Dandelion! 3 Healthy Uses & Remedies

In today's video, I'm going to share with you how I like to incorporate dandelion root into my diet and into my medicinal practice. If you haven't already, check out my first video on this topic up here or maybe up here. I'm not sure. In my first video, I cover how to identify and harvest dandelion and go over its many medicinal uses, which we will cover again today. So in the first half of this video, we are going to eat essentially all parts of the dandelion, excluding the stem, and you'll get to see my reaction to trying dandelion root for the first time because that is the one part of the plant that I've never had a chance to eat directly. And in the second half of the video, I'm going to show you two very simple preparations for dandelion root. One is a decoction and one is a tincture. I'll explain to you what a decoction and a tincture is and how I go about making these medicinal preparations. Now, many of you have been kind enough to share your own experiences using dandelion. One person shared that they like to make a dandelion quiche. Another person shared that they make a dandelion pesto, which sounds amazing. And then another viewer shared that they actually use the dandelion petals, add it to some honey, and create a dandelion-infused honey, which I'm sure tastes as great as it probably looks. So if you have any ways that you use dandelion that I don't mention in this video, please feel free to share in the comments below. I'm sure the community would love to have more ideas on how to use this wonderful medicinal plant. So let's begin with the easiest way to use dandelion, which is simply to eat it. So you've gone out and harvested your dandelion and given it a good washing. And another good washing. Now you're ready to use it medicinally and let nothing go to waste. Dandelion greens are high in vitamins A, B, C, and D. For flavor, the best time to harvest these leaves is on a cool spring day. Young leaves are less bitter, and the cold weather even makes them a bit sweet. You can forage responsibly by only taking a few leaves per plant, leaving enough for it to continue to grow. Not that dandelion has any trouble growing. You can forage dandelion with a variety of springtime edibles, like stinging nettle, the leaves of a young burdock, or the slightly minty flavor of a sprig of ground ivy. Oh, and some spinach. I'm not a huge fan of raw salad greens, so I like to eat them in a saute. My usual recipe is as follows. I heat up olive oil on a skillet, add onions and garlic. I love the sweet flavor of sauteed onions. And garlic, well, it tastes good with just about anything for me. I season the onions and garlic with a bit of basil. In this case, some basil leftover from last season. Add salt to taste. The salad greens are added on top, covered and steamed for no more than two to three minutes. Just enough for the plants to wilt, and in this case, remove the sting from my foraged nettle. Now let's try dandelion capers and dandelion root. Dandelion capers are made from the underdeveloped flower heads. They taste delicious cooked in butter or with olive oil and a bit of salt. All parts of the dandelion are high in potassium, including the root. And I'm going to try dandelion root for the first time today. So when it comes to herbal medicine or foods that are supposed to be healthy for you, I really don't want to recommend anything until I've had a chance to try it myself, if that's possible. So I decided today to saute some dandelion root. So this is my very first time trying dandelion root sauteed with olive oil and garlic. We're going to see how this tastes. So here's my piece right here. Pretty sizable piece of dandelion. Let's see how it tastes. You know, I would say this tastes a lot like a carrot or maybe a parsnip. It's not as bitter, I think, as a parsnip, but it's not as sweet as a carrot. So I think this would make a pretty good healthy substitute for carrots or parsnips. You can definitely eat dandelion root. Now let's talk about some other ways that you can use dandelion root. Eating dandelion root is probably the simplest way to take advantage of the nutritional and medicinal value of this plant. But if you want to take it a step further, you can try a dandelion root decoction or a dandelion root tincture. A decoction is a fancy term used by herbalists to describe the boiling of plant matter for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to extract the beneficial compounds found in the plant. You can make a decoction in a saucepan and then filter out the plant matter after, or you can use what I like to use, which is a tea kettle with a built-in steeper. I just add the herbs to that steeper and I boil it right in the kettle for, I like to do it for about a half an hour. I like to use a dandelion root decoction as a detox drink. I usually add a bit of honey and ginger to it to improve the flavor because it is a bit bitter, but it's a great detoxifier for the body. So dandelion root helps to support the waste-eliminating organs, such as the liver, the kidneys, by helping to pull out the excess water and sodium in those waste-eliminating organs. Through my own personal experience, I've also found that a cup of dandelion decoction taken daily also has a mild laxative effect. So if you are somebody who is struggling with constipation, this is another great use for a dandelion root decoction. A decoction is useful for hardier plant matter like plant roots or woodier plant material. It's not usually necessary to use a decoction for tender plants. Steeping will do just fine. If you intend to use a decoction daily, you can make large batches and store for up to a week in your fridge. Now what is a tincture? A tincture is the dissolving of plant matter in an alcohol, specifically ethanol. So you would not want to make a tincture out of rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. No alcohols that you wouldn't consume or couldn't safely consume. The great thing about a tincture is it is the most potent form of medicine that I've mentioned today, and so you can consume smaller amounts but still get the same value out of the plant. So for example, if you were to drink a cup of freshly brewed dandelion root, that would be equivalent to one dropper full of tincture. So it's a great way to make a potent medicine without having to use large quantities of the plant. To make a tincture, you will need your plant matter fully to partially dried. Never use wet plant matter as this can potentially spoil. You will also need 80 to 100 proof alcohol. Fill the jar three fourths of the way with your dandelion root. There's no need to pack tightly. I didn't have quite enough when filming and I ended up adding a bit more later. Add your alcohol and seal the jar tightly. Allow this to process for at least one month, shaking the jar daily. If you notice a cloudiness or milkiness of your tincture, don't fret. This is natural when making dandelion tincture. In fact, it means it's working. After a month, use a filter to separate the plant matter from the tincture. Store in airtight bottles, preferably ones with tinted glass, as this will eliminate sunlight and help the tincture to last longer. It's important to label your medicines for best practice, so be sure to include a label that shows the bottle date, the amounts of plant matter used, how long it was tinctured, as well as the dosage and intended use. One dropper is typically equivalent to one cup of freshly brewed herb. I like to take this tincture twice daily to treat hormonal acne and to keep my liver and skin healthy. If you have any questions, anything that I might have missed out in this video, or something you would like me to further elaborate on, feel free to ask in the comment section below and I will try to answer to the best of my ability. And if you enjoyed this video and found it helpful, please hit the like button down below and consider subscribing to the channel. We'd love to have you here. This has been Danae with the Acadian Garden and Apothecary. Thank you so much for watching, and I will see you in the next video. Bye!