The golden cap of the dandelion serves as a symbol of the sun and light, and the scattering seeds speak of change and the transience of life. At the slightest breeze, fluffy umbrellas break away from the stalk. In clear weather, the yellow dandelion rejoices in the sun along with people, but as soon as the sky frowns, it covers itself with petals, warning of bad weather and protecting its pollen from the rain. If the sun is shining, you can use it to check the time; it opens and closes at the same hours. Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications
Many superstitions and beliefs are associated with dandelions; talismans are still made from them. Girls braid dandelions into wreaths with the hope of family happiness, float these wreaths along the river and make a wish: whose wreath does not drown, she will be the first to get married. A love potion is brewed from dandelion roots, and dandelions are placed under children's beds to protect them from black eyes.
Dandelion officinalis
The precious medicine that grows under our feet and which we value little - it's all about the flower with parachutes, it's all about the dandelion. Dandelions are unassuming perennials that grow in unexpected places, along roads, on forest edges, in gardens and fields. There are more than 1000 species of dandelions. In practice, they are almost no different from each other. The differences are quite insignificant and boil down to the difference in the structure of the root and receptacle. Dandelions, like weeds, can grow in the most difficult and unpretentious conditions.
But not everywhere dandelions are treated only as a medicinal wild herb. In the USA, France and England, young dandelion leaves are actively used as food, adding them to salads. Flower caps are pickled, solyankas and soups are prepared from them, and jam is made. And the fact that roasted dandelion roots are used to make drinks is known not only in Western Europe. During the difficult years of war and famine, this vitamin drink was used to save people from illness in our area.
Recently, dandelion has been grown as a vegetable crop in many countries. New plant varieties have been developed in France. Cultivated dandelion species have an excellent taste without bitterness, thick, fleshy leaves with a delicate consistency. For the cultivation of dandelion plantations, special technologies have been developed that make it possible to collect good yields of the new medicinal and vegetable crop. Flower shoots are removed from plants, allowing the leaves to develop more intensively.
A little history
In 1983, archaeologists discovered centuries-old scrolls in one of the Carpathian caves. Great minds spent a long time unraveling their meaning, and when they managed to decipher and translate them, it turned out that in front of them was a collection of the Book of Life and Health of ancient peoples.
Here were unique recipes from healers, advice, recommendations, and instructions. And among all the recipes for many ailments, a special place in the Book was given to... what plant do you think? Some rare miracle or shrub whose branches are collected one day a year?
Not at all! It turned out that our ancestors treated the simple dandelion with special reverence!
This simple spring flower, which we all in the progressive twenty-first century mistake for an annoying weed, was revered by the ancients as the “elixir of life.”
And for a reason. Let's remember how much work we put into weeding out the hated weed in our garden. If only we knew how many amazing properties it contains !
This simple outer shell contains the key to the casket of longevity and health. We will reveal the secrets of this plant in the article.
Dandelion juice
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. To obtain juice, take all parts of the dandelion except the roots. All cut greens are first washed well and then soaked in a salt solution (1 liter of water: 2 tablespoons of salt) for an hour. Next, place the dandelion greens in a colander, rinse and scald with boiling water, and allow the water to drain. The entire prepared mass is twisted in a meat grinder, the resulting pulp is squeezed through gauze. Combine with alcohol in a 1:1 ratio.
How to use
The roots, stems and leaves of dandelions are used for problems with the gallbladder, for the prevention of liver diseases, for the treatment of jaundice, hemorrhoids, gastritis, and constipation. Dandelion infusion is used for atherosclerosis and anemia; it produces a tonic and stimulating effect. The juice squeezed from the young leaves of the plant is recommended to be taken fresh in the spring. Tincture of dandelion roots treats boils, acne, and skin rashes. The white juice of the plant burns warts and calluses.
Contraindications
Do not use products containing dandelion components if they are individually intolerant, during exacerbations of gastrointestinal diseases, or gallstone disease. Dandelions should not be given to children under 7 years of age or to nursing mothers.
Chemical composition
Various parts of Dandelion officinalis contain:
- Inflorescences and leaves - protein, phosphorus, calcium, iron, manganese salts, resins, saponins, choline, vitamins A, B2, C, E, PP, flavoxanthin, taraxanthin;
- Roots - resins, mucilages, proteins, rubber, carbohydrates (inulin), sterols (tanaxol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol), triterpene compounds (β-amyrin, pseudotaraxasterol, taraxerol, taraxasterol), as well as fatty oil containing glycerides of cerotinic, oleic , linoleic, lemon balm and palmitic acid;
- Milky juice – rubber substances, taraxacerin, taraxacin.
