Dandelion is not just an omnipresent herb, from whose bright sunny flowers you can weave beautiful wreaths.
For hundreds of years, healers have been treating a variety of illnesses with this plant, and resourceful housewives make delicious jam from it, which is also called “honey” (technically, it is jam), prepare healthy tea, and add greens to salads. By the way, in Greece, dandelion leaves are often used as the basis for a national dish, the Horta salad made from wild herbs. And in France and other countries, wine is made from the weed, which was praised by the American writer Ray Bradbury.
Dandelion can be used in lasagna and pies, it goes well with cottage cheese, potatoes and cheese – in short, there are quite a few options, the main thing is to take only the purest and highest quality raw materials. Look for places away from roads, grow the plant yourself or buy it at the pharmacy: there you can find dried dandelion roots, from which you can get excellent coffee.
Dandelion Health Benefits
Bridgette Mars, author of the monograph “Dandelion in Medicine: Means and Recipes for Cleansing, Vitaminization and Regeneration,” says that the plant’s potential is underestimated, while it is one of the safest and most effective remedies known to modern medicine.
All parts of the dandelion are edible and contain useful substances:
- The root is rich in inulin, which stimulates the growth of normal intestinal microflora, vitamins C, A, K, mineral salts, oils, and manganese.
- The leaves contain a lot of phosphorus (more than the leafy vegetables we are used to), calcium, magnesium, and iron.
- The inflorescences of the plant contain vitamins C, A, B2, E, PP, carotenoids, taraxanthin, and flavoxanthin.
Dandelion:
- Strengthens vascular walls, prevents the appearance of cholesterol plaques;
- With the help of oxidants, it protects cells and fights oxidative stress, which damages blood vessels and accelerates the aging process;
- Improves digestion, increases appetite;
- Stimulates metabolism;
- Good for the microbiome;
- Helps with sleep disorders;
- Improves liver function;
- Restores libido;
- Thanks to vitamin A, it reduces the risk of developing eye diseases, including those that appear in old age;
- Serves as a preventative against infectious diseases, osteoporosis and tumors.
Yellow flowers are also useful for rheumatism: herbalists recommend that people with this problem eat a tablespoon of dried flowers in the morning. Dandelion decoction can be added to a child’s bath: it soothes and relieves skin inflammation. And dandelion root powder is a diabetics’ best friend, it helps with high sugar.READ ALSO
Harm of dandelion to the body
Dandelion leaves are quite bitter, but the bitterness can be removed by soaking them in salted water. However, it is better to avoid using this plant if you have gallstones, gastritis, ulcers, heart disease, or kidney disease.
Pregnant women should also exclude dandelion from their diet, and those who are prone to allergies should make sure that the plant does not provoke an excessive immune response.
As you can see, dandelions are quite beneficial for the body, so it’s definitely worth trying to make something tasty from the ubiquitous weed: what if you like it so much that you regret not having discovered it earlier?
We offer a couple of simple recipes with which you can begin your culinary experiments.
Recipe 1: Dandelion and Nettle Salad
Soak dandelion leaves in salted water for 30 minutes, pour boiling water over nettle leaves and cool. Combine several chopped dandelion leaves, nettle leaves, black currant leaves, green onion and garlic feathers in a salad bowl, add radish and pea sprouts, a sprig of parsley and dill and season with aromatic sauce. To prepare it, mix 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, salt and a pinch of sugar.
Recipe 2: Dandelion Coffee
Dig up 3 dandelion roots, clean them, cut them into small pieces and fry them in a dry frying pan, turning them occasionally so that they don’t burn. Grind the roots in a coffee grinder, pour 200-300 ml of boiling water and simmer until the drink turns light brown. Strain, add sugar, cream, cinnamon if desired.