The health benefits of dandelion are often used for medicinal purposes thanks to its detox properties, which serve to cleanse the body.
It’s believed that this plant originally comes from Europe. However, these days you can find it all over the world. Dandelions don’t normally grow beyond 20 inches. They have a yellow flower and a spongy-looking white fruit.
Many people consider dandelions to be nothing more than weeds and you can find them in large fields or on grassy footpaths. However, in reality, these plants have some amazing health benefits.
The Health Benefits of Dandelion
As mentioned earlier, dandelions have properties which help to detox the body. This means that it can cleanse your body, as well as the digestive, renal, and circulatory systems.
You can get the most of the health benefits of dandelion in two ways:
- Salads: Using the leaves as a condiment.
- Teas: Making an infusion with the plant.
Helps to Prevent Fluid Retention
One main property of dandelion is its diuretic effect. This helps get rid of toxins from the body that disrupt bodily functions.
A dandelion infusion helps address any unnecessary build-up of fluids in the body, which also helps get rid of potential renal infections.
How to make Dandelion Tea
Making an infusion is a great way to extract its most important properties. By drinking it, your body can take advantage of the health benefits of dandelion to soothe certain ailments.
Below, we’ll tell you how to make an infusion to easily get the health benefits of dandelion.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. of dry dandelion leaves (15 g)
- 1 cup of water (250 ml)
How to Make It:
- Heat the water.
- When it reaches a boil, pour it into a mug along with the dandelion leaves.
- Stir a little and leave it to steep for 5 minutes.
Drink this dandelion infusion twice a week for a month or on occasions when you’ve overeaten.
Helps Your Digestive System
The detox properties of dandelion are really useful for addressing digestive problems. This is extremely helpful for getting rid of excess fat in the body and improving bile production, which is needed for good digestive transit.
By adding dandelion to your diet, you’ll notice a significant improvement to any problems with slow digestion, including problems when you go to the bathroom.
To do this and enjoy its benefits, we recommend that you eat fresh dandelion leaves in your salads.
Ingredients:
- 2 lettuce leaves
- ½ carrot
- 1 cup of dandelion leaves (30 g)
- lemon juice
How to Make It:
- Gently rip two very green lettuce leaves into a bowl.
- Grate half a carrot into the bowl.
- Add the dandelion leaves and dress with a few drops of lemon juice.
It’s Great for Your Skin
Dandelion can also be used to soothe and relieve rashes or skin problems caused by psoriasis.
These conditions can be very itchy and painful. However, you can use dandelion for this, too, by applying it topically to relieve the symptoms.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of dandelion leaves (60 g)
- warm water (as necessary)
How to Use It:
- Take two bunches of dandelion leaves.
- Leave them in warm water for 15 minutes.
- Remove the leaves and place them over the affected area.
- Wrap the area in a clean bandage.
- Allow the leaves to act for an hour and repeat until the rash disappears.
Recommendations
If you experience any side effects, go straight to your doctor.
You can find dandelions in parks, but you should be sure to choose dandelion that hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides and wash it well, preferably with warm water. This way, you’ll be sure that it’s not dirty or contaminated in any way.
Remember: Excessive use of any medicinal plant or medication can be toxic and seriously affect your health.
Via: DIYNatural | VeryWellHealth
