DANDELION - Know your HERBS -

**Admin** Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:26 am

The botanical name for Dandelion is Taraxacum officinale.

Dandelion is a hardy perennial that can grow to a height of nearly 12 inches. Dandelions have deeply notched, toothy, spatula-like leaves that are shiny and hairless. Dandelion stems are capped by bright yellow flowers. The grooved leaves funnel rain to the root. Dandelion flowers open with the sun in the morning and close in the evening or during gloomy weather. The dark brown roots are fleshy and brittle and are filled with a white milky substance that is bitter and slightly smelly.

The parts of the Dandelion herb used, are:
roots,flowers,leaves

Health Benefits of Dandelion

All parts of the dandelion are used for food and medicine, the roots are roasted and used in herbal decoctions, the leaves and crowns for salads and cooked greens, the flowers for making dandelion wine, and the juice to cure warts and blisters.

Traditionally, dandelion has been used a diuretic, to increase the amount of urine the body produces in order to get rid of excess fluid. It has been used for many conditions where a diuretic might help, such as liver problems and high blood pressure. However, there is no good research on using dandelion as a diuretic in people.
[*]Drink a cup of dandelion tea in the morning to increase regularity. It is a natural diuretic, and gentle laxative that doesn't rob the body of potassium.

Fresh or dried dandelion herb is also used as a mild appetite stimulant and to improve upset stomach. The root of the dandelion plant may act as a mild laxative and has been used to improve digestion. There is some very preliminary research that suggests dandelion may help improve liver and gallbladder function, but the study was not well designed.

Some preliminary animal studies also suggest that dandelion may help normalize blood sugar levels and lower total cholesterol and triglycerides while raising HDL, "good," cholesterol in diabetic mice. But not all the animal studies have found a positive effect on blood sugar. Human studies are needed to see if dandelion would work in people.

A few animal studies also suggest that dandelion might help fight inflammation.

[*]Dandelion flowers are a feline safe pain reliever. (cats cannot tolerate aspirin) Drop a generous handful in near-boiling water. When the water has darkened, it can be cooled and administered with a dropper.

[*]Squeeze the juice of a dandelion flower stem and apply the milky juice to a wart and leave it to dry on. Repeat as necessarily until wart falls off.

[*]Drink dandelion root tea to eliminate the toxins that cause skin breakouts and acne.

CAUTION
***Do not use dandelion for longer than six weeks at a time.