Dandelion - My New Favorite Herb

I go through phases. What's my favorite herb? For a while, it was stinging nettle. Stinging nettle will always have a special place in my heart. But I think with spring coming, dandelion is on my mind. Dandelion pushes through the ground a lot sooner than nettle does. And besides, I don't see Nettle that often - dandelion grows in my own yard.

So, I did some research today and found out some things about Dandelion. These things take into account the whole plant - the root, flowers, and leaves. Each part is used for different things. For example, the flowers are high in antioxidants. The root is what people use most often for water retention and to help the liver. The leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. Here's a rough list:

• good for the liver and gallbladder
• helps with water retention
• source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E
• good source of potassium, also has iron, zing, and magnesium
• used for digestive problems including poor appetite and heart burn
• often used for skin problems

I pulled this from different source - mainly from susunweed.com. She also included recipes for things like Dandelion wine. Looks good!