Grow Dandelions for Your Plants and Your Health

Introduction.

They have been used by humans for much of recorded history. Early European settlers regarded the dandelion plant so useful with its varied uses that they brought them to settle in the new county both as a food source and a medicinal herb. For these reasons they brought dandelions to the Americas. The dandelion has historically been prized for its healing medicinal properties, and for a number of therapeutic values of the active compounds it contains. At one time dandelions were a popular salad green. According to the USDA Bulletin #8, "Composition of Foods", in terms of overall nutritional value dandelions ranks in the top 4 green vegetables. Dandelion is a perennial herb plant with leaves that can grow from 3 up to 10 inches long and 1/2 to 2 inches wide. The dandelion is self-fertile thus seeds can develop without cross-pollination, thus a flower can fertilize itself.

Reasons to grow Dandelions.

There are two main reasons to grow dandelions.

To use as companion plants for the crops in the field and garden.

To use for their healing value.

Using dandelions as a support to your crops.

The dandelion is generally thought of as a nuisance rather than a being recognized as an asset in your field, lawn and garden. It has a long tap-root that will bring up nutrients for plants with a shallow root system such as your blueberry plants to use. These nutrients will in turn be available to your crops when they are cut and used for mulch. The dandelion is a good plant to grow in the rows between your blueberry plants and aronia berry plants. It also adds nitrogen to soil. Dandelions function to provide nutrients to a soil that needs them. It is also known to attract bees and other insects that pollinate plants. Clover and dandelions are good ecologically. Dandelions and White Clover are needed to help support the honeybee population and pollinate your blueberry flowers and other crops. Dandelions and white clover provide bees with good sources of pollen and nectar, encourage them do not kill them. They help provide bee friendly fields and gardens. 35 percent of the nation's food supply needs Bee pollination. Dandelions also release ethylene gas which helps fruit to ripen.

Because dandelion roots grow deep into the ground, as much as several feet down, they have access to minerals and vitamins not available to more shallow rooted plants. They can serve as living fertilizer, enriching the soil by converting nitrogen to nitrates with the help of soil-living bacteria. The long tap-roots readily produce new plants when cut or damaged. After the plant dies the hollow root serves as a conduit for earthworms to travel up and down the hollow root easily and quickly to reach different ground temperatures or soil levels.

Letting Dandelions grow in the rows between your blueberry plants or you aronia berry plants is a good way to help increase the nutrients to you soil and thus to your plants. They generally do not like to grow in compacted soil but once they do start growing in compacted soil, though, their tap-roots help to loosen it and help improve your soil.

Use dandelions for their healing value.

The Dandelion is exceptionally useful nutritionally.It contains more nutritional value than many other vegetables. Dandelion seeds are now being sold to grow for a tasty addition to salads. Dandelions are one of the most nutrient rich foods you can grow, buy or forage. All of the dandelion plant is useful. The Dandelion is used as a natural diuretic and for treating digestive issues. The roots can be eaten as vegetables or roasted and ground to make a surprisingly delicious type of root "coffee" that is good for you. The edible leaves have a wide-ranging list of uses. You can use them in a salad, for tea, or for however you desire to use them. Dandelion leaves can be stored in the refrigerator in a freezer bag for about a week. Dandelions are very high in vitamins A and C, have more beta carotene than carrots and more potassium than broccoli or spinach. Dandelions are reported to help improve bile flow, strengthen the liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, stomach, and intestines as well as and reduce inflammation. Dandelions are reported to help to attenuate gallstones to the point where they almost disappear and they improve kidney function. Dandelions reportedly can help clear skin problems. The plant is widely cultivated in India to use as a remedy for liver problems. In Europe the plant has been used for diabetes control, fever, diarrhea, and boils. Dandelion reportedly may cause you to have hypoglycemia so use extra caution if you take dandelion particularly if you have diabetes.

A mixture of dandelion leaves along with baby spinach and romaine lettuce can be used in making nutritious salads. Dandelion leaves can also be saut矇ed in olive oil with garlic and cooked and eaten like spinach. The best leaves are the ones that appear in the spring before flowering. A healthy salad can be made by using a handful of dandelion leaves mixed with parsley and dill, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. It can be eaten as a salad or in your salad with your meals.

Dandelion leaves can be used to make a tea with health benefits. To make dandelion tea put about 1 tablespoon of dried leaves in 1 cup hot water and leave them for several minutes. You can also make the tea using fresh dandelion leaves. Dandelion roots also make a good tea with a somewhat bitter flavor, if you dry, grind, and roast the roots. Another suggestion for making Dandelion tea is to dig up the dandelions roots and all then wash them and put the flowers leaves and roots into a pan with 3 cups of water, add a pinch of backing powder and boil for 3 minutes. Strain the tea and drink, add sweetener such as stevia or lemon to suit your taste. Since the entire plant is edible you can eat the leaves etc left over from the tea.

Dandelion flowers have a high level of lecithin thus providing a good source of Lecithin. Lecithin is a nutrient that elevates the brain's acetylcholine and as a result it may assist in retarding or stopping the regression of mental ability caused by Alzheimer's disease.

The leaf's white, milky sap is used to remove warts, moles, and pimples. They are also good to soothe bee stings and blisters and sores. My mother would break off a leaf of dandelion and rub it on a wart. It must be applied fresh each day for several weeks for the wart to drop off. The wart would go away in a couple of weeks. It is a pain-free way of getting rid of warts.

Some people with allergies to ragweed or daisies report an allergic reaction to dandelions.

Summary

Yes! Grow those dandelions, and let them reproduce to eat and be used as companion plants in your garden. Grow them for the next generations to use! We should enjoy dandelions rather than trying to eradicate them.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice.