The Dandy Dandelion, The Remedy for Disorders

The stress people put on themselves in their battle to get rid of the dandelions in their yards is only getting a laugh from this tough, determined to survive plant. It may as well be saying "Wherever you go, I will follow". Dandelions propagate not only by way of the seeds that go wherever the winds blow, but by their roots. The taproots go so deep that when you pull the plant out of the ground, you are breaking the roots which readily regrow into new plants.

So rather than seeing the dandelion as ruining the perfection of a manicured green carpet of a lawn, why not rethink that there may be advantages to this "weed" and perhaps there is a good reason it can be found all over the world.

Before we get into the health benefits of this herb, lets look at it from an environmental perspective. Dandelions start popping up in early spring, a time of year when insects, birds and wildlife are returning to a limited food supply. The flowers are an important element of the diets of many flying and ground insects. Bees, wasps, grasshoppers, fireflies and butterflies all use the flowers as a food and in return serve the plant in its pollination.

Once the flowers go to seed, they are eaten up by the birds, in particular the American Goldfinch, the Lark Sparrow, Sparrows, Indigo Buntings, even wild turkeys, Bobwhites and Canada geese.

The leaves are sought out by mammals such as rabbits, chipmunks, deer and other wild animals who graze on greens. After a long, hungry winter, spring vegetation is a key to survival and supporting their young.

Spring is the rainy season and without deep rooted plants, soils become compacted and the runoff causes erosion of good topsoil. Dandelions deep roots create drainage channels in compacted soil, restore minerals to depleted soil, and aerate the ground which then attracts earthworms.

If that isn't enough to soften hearts for this plant, then perhaps just knowing it is considered an official medicinal plant may earn it a little respect. The botanical name of the dandelion is Taraxacum officinale, taraxos is Greek for 'disorder' and achos is Greek for 'remedy'. Put them together and we have taraxacum which means 'I am the remedy for disorders'.

The entire plant is edible and used not only as a nutritious food source but as a remedy for various ailments. The roots are known as a supreme ally and tonic to the liver and valued for helping with gallbladder problems. The plant is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, natural sugars, carotenes and many phyto nutrients. Referred by many as a liver cleanser and blood purifier, dandelion helps to stimulate the flow of bile, strengthens the immune system, glandular, circulatory and lymphatic systems. When our systems are functioning properly many of our complaints with stiffness and skin problems clear up on their own. Since the liver has more than 500 functions, it's health is vital for a person to feel good. Good nutrition helps us be more resilient to stress and who doesn't need help with stress relief.

The leaves act as a diuretic to get rid of excess fluids. It is considered one of the best natural sources of potassium. After a long winter of too much rich food and not enough fresh air and physical activity, eating what are called digestive bitters helps get rid of that blah, bloated feeling. By increasing the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, digestion is improved, elimination is more regular and we generally just feel better. Get the kidneys, liver and bowels moving the way they should and many problems with kidney stones, indigestion and constipation resolve themselves.

The flowers are considered a beautifier. Herbal wisdom uses the flowers to tone oily skin, fade freckles and age spots, and soften rough skin. The flowers are gathered and made into herbal oils, wines, tinctures and elixirs. Balms and salves are used to for breast health by aiding the lympthatic system, as a balm for stiff joints and muscles, even menstrual cramps.

Acclaimed herbalist, Susan Weed, says "When the liver works well, the kidneys work better, and tissues no longer bloat." She also praises the dandelion to help with the menopausal years. "When we consume phytoestrogen-rich plants we allow our bodies to create the hormones we need for our menopausal journey." What a wonderful thing to keep in mind to prepare for hot flashes and night sweats. She does say we have to be patient. Herbal medicine doesn't show results overnight. It has to be a part of our lifestyle before the benefits are fully realized.

Dandelions are just one of the many spring greens we should add to our diets. Here are two informative blog posts regarding the benefits of adding wild bitters to our diets:
Herbal Allies talks about bone health
Healthy Vinegars talks about making herbal vinegars

If you do forage for spring greens be sure to know the identification of these plants. Also be sure you are picking plants that have not been sprayed with herbicide or pesticide.
A good source for wild edible plant identification is "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and not so wild) Places.  Written by Steve Brill and Evelyn Dean. 

Since the entire plant can be used there is much more flexibility for ways to use it. Some people love their teas, others add drops of the tincture to a glass of water, some love it as a sweet wine, others utilize the fresh leaves for their salad, and then we can always get loved ones to eat it by sneaking the leaves into soups. Below is a balm made from the infusion of dandelion flowers in olive oil. Very useful for stiff joints, chapped skin and sore breasts.

