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![]() Versatile Herbs for Agile HerbalismĪs you can see, dandelion is helpful in all its parts – roots, leaves, flowers… even the stem, actually. When you strain them out, fry those honeyed heads into sweet fritters! And of course, there’s also dandelion wine, made from the flower heads (carefully removing the green bits beneath), sugar, and yeast in a simple home fermentation. They can be infused into honey, which just nearly glows when it’s done, and are a fantastic ingredient in an herbal elixir. Make some now so you’re ready when they arrive! But dandelion flower is a good ally whenever you feel like everything’s cold and clouded-over, no matter the time of year.ĭandelion flowers can be eaten just as they are, and are great when added to salads along with the greens. (I really wouldn’t use the term “antidepressant” for it, though, due to all the pharmaceutical/pathological/neurotransmitter-centric connotations that term has for people in our culture.) As a bright, yellow, sunny herb, dandelion flower can be particularly helpful in the dull grey months of winter – it really helps me get through the February doldrums. It’s one of my personal favorites, though!Ī tincture of the dandelion flower is an #exhilarant: it lifts your spirits and elevates your mood. So far as I can tell, dandelion flower is a rather under-appreciated remedy. Feel free to add ginger, peppermint, betony, or other herbal allies to adjust effects as desired (this one pictured has a bit of calendula). Set up a fresh one each evening, and stick with the habit for a few weeks. Drink this quart of tea over the course of the next day. Here’s another quick recipe from our book, featuring dandelion leaf: Steady Cycle Tea.Ĭombine all ingredients and make a long infusion: using 2-3 Tbsp of herbs per quart of water, pour boiling water on herbs in a mason jar, close it up, and let it infuse overnight. The draining, drying effect of dandelion leaf is very useful to counter the high blood pressure which comes with damp boggy conditions like edema. This herb is particularly helpful for chronic stagnant conditions, where the quality of the blood needs improving AND the fluid quantity in the system is excessive. You can just eat dandelion greens as food, you know! They add a lovely bitter note to a wild salad. Though it increases urination and therefore does cause some mineral loss, it provides enough potassium, calcium, and other minerals to replace what is excreted – and then some! So, the net effect is #nutritive. We’ve already mentioned the liver effects of the root, so today let’s focus on the leaves and their kidney-supporting actions.ĭandelion leaf is diuretic and kidney-supportive, and quite mineral-rich as well. This means it improves the quality of the circulating fluids, and in the case of #dandelion, it does this in several ways. Leaves for the Kidneysĭandelion is a classic spring tonic herb, with what herbalists call an “alterative” action. ![]() We used measurements and everything! It’s easy as can be. ![]() You can find step-by-step instructions for how to make these simple herbal remedies in our book. Here we combine protective and stimulating effects, focused on the liver. Here’s a Liver Love Tincture formula we put in our book, Herbal Medicine for Beginners: It works even better when combined with other herbs. It also helps with hormonal balance, because some of the “waste” the liver has to process is in fact excess hormones which need to be eliminated, so dandelion can even help with PCOS and PMS.ĭandelion root is good in a decoction (2-4 cups per day) or tincture (1-4 droppersful, 3 times per day). Improving liver function has effects that show up all throughout the body – it can reduce rashes, improve skin presentation, and reduce constipation. Dandelion works steadily and gently, not in a forceful, overriding way – it keeps the waste drainage running smoothly, so you clear out what needs to be disposed of. This helps you “detox”, but we’re not talking about a “cleanse” here. It increases bile flow and hepatocyte activity. Dandelion root is a safe and effective liver stimulant.
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