"I am the Allower of my own Wellbeing"

A monthly newsletter written by Sherry Dell, PhD, CN

Volume 2, Issue 8
April, 2009

Dandelion Flower Cookies

Preheat oven to 375°F. Blend oil and honey and beat in the two eggs, sugar, nuts and vanilla. Stir in flour, oatmeal, baking soda and dandelion flowers. Drop the batter by teaspoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes at sea level.  You'll probably need more flour and higher and longer cooking time at high altitude.  

*be sure to use flowers free from chemical pesticides, wash well in clear water; measure 1/2 cup flowers with green base then separate petals from greens at base of flower by holding petals and twisting off green part; use only petals since the green is bitter.

It's that time of year.  The bright yellow flowers of the dandelion are showing up in my yard again.  I don't know how or when it happened, but the beautiful dandelion has long been condemned as a weed.  So I dutifully spend the warm months pulling and digging them out of the ground.  I think many people even resort to drowning them in toxic chemicals. All to maintain our sense of backyard "style."

But early in the spring like this, when dandelion's leaves are tender and sweet, I've learned to make good use of the "weeds" I'm pulling out of the ground.  The ubiquitous dandelion has so many nutritional and therapeutic qualities.

First of all, the tender green leaves that come up before the flower does are a highly nutritious food with properties of a spring tonic.  After all the long, nutritionally-depleting months of winter, this super burst of  beta-carotene, iron and calcium,  B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc is just what a body needs.  Pick the leaves from plants that have not yet flowered.  (Remember dandelion leaves are deeply serrated like the blade of a saw and give it the french origins of its name: dent de lion or lion's tooth.  

Even more importantly, pick the leaves of plants that have not been subjected to gardening chemicals, car fumes, or other modern toxins.  Eat them fresh in a salad like you would any lettuce. Or sautee them with onions and garlic and a vinegar splash as a side dish. 

One word of caution: if you aren't used to eating wild grown foods, start out slow.  Your body may jump into detoxification mode with all this extra nutrition on board.  And yes, that is a good, healthy thing.  But if the rate of detoxification is greater than your rate of elimination, you won't be thanking me.  Symptoms of detox can include, headache, flu-like achiness, fatigue, rashes, nausea, etc.  If any of those things happens, the "cure" is quite simple: just stop eating dandelion until the cleansing process slows down.

The flowers and roots are also highly nutritious and edible.  Flowers are commonly used to make tea or wine and are great stirred into scrambled eggs or salad or used on any plate as a garnish.  The roots are best harvested in the spring and can be chopped into soups or casserole similar to other root vegetables.  The above mentioned caution regarding the possibilities of detox apply here as well.

Therapeutically, all parts of the dandelion have tremendous application including the sap.  In general the dandelion has a long history of use to help kidney and liver function.  As such it can be very helpful with digestive complaints.  Dandelion root tea can be a helpful laxative. Dandelion leaf tea can help relieve mild cases of fluid retention.  The white sap from the stems can be used on warts, pimples, and bee stings to name a few.  The list of applications is very long and you may want to discuss your specific therapeutic uses with an herbalist.  

In any case, the dandelion makes it well worth the effort to think twice before we yank it out and throw it on the weed pile.