Two wonderful books by Susan Weed for anyone interested in the holistic, natural approach:
  Her books include "The Menopausal Years" and "Healing Wise"

Dandelion Salve/Balm

Tired of Being Tired?

Is This How You Feel?

It seems no matter who you talk to, when asked "how are you", the answer may be the automatic response of "fine", but it doesn't take long before those words are followed with "I am so busy I'm going nuts".
Most of us don't need a lot of convincing that half the problems within families is that they are just not getting enough rest. It seems to take a major blow-up or melt-down, and then a period of reflection before anyone realizes how things have crept up and escalated.

The thing is, we already know we are overextending ourselves. We know acting like the energizer bunny may eventually catch up with us. We're tired of being told what to change for a healthier lifestyle because we already know. But as with many health issues, people usually don't truly commit to a change until they are faced with a medical crisis which becomes the turning point in their lives.

A certain amount of stress is good, it gets us moving, keeps us alert, and challenges us to achieve success. But to be continuously in overdrive without getting adequate rest for the body to repair itself cannot go on indefinitely without repercussions.

Located in southeastern Pennsylvania is a Center for Natural Healing called The Clymer Center.
Take a look at the videos under the blog section that discuss Adrenal Fatigue and Adrenal Dysfunction. 
Founded by Dr. Poesnecker in 1968, this center was one of a kind in that they specialize in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Adrenal Dysfunction. Back before most doctors had even heard of these conditions, this center was helping people uncover the underlying cause of their symptoms. Rather than going through the whirlwind of various specialists for symptoms that include depression, anxiety, insomnia, skin flairs, exhaustion, menopausal issues, fertility problems, and autoimmune conditions, these professionals get to the bottom of where it all began, rather than treat each symptom as its own condition. They help the patient get the immune and hormonal systems back into balance.

Here is a very informative video on Adrenal Fatigue:




The suggestion in the use of bath oils, massage oils, or bath salts, is too often followed with the response that there just aren't enough hours in the day.
No one is denying that as fact, but once you develop chronic fatigue, depression, hypertension, or anger issues, you'll end up in a physician's office and be told something has go to change. You'll go home with the comfort of a label to your ailments and a handful of scripts to "fix" things, and hopefully that physician will also inform you that unless you make lifestyle changes there is no magic pill.

Taking care of yourself is not at all a selfish thing to do. All caregivers are told again and again that unless you are mentally and physically strong, you are not going to be up to the demands of caring for someone else for very long.
Start small with your goal to squeeze in time for yourself.

Utilize your crock pot more often. Just knowing in advance what you'll be having for dinner is a stress reliever in itself. If you get home and it is ready to be served, you've just gained an hour of your time.
All you need is 15 minutes to give yourself a foot and calve massage. You can do this while making necessary phone calls or relaxing with your favorite TV show.
A warm bath needn't take more than 30 minutes. Get the kids to bed earlier, they probably need more sleep anyway. Take your nightly cup of tea or glass of wine, a book and run that tub. Or else use that time to reflect on your day and put your worries into perspective. Or don't think about anything, meditation is great.

You'll be amazed at how your mind and body will respond. There are ways to calm your nerves and help you sleep without automatically reaching for prescription or over the counter medications. Once you give yourself permission for these small luxuries, you'll start to look forward to your "me" time. With renewed spiritual energy, you just may find the physical energy to claim another time slot for perhaps a bit of stretching.

Many of us have learned the hard way that though we so often put others' needs before our own, burn-out is a very real possibility. The phrase "If Mom isn't happy, no one is happy" may be said with humor but there is no denying that a home filled with positive energy and laughter is a much happier place to be than one where its occupants are too tired to smile anymore.
The work gets done eventually.

Below are just a few options to help. Remember the Calgon slogan, "Calgon, Take Me Away!"? The fact that years later people still remember that TV commercial shows just how effective consumer psychology can be.
We should also remember the Clairol commercial's phrase, "Because You Deserve It!"

Below are a few options as a means to bring a little serenity into your life.
A few choices include a calming air or linen spray, bath salts, massage oils and bath oils.

CALMING, SLEEP AIR AND LINEN SPRAY

LAVENDER BATH SALTS

TROUBLE SLEEPING MASSAGE OIL

NERVOUS TENSION BATH OIL

EASE THE ACHE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BATH OIL

MEADOW MUFFIN GARDENS

Healthy Vinegars from your Plant Allies

Next time you reach for the oil and vinegar as dressing for your salad, think about a wonderful way to increase the nutritional value of that dressing. A good quality extra-virgin olive oil is the oil of choice but did you know you can turn an ordinary vinegar into an extraordinary source of minerals?

