Dandelion

Too many people think of dandelions as weeds; possibly because they spread quite prolifically and can soon take over your garden, but who doesn’t love those beautiful golden flowers?? The bees and other pollinators certainly do, so let’s look at what benefits dandelions have for us other than looking pretty.

The dandelion is an herbaceous perennial that grows from a large taproot and can be 2 to 16 inches tall, and sometimes even taller. When the leaves are young, they are good to pick and eat as leaves in a salad, just like arugula. The leaves form a basal rosette with stems holding single golden flowers. Each stem has green bracts at the base of the 2-inch flower, which is made up of multiple rings of 40 to 100 small yellow florets. These develop into seeds with a silky grey parachute, forming the familiar 2-inch puff ball.

All parts of the plant are edible – the flowers, the buds, the leaves and the roots. The roots can be dried and used as an alternative to coffee. The root is rich in the carbohydrate inulin, a type of soluble fiber that supports the growth and maintenance of healthy gut bacteria in your digestive tract. You can also eat it like you would any other root vegetable (carrots, parsnips, etc.) Dandelion root tea has been shown to suppress gastric cancer, colorectal cancer and diabetes.

The leaves, picked young, can be used in salad or steamed and used like spinach. You can also dry them to make tea or add to other herbal and floral infusions. They are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K and they also contain vitamin E, folate and other B vitamins plus several minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Dandelion blossoms are full of antiinflammatory antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids and minerals that support and protect your cells, soothe skin irritations and nourish dry skin. Studies have even shown that both dandelion flower and leaf extracts help protect against UVBrelated aging of the skin cells. All parts of the dandelion, when consumed, have diuretic properties.

The big bonus is that dandelions are super easy to find and you can make your own dandelion infused oil very easily. Just be careful that you pick dandelions that have not been sprayed with pesticides or from the side of the road, where they will be subject to car pollution from exhausts. The younger you pick them the better they will be too.

To make the infused oil:

1) Gather 2 cups of clean dandelion blossoms.

2) Lay blossoms on a clean towel for 1224 hours to dry out. They may still have a little moisture afterwards, which is why we’ll be using low heat to evaporate out any remaining moisture.

3) Place in a 12oz jar and cover with a carrier oil such as olive oil or avocado oil.

4) Cover the jar with a piece of cheese cloth or coffee filter and secure with an elastic band.

5) Place a kitchen towel in the bottom of your slow cooker and place your jars inside. Add enough water to cover about half the jar and set to the lowest setting (warm) for 12-24 hours, leaving the top uncovered. If you leave it on for 24 hours, you may want to check the water level about halfway through and replenish if needed.

6) After you remove them from the slow cooker, you can allow the blossoms to continue to infuse at room temperature for up to a week, or you can strain it and use it straight away. When you strain it, strain through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve and let it sit for several hours. If there is any water still in the oil it will collect in the bottom of the jar.

7) Pour the oil off, leaving any water behind. Store in a cool area away from direct sunlight (or other heat source) for up to 12 months. (IN the refrigerator is just fine.)

The infused oil can be used for:

1) First Aid on cuts, scrapes, burns, sunburns, bug bites and other minor skin irritations.

2) Face and lip care – due to its antioxidant properties it is becoming an increasingly popular face oil email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com I web: us.nyrorganic.com/shop/tracybhalla I www. LogHouseAromatics.com

3) Use for diaper rash – or a salve made with it.

4) Use on dry or chapped skin – it has great skin soothing and conditioning properties.

5) You can add essential oils to the dandelion infused oil to give added benefits, such as lavender to help relax muscles, black pepper to help ease muscle aches after exercise. Juniper to help ease arthritic aches and pains.

The list of benefits of dandelions seems to be never ending, so let’s see if we can all at least save a patch for the pollinators, even if we never use them ourselves – even though we really should!