) producing gene of the cannabis plant into the DNA of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Effective amounts of THC are present in the flowers, leaves, and root of the new plant with potency surpassing that of the legendary 'Acapulco Gold' strain of cannabis.
"The new plant (Taraxacum altus) is hardy throughout the northern temperate zone. The plant propagates in the same manner as the common dandelion and, although some hybridization is expected, its new characteristics have proven to be dominant when crossed with the common dandelion.
"In the first season after its development, the new dandelion grew freely on the Institute’s campus and the seeds were widely sown by natural conditions. Once word of the plant’s therapeutic qualities spread, few of the plants on campus were allowed to mature past the flowering stage. However, students tracking the project report that taraxacum altus can now be found throughout much of the upper midwest.
"Expert sources have indicated the likelihood that all dandelions in North America will be of the new genus within five years — raising the dandelion’s known medicinal value (and its users) to a new high."
Reference Article
If you collect them wild, try to choose ones you know have not been subjected to pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. The ones in your lawn are not usually the best. Pick them instead from a mountain meadow or abandoned lot. Seeds can be bought or you can gather them from the familiar puff balls you see each summer. Seeds grow readily in your garden, planter boxes, or pots. Dandelion leaves can also be found fresh in some health food markets or as a freeze-dried herb. Dandelion tea, capsules, and tinctures are also available.
Alkaline food
Digestive Aid
Dandelion acts as a mild laxative that promotes digestion, stimulates appetite, and balances the natural and beneficial bacteria in the intestines. It can increase the release of stomach acid and bile to aid digestion, especially of fats.
Kidney
This weed-like superfood is a diuretic that helps the kidneys clear out waste, salt, and excess water by increasing urine production. In French it is called piss en lit, which translates roughly to ?wet the bed.? This inhibits microbial growth in the urinary system too. Dandelion also replaces some of the potassium lost in the process.
Liver
Dandelion has been shown to improve liver function by removing toxins and re-establishing hydration and electrolyte balance. It also increases the release of bile.
Antioxidants
Every part of the dandelion plant is rich in antioxidants that prevent free-radical damage to cells and DNA, slowing down the aging process in our cells. It is rich in vitamin C and vitamin A as beta-carotene and increases the liver's production of superoxide dismutase.
Cancer
The ability to combat cancer is not a claim made lightly, but dandelion seems to show promise in study after study after study. Dandelion may slow cancer's growth and prevent it from spreading. The leaves are especially rich in the antioxidants and phytonutrients that combat cancer.
Diabetes
Recent animal studies show dandelion helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. Most of this is done through its ability to control lipid levels.
High Blood Pressure
As a diuretic, dandelion increases urination which then lowers blood pressure. The fiber and potassium in dandelion also help regulate blood pressure.
Cholesterol
Animal studies have shown how dandelion lowers and controls cholesterol levels while improving cholesterol ratios by raising HDL.
Gallbladder
Dandelion increases bile production and reduces inflammation to help with gallbladder problems and blockages.
Inflammation
Dandelion contains essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that all reduce inflammation throughout the body. This can relieve pain and swelling.
Immune System
Studies also show that dandelion boosts immune function and fights off microbes and fungi.
Dandelion leaves, flowers, and roots are all edible. They have a slightly bitter flavor that can be minimized by harvesting them in the fall or spring. The young leaves are tenderer and less bitter, making a great addition to raw salads. Cooking dandelion cuts the bitter flavor of both the leaves and the roots.
Dandelion is generally considered safe in food and medicinal levels. Some people may have allergic reactions to dandelion. Anyone with an allergy to ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, chamomile, yarrow, or daisy should avoid dandelion, and anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding something new to their diet.
Claims on this site have not been evaluated by the FDA. Information on this site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. expert writers do not replace doctors and don’t always cite studies, so do your research, as is wise. Seek the advice of a medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle or diet.
Gene splicing yields cannabis substitute in dandelion
"St. Paul, Minn. It was announced today that biology students attending the Minnesota Institute of Nontraditional Studies (MINS) have succeeded in splicing the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) producing gene of the cannabis plant into the DNA of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Effective amounts of THC are present in the flowers, leaves, and root of the new plant with potency surpassing that of the legendary 'Acapulco Gold' strain of cannabis.
"The new plant (Taraxacum altus) is hardy throughout the northern temperate zone. The plant propagates in the same manner as the common dandelion and, although some hybridization is expected, its new characteristics have proven to be dominant when crossed with the common dandelion.
"In the first season after its development, the new dandelion grew freely on the Institute’s campus and the seeds were widely sown by natural conditions. Once word of the plant’s therapeutic qualities spread, few of the plants on campus were allowed to mature past the flowering stage. However, students tracking the project report that taraxacum altus can now be found throughout much of the upper midwest.
"Expert sources have indicated the likelihood that all dandelions in North America will be of the new genus within five years — raising the dandelion’s known medicinal value (and its users) to a new high."
Reference Article
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