In the Wise Woman tradition ("Healing Wise" by Susan Weed), it is claimed that we can improve our health by allying ourselves with common, abundant wild plants, the weeds. Called the green allies because they can become our closest friends in terms of supplying our bodies with what we need for good metabolism, strong bones and vitality. They grow naturally, are not an agricultural crop, therefore their genetic forms have not been altered and our bodies easily recognize their chemical makeup.

One of the most amazing attributes of the plant kingdom is it's ability to extract metallic compounds (minerals) from simple dirt and rocks and, with the help of the sun, rain, and soil bacteria, transform those metallic minerals into crystalline, water-soluble forms of the same pure minerals, and in doing so, make them usable to the animal life on the planet, including humans!  The minerals in plants are water soluble therefore in a form easily absorbed by our bodies.

Herbal vinegars are a wonderful way to put up herbs for later use.  Natural vinegars, preferably raw with the mother (Bragg's vinegar is a good one), are especially effective for extracting the mineral richness of plants.  Be sure pesticide or herbicide hadn't been used on the area you choose to gather your plants. Wait until late morning after the sun has dried the night dampness and using a kitchen shears snip the leaves leaving behind the plant to regrow (if desired). You don't want to pull the whole plant out of the ground and have the mess of dirt clinging to the leaves.

When you have enough plant material to fill a mason jar spread it out on a baking sheet for an hour or so to not only dry a bit more but to give any bugs a chance to exit. Using the kitchen shears cut the leaves, stems and flowers into smaller pieces to expose more surface area to the vinegar.  Pour the vinegar over the plant material to fill the jar and cover the plant material. Using a chopstick or wooden spoon (vinegar reacts with metal so don't use a metal spoon), push down the herbs to fully mix and release air bubbles. Then top off with more vinegar. Cap tightly with a plastic lid (don't use a metal lid) and let sit  for about six weeks. The location for the jar should be somewhere you won't forget about it since the jar should be shaken daily, but in a cool spot away from exposure to direct sunlight.

By six weeks the plant material will be pretty much used up and it is ready to strain. The easiest way to strain is to put a funnel into the opening of another jar or bottle and lay cheesecloth or a metal strainer over the funnel. Then pour the vinegar through and discard the plant material. You will be left with an ideal salad dressing loaded with goodness from the plants themselves. Herbal vinegars don't have to be refrigerated but it is best to use up within a year for the greatest potency from the herbs. Besides, you will probably want to make a fresh batch every spring anyway.

Spring is an ideal time to gather your greens since the plants are young and tender and not yet bitter.  

When gathering wild plants be sure you are able to properly identify them. A good source you could use is "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and not so wild) Places.  Written by Steve Brill and Evelyn Dean.  Below are a few of the common plants you can find in the typical yard or garden landscape. Again don't pick unless you know the area hadn't been treated with herbicides or pesticides.

Plantain

Nettles

Chickweed

Dandelion leaves

Dandelion flower

Lamb's Quarters

Violet flowers and leaves

Chicory

Red Clover

Sorrel

Herbal Allies

It is better to make little life changes along the way and feel somewhat in control than to wait until the big "change" is upon us and feel helpless.  Menopause is a natural stage of life that women push out of their minds until forced to deal with it.  Rather than living in dread and fear of the inevitable, why not reduce the risk of weakening bones with a few lifestyle changes now.

When people think of osteoporosis they usually just think about bone strength, but what is really important is the flexibility of the bones.  Flexible bones bend, whereas stiff bones snap (a link to more information).  If you cut and burn firewood you can easily visualize the comparison between green limbs and dry wood. Green wood gives when stressed whereas dry wood too easily succumbs to a good whack with its cracking sound.

It is a mistake to think that all we need is extra calcium to give our bones what they need (a link to more information). Bones are rich in many minerals, such as potassium, manganese, magnesium, silica, iron, zinc, selenium, boron, phosphorus, sulphur, chromium and more.  For our bodies to be able to absorb and utilize these minerals there has to be a balance between the supply and demand, and in a form the body can recognize.  For example, we need enough vitamin D present along with enough high-quality fats for proper assimilation.  We cannot just take our 1000 mg. of calcium a day and think that is sufficient.  Calcium all by itself is like a brittle piece of chalk, and if the body cannot break it down it just gets eliminated.  Municipal water treatment facilities can attest to the fact that on a regular basis, countless undigested vitamin and mineral pills  end up being pulled out of their city sewage filters.

