Using Dandelion Leaf And Root

My chickens love when I share my dandelion leaf with them. I’m gathering dandelion root right now before the plants begin their Spring growth. My husband and I are recovering from the flu. We’re rarely sick and while this wasn’t the end of the world, it’s not been pleasant. Dandelion’s mild flavor made it a nice addition to the herbal teas we’ve been drinking.

Both a liver and urinary herb, taraxacum officinale is found everywhere on my property because my husband has been sufficiently threatened to leave it all alone. Over time, he’s learned the medicinal value of dandelion and because of our bees, he also knows that dandelion blossoms provide some of Spring’s earliest nourishment for area pollinators.

But for us, dandelion bitter taste stimulates bile production and removes toxins and excess fluid from the body making it a staple in this Crone’s medicinal herb cupboard. And unlike prescription medications for fluid retention, dandelion with its high level of potassium, doesn’t deplete that from the body.

Dandelion also has anti-rheumatic properties which have been helpful in keeping my body in balance and also supports my continued clinical remission from rheumatoid arthritis. RA is an autoimmune disease and from my own experience, one thing that occurs is that the body’s intake, assimilation, and output are negatively affected resulting in fluid retention. Dandelion leaf and root keeps everything moving through my body so that toxins are prevented from building up.

So I use dandelion daily.

Dandelion root can be roasted as a coffee substitute I but prefer the decoction method, simmering the roots on the stove for twenty to thirty minutes which I then either drink as a tea or use as a menstruum to pour over other herbs for the same purpose. Either way, dandelion provides the foundation for nearly all of my tea blends. Both the root and leaf can be dried or used fresh and can be tinctured as a simple or as part of a more complex blend.

But I believe the nicest way to use dandelion is to take a walk outside, gathering up leaves and noticing the sounds of the birds and insects as you walk about. When you’ve gathered enough for a pot of tea, take the leaves after gently washing them, tear them up a bit, and place them in a French Press or a quart mason jar. Pour boiling water over the leaf and any other herbs that you might have found along the walk and let steep (infuse) for twenty minutes. I crocheted a wrap for my French Press to help keep the heat in, but you can use anything that works.

Because the leaf growth was still small, I gave it to my chickens who simply love it! I had already given them their daily worms and other treats along with the tossed green salad they get, but they went insane over them anyway. They lay jumbo eggs so they can have whatever they want.

A note about washing the root, however. Soaking leeches the medicinal properties out of the root; essentially you’re making tea without realizing it. So I gently, and briefly, scrub the root under cold running water with a brush, or I use my fingers, to clean the dirt off of the root and then if the root is large, I’ll cut it into thin strips for drying. Once the root is dry, anything that might still be there will brush off and it can be used in the same manner as fresh.

I’ll probably leave these roots as they are because they’re so small and should break up easily when I decoct them in the future. And remember that roots are decocted (simmered) and leaves are infused (boiling water poured over them). Cover while simmering/infusing and enjoy when done. I like to decoct for twenty to thirty minutes and infuse for twenty in the French Press. Otherwise, by the cup, I infuse around fifteen minutes unless it’s for a specific medicinal purpose. In the case of my husband’s flu, the normal time on a cup of spearmint tea made it too intense for his upset stomach so for the first few days I only infused his tea for five minutes or he couldn’t keep it down.

Again, I like to dry some of the dandelion roots for use during the year. I slice them if they’re chunky and then I like to dry them on something bamboo-related. I noticed some four-packs of bamboo paper plate holders at the store one day and I thought they’d be great when individually drying herbs. They allow air to travel through and can stack for storage. So if you haven’t already discovered them, they work well.

Other herbs I like to include with dandelion, particularly in the Spring, are nettle, chickweed, cleavers, and plantain. They each help cleanse the body of winter toxins and tend to help my husband and I breathe better as the pollen increases. But for now, we’ll focus on feeling better. The flu isn’t fun, but between the herbal teas and the elderberry tincture, we’ve done well. Elderberry alleviates symptoms and apparently shortens the whole experience which I can tell you is true, at least in our case. I make my own, but elderberry tincture is available from reputable medicinal herb sources.

We don’t think foundationally when it comes to our health. Instead, we respond to symptoms, which is appropriate but not necessarily the entire picture. I consider herbs like dandelion as foundational. Their roots are as medicinal as their aerial parts, reflecting an as above so below balance that serves us well. When we drink in their blessing, we send the message to our body that something magickal is happening, a healing gift received from Gaia.

I know. And you thought it was just a weed.

~ Blessings!