Dandelion, welcome back! Nature's gifts are the best. Dandelion is considered one of the most overlooked foods that also has many medicinal properties. It is an edible and widespread perennial plant (cabbage grass) that can be used for culinary and medicinal purposes. While most get excited about the bells and trumpets of spring, more and more people are discovering and welcoming the arrival of dandelions, the most amazing free food and medicine you'll ever look at as a weed again!
Dandelion it is not only a tasty food, but also an effective one folk medicine, as evidenced by numerous empirical findings. Harvest season of these delicious leaves that we can serve raw (salad) or cooked (a supplement to hot dishes), starting in March. Dandelion leaves are rich source of vitamins and minerals, the bitterness that makes him disliked by many gives him diuretic properties (it promotes the drainage of water and is therefore excellent in the treatment of urinary tract diseases; it cleans them and flushes out toxins).
It contains more vitamin A than carrots, though vitamin C and luteolin, which protect the liver, prevent cancer, slow down aging and strengthen bones. It also has abundant supplies B vitamins, protein and of iron (this is why it is recommended for anemic people, as it stimulates the formation of red blood cells), calcium and potassium (with which the body compensates for the loss due to increased urine output), but it also contains etheric oils. It helps to lose weight, lowers blood pressure, has an anti-inflammatory effect, lowers the level of bad cholesterol and speeds up digestion, and recently it has also been mentioned in connection with oxidative stress, as it contains phytochemicals that prevent it. You still have the feeling that it's just about weeds?
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Dandelion typical yellow flowers in April and May, and when children hear the word dandelion, they first imagine the image of a "light" made of seeds that are blown. In German, dandelion is called Pusteblume, which loosely translates to a flower for blowing. And speaking of naming. Dandelion is known by different names. Among other things, he also hears names mlečec, regvat, virgrad, farška plata and žehtlenica. It is versatile, as not only its leaves are edible, but also roots and flowers. Its leaves most often end up in salads, the roots are usually baked, boiled or steamed, and the yellow flowers can be used as a healthy an alternative to chips. Did you know you can also use it as coffee substitute?
Dandelion, the Nikola Tesla of foods/medicines in the last century, is definitely a greatly overlooked medicine, somewhat less than a food. But at least you will know how to appreciate it enough and give it the right value from now on.
