Quote for Today

Always do what you want, and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

Dr. Suess


The simple dandelion, enemy of well-kept lawns, is an exceptionally nutritious food. Its leaves and root contain substantial levels of vitamins A, C, D, and B complex as well as iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron, and silicon as well as bitter taraxacins (eudesmanolides), sitosterol, stigmasterol, alpha- and beta-carotene, caffeic acid, mucilage, and an unusually high potassium content.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the roots of various species of dandelions are also used as "herbs that cool the blood." Dandelions are thought to correct the physiological reactions triggered by intense emotions that cause eyestrain or red, swollen, and painful eyes. They are used in teas and poultices for abscesses and sores, especially on the breast. The promote lactation and clear painful urinary dysfunction.

Dandelion leaf is a mild chloretic, that is, an agent for stimulating the release of bile from the liver into the gallbladder. The herb is used to support treatment of a variety of liver and gallbladder disorders, especially the incomplete digestion of fats. The release of bile is laxative, and accelerates the breakdown of various steroid hormones, causing an indirect, favorable effect on eczema and other skin conditions. Dandelion leaf, like dandelion root, also is one of the best herbal diuretics. It stimulates urination but also replaces the potassium lost to the increased volume of urine.

A note of warning: use with caution if you have gallstones.

Dandelion greens are simply wonderful added to a salad. Their slightly bitter, tangy taste really gives a salad some zip.

The best way, I have found through research to gain the best overall benefit from any herb/weed is to infuse them. I'll discuss infusions in another entry as well as the infusions I have used for a couple of years.


Now, you don't really want to pluck these little beauties who pack such a nutritious punch out of your garden do you?