Blue Sailor
Spring is finally beginning where I live. It’s about time! Did you also have one of those winters that seems to be about ready to end, and then the snow and cold start all over again? This year, spring teased us for weeks. Every time we thought the weather would warm up, we had another storm. Even an ice storm in April that closed all the schools!
But I think (I hope!) spring has finally begun in Canada. And soon we’ll be seeing the dandelions. That means a great way between the ones who want to poison them away, and the ones who like to eat dandelions or make medicine with them.
Do you think dandelions are a pesky weed? I have known people who really get upset when they see them – to the point of reporting a neighbour to the town hall and making sure they get a fine!
We love dandelions in our house, so I really can’t understand this mentality. The whole dandelion plant is useful – even the stems! (You can learn more about that in the video below.) We have eaten the leaves as a spring green. We have used the flower petals to make lovely cookies and biscuits.
I’ve also had the pleasure to taste some really lovely dandelion wine! It is so different from any grape wine you’ve ever had. The color is truly sunny and it’s like drinking liquid sunshine. It’s sweet and warming, almost like a liqueur instead of a wine.
We don’t bother to dig up the roots, but you can make a coffee substitute from ground up, roasted dandelion root. That same root is used to make a lot of medicines, including dandelion root tea and tinctures. But Susun Weed says you can use any part of the plant for medicine. Watch:
Dandelion is best known for its diuretic effect, which means that it causes you to pass more urine than usual. The French name for dandelion is pissenlit, which literally means to pee the bed. It’s a reminder that herbalists have been using this herb for generations to treat urinary tract infections and to detoxify the kidneys (and liver and gallbladder!)
Some people take dandelion to prevent kidney stones. In the video above, Susun Weed talks about how dandelion can address acid reflux and other digestive complaints. It has also been used as a mild laxative, a spring tonic, and to stimulate appetite.
That’s a lot of good for a humble little flower that people try to poison! Have you ever eaten dandelion or used it as an herbal medicine?
i have always liked dandelions. they are cute flowers. i recently bought some roasted dandelion root tea.
Very interesting post … thanks for sharing
Very interesting information. Thank you for sharing this post and video.
Very informative post, I have been meaning to try it for a long time.
This plant is known in Venezuela and is used for its diuretic effects to eliminate fats from the body, as a friend who knows herbs and natural medicine tells me. It is good to know that with the roots you can replace the coffee that has already risen to the clouds due to the terrible inflation suffered by the Venezuelans. It would be necessary to try to see how the dandelion coffee is.
I do not have to watch the video. As a Diabetes Type II patient, I eat three stems of butter every day. First, I brush well with the flower and brush well, and then it is long swallowed and eventually swallowed. So I lower my blood glucose.
Wow I learned a lot about this so-called weed. Very interesting and helpful information.
very informative post, thank you for sharing