Dandelion: healing properties
Roots
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. Dandelion roots contain fructose in the form of the polysaccharide inulin. Thanks to this substance, blood sugar levels are reduced, which allows diabetics to use dandelion roots as food. Inulin helps strengthen the body's strength and remove toxins from the blood. The flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals contained in the roots make it possible to use dandelion roots to treat the pancreas and diseases associated with its poor performance.
Flowers
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. Decoctions, tinctures, and ointments are prepared from dandelion flower baskets, which are used for rubbing against pain in muscles and joints, rheumatism, colds, for facial skin care, as anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, and bactericidal agents. A decoction of dandelion flowers regulates blood pressure, improves the body's condition in case of overwork, chronic fatigue, and insomnia.
Leaves
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. Dried dandelion leaves are used to brew flower tea. Take tea when the kidneys are malfunctioning, to prevent scurvy and diseases of the oral cavity, to eliminate constipation, strengthen the immune system and energize the body. Vitamin salads are made from fresh nettle and dandelion leaves in early spring that can eliminate the symptoms of vitamin deficiency.
Juice
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. The juice, which is made from all the green parts of the dandelion, contains calcium and potassium, iron and magnesium, vitamins and acids, oils and polysaccharides. The juice is one of the most active substances made from dandelions. It is used to neutralize increased acidity in the body. They treat allergies, eczema and diabetes, are used for poisoning to remove toxins and waste from the body, and help the body with diseases associated with inflammation of the lymph nodes.
Helps avoid high blood sugar levels at night
As a rule, a few hours after eating a person’s blood sugar level stabilizes. But for some people, especially diabetics, the amount of glucose in their blood may increase at night.
Why is this happening? This phenomenon is explained by the activity of certain types of hormones, for example, cortisol and epiniphrine. It is in them that the reason for the spontaneous increase in blood glucose levels is hidden.
It happens that blood sugar levels rise at night for completely different reasons: due to skipping a medication or even an inappropriate dinner.
Dandelion: benefits and harm
Fresh dandelions contain a high concentration of substances beneficial to humans. Therefore, recipes for dishes and medicines using raw parts of dandelion begin to be prepared in early spring, and then throughout the summer they undergo a course of treatment with products from a natural green pharmacy.
For women
To replenish hemoglobin during monthly blood loss, mix 3 tbsp. dandelion flowers, lungwort, chicory. Add 1 tbsp to the composition. wormwood, 2 tbsp. nettles The entire collection is poured into 2 liters of boiling water and kept in a water bath for 2 hours. Allow to cool and settle. Then filter through cheesecloth or a sieve. Pour into a glass container, which is stored in the refrigerator. Take 50 ml 3 times a day an hour before meals.
For men
A collection of 2 parts peppermint, one part lemon balm, and one part dandelion roots will help calm the nervous system and strengthen sleep. Mix everything. Brew like tea at the rate of 1 tsp. collection per 200 ml of boiling water. Drink 1 glass warm 2 hours before bedtime. Add 1 tsp to the drink. natural honey.
To increase potency and strengthen strength, prepare a decoction of dry dandelion roots: 1 tsp. pour 250 ml of boiling water, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Let it brew for 30 minutes, strain. Store in the refrigerator. Take 1 tbsp. three times a day after meals.
For weight loss
An infusion to speed up metabolism and remove toxins from the body is prepared from 2 tbsp. dandelion and 1 cup boiling water. The decoction is prepared in a water bath for 1 hour. After cooling, the mixture is filtered. Take 125 ml twice a day for 30 minutes. before meals. While taking the infusion, sweet, smoked and salty foods are removed from the daily diet and physical activity is increased.
Dried dandelion roots, ground chicory and dry burdock roots are mixed in a ratio of 1:1:3. Use 1 tbsp for a single dose. l. the resulting mixture, which is poured with 200 g of boiling water. Let it brew for 1 hour, then strain everything. This infusion is consumed 0.5 cups daily for 30 minutes. before meals. The course of treatment is 30 days, then a 2-week break is taken and the treatment is resumed.
For hair
Dandelion: medicinal properties and contraindications. Dry dandelion roots crushed into powder are added to a single dose of shampoo familiar to specific hair. Wash your hair as usual. After 4-5 procedures, the hair condition should improve. Hair will become fluffy, brittleness and split ends will decrease.
To reduce oily hair, you need fresh dandelion and mint leaves, red rowan berries. All ingredients are mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio and passed through a meat grinder. The mixture is rubbed onto the hair roots and a plastic cap is put on the head for 20-30 minutes. The hair is washed with regular shampoo for oily hair.
