Dandelion needs no introduction. Everyone with a garden knows it all too well – and everyone grows it, although mostly unintentionally. Dandelions are everywhere. Unless you’re a passionate gardener who strives hard to keep their lawn as perfect as possible and their garden beds expertly weeded out, you might not even notice it throughout most of the year. But when spring comes, the lawns and garden beds start to glow with yellow because when dandelions start to bloom, they’re impossible to not notice.
Since time immemorial, blooming dandelions have brought spring joy to children who like to weave wreaths from them and to herbalists who like to make dandelion honey. To gardeners, however, they can often prove quite the irritation, as they have to spend a lot of time weeding out this yellow flood.
If they didn’t, it could have bad consequences for their precious garden: in a few days, the yellow flood would turn into a white one and spread its fluffy seeds all over the garden, essentially conquering it for itself. In short, owners of gardens and lawns don’t harbor much love for the dandelion. But for herbalists and natural healers, it’s still one of the most important healing herbs.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a perennial plant growing all around the Northern Hemisphere on meadows, gardens, pastures, and balks. It is native to Europe and Asia and was originally imported to America as a food crop by European settlers who were also used to using it for healing purposes.
Dandelion Smoothie for Strengthening the Organism
You will need:
A handful of fresh dandelion leaves
2 kiwis
3 tbsp high quality yogurt
1 tbsp rice syrup or brown sugar
1 green apple
3.5–7 fl oz / 100–200 ml water
Directions:
Core the apple, don’t peel it and cut it into pieces. Peel the kiwis and cut them too, and wash and dry the dandelion leaves. Put everything into a blender, add yogurt and water, sweeten with brown sugar, and blend.
