1. A Weed with a Noble Past
In modern times the dandelion, known formally as taraxacum officinale, has developed a reputation as a lawn and garden nuisance. However, it has a much more respectable history among culinary and medicinal plants all over the Northern hemisphere where it is abundant. All parts of the dandelion are edible, and both the root and the leaves have uses in herbal medicine. In addition, the dandelion contributes to a healthy ecology wherever it grows.
2. Enjoy Culinary Wild Crafting
Dandelion greens make a good addition to salads and are also tasty prepared as cooked greens. They can be rather bitter, so only mix a few into a salad. Cooking them with sweeter vegetables like carrots can reduce the bitterness, as can sauteing with onions and garlic. Commercially-grown dandelion greens are less bitter than their wild cousins, but it might be more fun to gather dinner ingredients from your yard. You also can toss a few of the flowers into a salad to add color and flavor, or saute them as well. The long, thick taproot works well as a cooked vegetable. You can grind the dried root to make a beverage much like coffee or ferment the flowers to produce dandelion wine.
3. Visit Your Garden Variety Pharmacy
The most widely-used component of the dandelion for medicinal preparations is the root. Herbalists usually dry and then grind the dried root into a powder. Simmering the powder, often with other herbal ingredients, can produce a variety of medicinal teas. Dandelion preparations are stimulating both as diuretics and laxatives, so traditionally these were used to treat problems of the liver, kidneys and digestive system. You also can brew a tea from the fresh or dried leaves to use as a general digestive tonic.
4. Note the Good Chemistry
Two chemicals in the dandelion plant interest herbal healers. However, not everyone agrees on which is the source of the plant's benefits. Taraxacin gives the plant its bitter taste. The levels of taraxacin are higher in dandelions during the spring, so those who want to use dandelions high in taraxacin cultivate them early in the year. Another ingredient, inulin, is more concentrated in the plants during autumn, another time for dandelion gathering. However, for culinary purposes, you can collect them any time.
5. Support the Environment With Dandelions
Dandelions can help support the health of the environment as well as that of your body. The shape and arrangement of the leaves collects rainwater and directs it into the large tap root for storage, so these are great plants for retaining water in an ecosystem. Dandelions also are important to pollinators like bees and insects because the plants are full of nectar and bloom from early spring to late fall. Additionally, many bird species eat the abundant seeds.
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