17/04/2024
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are EVERYwhere! Read on to find out some things about this amazing plant you may not have known!
I love this herb for so many reasons. It's one of the earliest harbingers of spring, at least where we are. I know when those sweet yellow flowers start showing their faces, the foraging race and harvest calendar is ON!
There are some things you should know about dandelion if you're interested in harvesting these incredible plants for their medicinal value.
1) The first thing is that the WHOLE entire plant has medicinal value.
2) The second thing is that the medicinal uses for each plant part are totally different as are the harvest times.
Here's a quick rundown about dandelion plant parts, why you'd harvest them, and the best times to harvest them for the most potent medicine.....
DANDELION FLOWERS:
The flowers are so beautiful.....and incredibly healing in their own way. High in a chemical called allantoin, they're super helpful for supporting the skin in all ways. From wrinkles and aging, scarring, wounds, soothing itching....dandelion flowers are the bomb squad for skin health!
If you have them near you, be sure to get out there NOW. The best time to harvest them is in the Springtime.
There are things to know about the medicine making with these juicy flowers (which are really a bundle of tiny flowers called florets, and each of these makes its own seed). We'll be covering all the dandelion deets inside the Dandelion Masterclass housed in the Confident Herbalist Tribe. The masterclass talk is tomorrow, as a matter of fact! I hope you'll be there!
HINT: Making infused oil with the flowers requires a bit of know-how. A friend of mine once called me all upset because her dandelion flower oil didn't turn out---it went SUPER stinky, and she ended up having to compost it. I think I have a YouTube video on this. I'll check. If I do, it will be in the links below.
*** You might enjoy this article and recipe for Dandelion Lotion
Next, DANDELION LEAVES:
Dandelion leaves are chock full of minerals and vitamins. They're fairly close to nettle in their nutritional value and ability to support the urinary system. They make a delicious and detoxifying addition to your spring salads. (Be sure they're not sprayed with chemicals fertilizers or pesticides or herbicides.)
The leaves are high in calcium, potassium, iron, and zinc. (Hello, happy immune system). They're also high in vitamins A, B, C, and D. The vitamins are very bioavailable, too.
The best time to harvest dandelion leaves is the spring into the early summer. You can still harvest them throughout the growing season, BUT be forewarned....They become more and more bitter as the summer heats up. This isn't always a bad thing, as bitters have a special place in wellness, but to be honest, most people don't like them, even though they're super good for us.
Leaves of dandelion support your kidney health, and I love adding them to herbal tea blends when the kidneys need a bit of help. One of my students actually didn't have to go on dialysis a few years ago because after taking Ditch the Drugstore she was able to formulate an herbal tea blend that moved her from Stage 4 to Stage 3 kidney failure. Dandelion leaves were an ingredient.
NOTE: You do need to know what you're doing if you have kidney issues. Be sure to work with a qualified herbalist in conjunction with your doctor or specialist if you're planning on using herbs with a medical condition. Also, I never promise you'll have the same results as another person because we're all so different.
Enjoy all the nutrition in dandelion leaves in this recipe for Dandelion Pesto (SOOOOO good!).
Finally, DANDELION ROOTS:
Oh, boy! Dandelion roots (best harvested in the fall, as the plants are going dormant) are incredibly supportive of your liver and gut health. They're right up there with milk thistle seeds and burdock root, as a matter of fact.
In terms of the gut (your microbiome, second brain, and body supporter), dandelion roots in the fall contain high levels of inulin. Inulin is a polysaccharide carbohydrate that is a fiber that's NOT digestible in our system. HOWEVER.....
Our good bacteria LOVE inulin. They scarf it up like there's no tomorrow, and this means that your good bacteria are even more empowered to go out and fight the bad bacteria, yeast, etc. that are there from poor eating habits and normal aging.
Here's a recipe for Digestive Bitters that's pretty delicious!
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Can you believe all this?
A common little w**d that most people detest for various reasons is a medicinal herb par excellence! God did another awesome thing when He created the dandelion for us.
I haven't even covered everything it's so great for! We've just scratched the surface.....
I hope you you can make it to tomorrow's live masterclass chat on dandelion and enjoy the book, the recipes/remedies, and all the good things that are included in the course, including videos.
You can get it FREE inside the Confident Herbalist Tribe.
The Confident Herbalist Tribe is a village of herbalists of all ranges of experience. It's been around for almost 5 years now, and is filled with experienced herbalists and aromatherapists. You're not alone in the Tribe.
55+ and growing fully researched masterclasses that all include recipes, remedies, videos, and complete text. We're now adding slide note presentations, too.
BONUS workshops and other short courses rotated quarterly and sometimes more often.
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Advanced herbal concepts such as herb "math"
Everything is searchable inside the video replays platform and the student community.
Masterclass organization: Seasonal organization, body system organization, or just go with ABC order....
A like minded community so you don't feel alone in your Christian herbal studies (and we're not Bible beaters....we just don't ascribe to any unscriptural herbal dogma we need to avoid).
Live weekly chats with me and other experienced instructors....
Access to the larger homesteading community with spaces dedicated to gardening, cooking, food preserving, bartering, faith, and MORE..... **For students only.
The Confident Herbalist Tribe is unbeatable if you're ready to further or start your herbalism journey.
