Dandelions
Taraxacum officinale
There are countless myths surrounding dandelions to name a few:
If you blow on a dendelions seed head, you can wish for something,
its tiny seeds will carry the wish away.
It was also used for divination. If you blow the dandelion putt,
the number of seeds remaining are the number of children you will have.
It is said that it is a forewarning for bad weather.
When the blossoms close up before a storm, or the seeds fall down, when there is no wind, it is a sign that rain is coming.
Name: Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Other names: True dandelion, common dandelion, common cow flower, common cowflower, buttercup
Family: Compositae (Asteraceae)
Harvest months: Mar-Oct
Usable plant parts: Leaves, flowers, buds, roots
Leaf shape: cobsaw-shaped
Flower color: yellow
Habitat: Meadows, fields, roadsides, clearings
Danger of confusion: common piglet weed, milkweed are easy to distinguish thanks to their solid stems
Toxicity: non-toxic
Warning: People often warn about the milk sap in the stems of dandelion flowers.
Especially in older plants, the white sap contains increased bitter compounds, resins, and triterpenes.
When consumed in larger quantities, they can cause gastrointestinal problems.
Ingredients: bitter substances, choline, inulin, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C
Properties: laxative, urinary stimulant
Helps with: allergies, loss of appetite, arteriosclerosis, bronchitis, eczema, fever, springtime fatigue, weakness of bile, gallstones, joint diseases, gout, hemorrhoids
Plant uses
Cooking:
If you’re planning on eating the leaves or the crowns, you should pick them before the plant buds or flowers.
Once it does flower, the leaves and crowns become bitter.
You can eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove.
Health:
Dandelion has a draining and slightly laxative effect.
Therefore, it is used to cleanse the kidneys, especially if there is a tendency to form kidney stones.
Dandelion is also used for liver and bile complaints.
It can even help with joint pain and wear and tear on joints and intervertebral discs
thanks to its beneficial ingredients.
Beauty:
Externally, it helps with chronic skin problems, as well as rough and cracked skin.
It also relieves sore muscles and aching joints.