For the liver and gallbladder
The course of cleansing the liver and gallbladder from toxins should last at least 10 days. A decoction of wilted dandelion flowers is used. Freshly picked flowers must remain for at least 7 hours before being used. Then 2 tbsp. pour 500 ml of water into the flowers, bring to a boil and let it brew for 30 minutes under the lid. The mixture is filtered, take 150 ml 3 times a day an hour before meals. A fresh decoction is prepared every day.
For joints
When treating joints, it is necessary to restore cartilage tissue. A tincture of fresh dandelion flowers in triple cologne helps relieve pain in a problem area. Flowers tightly folded in a jar are poured with cologne 5 mm above the level of the plants. The mixture is infused for at least 2 weeks, and then the cologne, which has absorbed the healing qualities of dandelions, is drained. They rub painful areas with it 3 times a day.
Fights inflammatory processes
Dandelion contains fatty acids, antioxidants (such as beta-carotene), vitamin C, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and vitamin D.
Thanks to this incredible cocktail of nutrients, it becomes easier for our body to fight the inflammatory processes that accompany diseases such as arthrosis and arthritis .
If your hands go numb at night, your legs cramp, or you have pain in your joints , don’t hesitate: try drinking dandelion infusion every day before going to bed.
The use of dandelion in folk medicine
When dandelions begin to bloom, traditional healers suggest, without waiting for the disease to worsen, to use dandelions in salads or simply eat individual parts of the plant - 10-20 stem tubes, washed and scalded with boiling water, will help an average-sized adult cope with spring blues and fatigue.
Dandelion flower syrup, added to a glass of tea instead of pure natural honey, will relieve the threat of colds and viral diseases. The syrup is made from honey mixed with dandelion flowers. The mixture is kept in the refrigerator and the components are stirred periodically.
Healers recommend eating fresh salads with the addition of dandelion leaves, seasoned with cold-pressed vegetable oils. Salads can include any vegetables that ripen at a time when dandelion leaves can be harvested. Healers advise always leaving large plants in places where flowers are collected so that they can scatter their seeds throughout the surrounding area.
General description of the plant
A perennial herbaceous plant growing up to 30, less often up to 50 cm, in height. The root is taproot, poorly branched, up to 2 cm wide and up to 60 cm long, in the upper part it turns into a short multi-headed rhizome.
Photo: dandelion
The leaves form a basal rosette. The leaf blade is glabrous, entire or pinnately incised, oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, toothed, from 10 to 25 cm in length, from 1.5 to 5 cm in width.
Flowering arrows are leafless, cylindrical, succulent, hollow inside, cobwebby-fluffy in the upper part. The receptacle is flat, bare, pitted.
The flowers are bisexual, reed, bright yellow, five-toothed, collected in inflorescences of a basket with a diameter of up to 5 cm. The flowering period lasts from May to July, autumn flowering is also found.
The fruit is a spindle-shaped achene with a grayish-brown tuft, consisting of white unbranched hairs forming a grayish-white fluffy ball. Fruits from late May to July.
All parts of the plant contain a thick, milky, white sap that tastes bitter.
Recipes
Dandelion tincture with vodka
The tincture is used in the treatment of joint diseases, for disinfecting the oral cavity and skin surface, and in cases of hypothermia. For the tincture, dandelion flowers are collected on a sunny day, after the dew has dried. The buds are washed well and allowed to dry, then placed in a 1 liter jar at 2/3 of the height.
The jar is completely filled with vodka, stirred, closed with a lid, and placed in a dark place for 3 weeks. The jar must be shaken periodically to mix the mixture contained in it. After settling, the mixture is filtered, the flowers are separated, and the liquid is poured into a clean container. Store with a tightly closed lid out of reach of children. Take 40 ml tincture no more than 2 times a day.
Dandelion root decoction and tea
To prevent atherosclerosis, gout, and when skin rashes appear, use a decoction of 10 g of crushed dandelion roots. They are poured with 250 ml of boiled water, covered with a lid and a thick towel, and left warm for 2 hours. Take 4 times a day for 30 minutes. before meals, 2 tbsp.
To get rid of headaches, to improve the functioning of the pancreas, for gout and allergies, pour 10 g of fresh dandelion leaves and roots into 2 glasses of cold boiled water and leave for 12 hours. Take 2 tablespoons during the day before each meal.
A decoction of roasted dandelion roots is compared to natural coffee in taste. Dandelion roots are cleaned, washed well, dried and crushed. Then fry in a dry frying pan or in the oven until golden brown. In this case, the roots must be mixed to prevent them from burning.
After cooling, they are ground in a coffee grinder. Brew powder from roasted dandelion roots in hot water. The amount of brewing powder is taken to taste. Drink with lemon, sugar or honey. The first portion should be small so that you can understand how the drink affects the body of a particular person.