According to the Physicians Desk Reference, "supplements in tablet or pill form are only 10% absorbed by the body."  So frustrating to think we're flushing away our money while just complying with our doctor's advice.
Digestion breaks down foods (and supplements) to find the nutrients hidden inside, and it uses whatever nutrients it finds in a useable size/state.  For the body to be able to use a nutrient, the nutrient must be able to enter a cell. Most of the minerals presented to the body through supplements are not recognized by cells as the minerals needed because they are in sizes and forms that are ineffective for cell assimilation. Calcium carbonate (one calcium atom and three carbon atoms) is not calcium (one calcium atom), chromium picolinate is not chromium, copper glutamate is not copper, etc., and none of these kinds of complex compounds are recognized by the cells as welcome nutrients, nor are they able to bond with water to enter the cell membrane. This would help to explain why people can take calcium carbonate supplements religiously, and yet their bodies continue to rob calcium from their bones causing osteoporosis.

So what are we supposed to do?  Farming practices have left our soils deplete in necessary essential nutrients so we are told we have to supplement our diets. Supplement with plants! 

One of the most amazing attributes of the plant kingdom is it's ability to extract metallic compounds (minerals) from simple dirt and rocks and, with the help of the sun, rain, and soil bacteria, transform those metallic minerals into crystalline, water-soluble forms of the same pure minerals, and in doing so, make them usable to the animal life on the planet, including humans!  The minerals in plants are water soluble therefore in a form easily absorbed by our bodies.

Herbal sources of necessary minerals needed for not only strong bones but all of our bodily systems include:  nettles, red clover, red raspberry, dandelion leaf, lamb's quarters, plantain, chickweed, dock, rose petals, rose hips, chicory, lemon balm and horsetail.  Get past the mentality that these plants are just weeds.  These plants have historically been used as a source of food as well as medicine to give the body what it needs. They grow naturally, are not an agricultural crop, therefore their genetic forms have not been altered and our bodies easily recognize their chemical makeup. Get yourself a good book on edible wild plants and you'll be amazed how many there are that we step on or pass by everyday without a second thought as to why mother nature put them here in the first place. A good source you could use is "Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and not so wild) Places.  Written by Steve Brill and Evelyn Dean.

1.  Utilizing plants in the form of tea infusions have been used all over the world for more than 5,000 years.  Tea blends are therapeutic, soothing and nourishing to both the soul and body.  Make tea time a daily ritual and you'll find it a wonderful way to relax and unwind, all while helping your body receive its necessary supplements.

www.mountainroseherbs.com 

http://www.teavana.com/

These sites are wonderful sources for delicious loose-leaf tea blends and various types of teapots.

chickweed

dandelion

2.  Spring greens have historically been eaten to detox and restore a body after a long, sedentary winter eating heavier foods.  Gather dandelion, nettles, chickweed, lamb's quarters and plantain in the spring when they are young and tender.
Add them to your usual salad or serve them as a cooked vegetable sauteed in a little olive oil or butter and seasoned with sea salt and/or vinegar.

pigweed or lamb's quarters

 3.  Herbal vinegars are a wonderful way to put up herbs for later use.  Natural vinegars, preferably raw with the mother (Bragg's vinegar is a good one), are especially effective for extracting the mineral richness of plants.  Gather your plants in late morning (let the sun dry them a bit from the morning dampness and make sure there hasn't been pesticide used on the area), and fill a mason jar with the fresh leaves, flowers or roots (tear or chop them up to expose more surface area).  Cover with your chosen vinegar and cap (don't use a metal lid).  Let sit for about six weeks, occasionally shake the jar, then strain off the herbs.  You now have an ideal salad dressing loaded with goodness from the plants themselves.

 4. A very informative article on how to make a nourishing, mineral rich soup stock boney brew.
The prolonged cooking of bones in water results in a nutritionally rich broth that promotes strength, tonify blood, and helps to prevent bone and connective tissue disorders. Once made, it can be eaten as a soup of just the broth or used as the base for any soup recipe of your choosing. It may also be used as a base for sauces or added in place of water in the cooking of rice or other grains.
Here is an excellent book on how to make boney brews and delicious recipes.

 5. Weight bearing and rhythmetrical exercise helps to strengthen and maintain flexible bones. The body is meant to move, a sedentary lifestyle just isn't natural.  The body is designed to push, pull, lift, bend and stretch. Don't get in the habit of the all or nothing method of visiting the gym once in a while and going overboard. Programs are great, but overdoing it in spurts can cause injury. Choose various activities you enjoy enough to keep it up and that use different muscle groups.  Alternate running or zumba with yoga or swimming.
Though our society has countless appliances and gadgets to save us time and energy, and we all know time is money, for the good of our health let's sometimes try to pass up on those energy savers.  Walk or bike whenever you can, take the stairs rather than the escalator or elevator.  Do your own labor intensive work, just find little ways to put more movement into your everyday life.

Sources for this post came from The Mineral Water Store nutritional supplementation and herbalist Susun Weed.  Her books include "The Menopausal Years" and "Healing Wise"