Regulate Blood Sugar, Lower Cholesterol, Hinder Tumors... With This Pretty Flower
Posted: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
by Eve Juurik
The Spring of Life
It is at home in all parts of the northern hemisphere. Its leaves are beautifully arranged into a rosette that keeps close to the ground. From the centre rises a beautiful, golden flower. You might have guessed it, it is Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale . There is a reason why the dandelion's leaves are arranged like this. Each leaf is grooved and constructed so that all the rain falling on it is conducted straight to the centre of the rosette and thus to the root, which is, therefore, always kept well watered. Dandelion is found everywhere: in gardens, pastures, meadows, and on waste ground. It spreads through seeds so fast and is so plentiful that farmers everywhere find it a troublesome weed. One dandelion can produce 3,000 seeds in one summer.
History: The first mention of the dandelion as a medicine is in the works of the Arabian physicians of the tenth and eleventh centuries.
Internal use: It is said that dandelion cures 100 diseases. Every part of dandelion is used. It purifies blood, lowers the levels of cholesterol, lessens the threat of infarct and stroke, regulates the levels of blood sugar, improves digestion, helps heal anemia, increases bile secretion, is beneficial to pancreas and duodenum, hinders the advancement of tumors, and relieves hepatic complaints. Dandelion is also used as a remedy for kidney and bladder stones and gallbladder problems, to induce milk production in nursing mothers,and to soothe inflamed breast tissue. Dandelion isa general stimulant to the whole system but especially to the urinary organs. It is mainly used to heal kidney and liver disorders.
Good to know: It is a well known fact that dandelion is one of the very best liver cleansers available. Every grown up should cleanse their liver once a year, in spring. The liver is the place where all toxins are gathered: toxins from the foods we eat, environmental toxins, and also toxins that we produce through our negative emotions and stress. So, by spring, the liver has been overworked and should be cleansed, calmed, and strengthened. Dandelion root tea or a pure supplement of dandelion is one of the best means of doing that!
How to prepare the roots: To make tea, pour 1 cup of rapidly boiling water over 1 tablespoonful of grated or finely cut dandelion root, steep for 15 minutes, strain, and drink.
To help cure seemingly intractable cases of chronic liver congestion, prepare a broth of dandelion roots: slice the roots and stew them in boiling water with some leaves of sorrel and the yolk of an egg. Take daily for several months.
To help heal scurvy, scrofula, eczema,and all eruptions on the surface of the body, take 50 grams of the herb or root and boil in 1 liter of water. Drink one small glassful every three hours.
How to prepare the leaves: The young leaves of the dandelion make a wholesome addition to spring salads. The full-grown leaves are too bitter for most people's taste, but the young leaves, especially if blanched, make an excellent salad, either alone or in combination with other vegetables. Young dandelion leaves make delicious sandwiches, the tender leaves being laid between slices of bread and butter and sprinkled with salt, possibly a little lemon juice and pepper. The leaves should always be torn to pieces, rather than cut, in order to maintain the flavor.
The young leaves may also be boiled as a vegetable, spinach fashion, though they take longer to cook than spinach. Drain the leaves thoroughly and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot with some butter. Delicious!
Warning! Persons on salt-restricted diets should go easy on the dandelions, for they contain a large amount of sodium.
Picking time: The leaves are best when picked in spring. The roots should be dug out in autumn, after the plant has already lost its vitality. Then the roots contain the highest amount on nutrients.
Eve Juurik
Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in Organic Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
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