Dandelion jam
It is prepared from dandelion petals separated from the receptacle. 400 heads of dandelions are collected in clear weather. To make the process of separating the petals faster, it is better to immediately cut off the petals from the bottom of each flower with scissors at the collection point. Flowers are not washed, so it is very important to choose an environmentally friendly clearing for collection.
Place the raw materials in a wide bowl and pour in 1 liter of cold water. Particles of debris and all kinds of bugs living in flowers will begin to float to the surface. All foreign impurities are removed and the dishes with flowers are placed on low heat. After boiling, the mixture should remain on the fire for another 10 minutes. Then pour 0.5 tsp of citric acid into the water and continue to cook the mixture for another 30 minutes.
The container with the broth is removed from the heat and filtered. The petals must be thrown away, and 1.2 kg of sugar is added to the broth and put back on the fire. Mix everything and bring to a boil over low heat. Cook the jam for another 30 minutes. At the same time, it becomes transparent and thick.
Dandelion honey (video)
Dandelion oil
In addition to dandelion petals, this recipe includes 0.5 liters of cold-pressed refined vegetable oil without a strong odor. A 1 liter jar is filled 2/3 full with petals, then oil is poured into the jar. The jar is covered with gauze and placed for 2 weeks in a warm, bright place, out of direct sunlight. During this time, the petals should darken and acquire a brown tint. After this, the oil is filtered, poured into a dark container and stored with the lid closed in a cool, dark place.
Helps relieve constipation
As a rule, people with well-functioning intestines feel the urge to go to the toilet in the morning. This habit makes it easy to start a new day.
To do this, you need to take natural remedies that stimulate intestinal motility at night. One of them is dandelion decoction.
Dandelion is a rich source of dietary fiber, making it used to treat a variety of digestive diseases.
In addition, dandelion soothes stomach pain and prevents the formation of gases .
Thanks to this, your sleep will be calm and easy, and you will be able to easily go to the toilet when you wake up.
Reviews
Feodor, 35 years old, Klin
I would like to warn the curious from drinking unlimited amounts of coffee made from roasted dandelion roots. Once at the dacha, having heard a lot of advice about vitamin-rich dandelion coffee, I fried dandelion roots dug up in my own yard in a dry frying pan. The smell and taste of the coffee was almost like the real thing. But after a while I realized that I was becoming drunk, although my coordination was not impaired at all. But the headaches were severe. It is impossible not to know the limits in anything!
Boris, 52 years old, Pskov
I will say that thanks to dandelions you can increase male strength, this is not very far from the truth. First of all, after drinking dandelion tea, your well-being and mood improve, and it’s not far from improving your potency.
Alisa, 46 years old, Yaroslavl
Freshly ground dandelion leaves and pipes make good whitening face masks. Dandelion pulp should be mixed with sour milk and left for 15-20 minutes on areas where there is skin pigmentation. After 3-4 such procedures, the result will become noticeable. Skin color will even out.
Dandelions in spring and autumn become not just beautiful flowers, but a cure for many diseases. The main requirement is that in order for this medicine not to turn into poison, the places from which the flowers will be picked must be free of human waste. Therefore, it is important that a person always remembers that it is necessary to take into account not only his own desires and needs, but also nature.
Health to you and your loved ones! Natalya Belokopytova.
Strengthens the immune system while you sleep
According to the results of many studies, one of the main properties of dandelion is to strengthen the human immune system . This is what causes its bitter taste.
Dandelion not only cleanses our body, but also contains a large amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. This allows us to effectively cleanse our body of toxins .
As a result, our body's defenses increase, and our immunity becomes stronger.
Perhaps a cup of dandelion tea before bed will become one of your favorite habits. It will allow you to end your day in peace.
It must be remembered that dandelion is not recommended for pregnant women, as well as people with gallbladder problems and kidney stones.
Side effects
Dandelion, collected from a favorable, clean region, is a safe, non-toxic plant. It does not pose a threat if eaten fresh or processed.
Considering that dandelion contains a lot of active substances, we can assume the risk of allergic reactions. This is especially likely for people who are allergic to any plants, such as ragweed. In case of sensitive skin, contact with dandelion may cause dermatitis [27].
Dandelion-based products are not compatible with certain medications:
- Antacids lose their properties, as dandelion activates the production of stomach acids.
- Anticoagulants combined with dandelion increase the risk of bleeding.
- Diuretics can cause electrolyte imbalances.
- Lithium drugs, which are used in psychiatry, are weakened by dandelion.
- Ciprofloxacin is not absorbed by consuming dandelion.
- Hypoglycemic drugs together with dandelion can lead to a significant drop in sugar, even to the point of coma.
Treatment with dandelion begins with minimal dosages, which are gradually increased. If negative symptoms appear, stop using herbal remedies.
