As these little yellow flowers adorn the garden I am lifted by all the ways this medicinal plant can be used.
With a dandelion every part of the plant is edible and can be used.. there is a bitterness scale to be aware of, with the lowest/oldest parts being the most bitter and the highest, youngest parts being the most neutral - and so harvest and use accordingly.
** Watch my fun dandelion reel! **
My favourite uses
- Petals (plucked from their green sleeve) can be folded into cake and pancake batter for a lovely mild floury flavour and add beautiful yellow wisps.
- Flowers can be deep fried, or steeped for tea
- Leaves (young/small) can be added to salads
- Leaves (old/large) can be cooked as you would spinach (perhaps combining them) or steeped for tea
- Roots (carefully dug up to prevent breakage) can be dried and powdered as a coffee substitute, steeped for tea, or roasted like other root vegetables (although the flavour is very bitter!)
**Always make sure that you are harvesting flowers, leaves and roots from organic gardens/land (where no pesticides have been sprayed) and where there is little likelihood of other contaminants.
What are dandelions' medicinal benefits?
Dandelions are rich in antioxidants (protecting cells from damage) and can be used to reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugars, aid weight loss, boost the immune system, aid digestion, and promote liver health (not medical advice)
So if you have always thought of the dandelion as a useless weed.. I hope I have given you pause to think again.
Dandelion song
My nephews attend a Steiner school and they were taught this gorgeous little dandelion song:
Dandelion yellow as gold, What do you do all day? I wait and wait in the tall green grass, Until the children come and play.
Dandelion yellow as gold, What do you do all night? I wait and wait in the tall green grass, Until my hair grows white.
And what do you do when your hair goes white, And the children come and play? They pick me up in their dimpled hands, And blow my hair away.
