Dandelion Root Powder
All parts of the plant (flowers, leaves, roots, and stems) can be used medicinally. Interestingly enough, the dandelion's botanical name, Taraxacum officinale, is Latin for “remedy for man's illnesses.”
Beneficial Components:
• More vitamin A than carrots
• Vitamins B, C, and D
• Calcium salts
• Manganese
• Choline (good for cholesterol distribution)
• Potassium (vital for proper kidney function and muscle tone)
Medicinal Properties:
• Tonic (strengthens the organs and the entire body)
• Blood purifier
• Gentle purgative (mild stimulant for the bowels)
• Astringent (contracts tissue, reducing secretions or discharges of mucous and fluids from the body)
• Ideally balanced diuretic that may be used frequently and safely
• Disinfectant (cleanses wounds and sores)
• Stimulant (quickens the functional activity of tissues)
• Stomachic (strengthens and stimulates the stomach)
• Cholagogue (increases the flow of bile into the intestines)
• Sudorific (promotes perspiration)
• Anti-rheumatic (eases the symptoms of rheumatism)
Important Uses:
• Removes poisons from the body
• Benefits liver function
• Promotes bile production
• Removes excess water from the body
Organ Groups or Conditions that Can Benefit from Dandelion Use:
• Blood, because of the purifying effect
• Hypochondria and Insomnia
• Cardiovascular System, because it promotes circulation and the healthy function of the heart muscle; reduces fluid retention due to heart problems
• Female Conditions, because it helps with premenstrual fluid retention; the leaves can be helpful with PMS
• Gastro-Intestinal Tract, because it improves digestion, stimulates appetite, helps with constipation
• Genitourinary Tract, as it reduces uric acid; the leaves can be helpful with gout and urinary infections
• Glands, the stems can be used for glandular swellings
• Inflammation and Arthritis, the leaves can be helpful with chronic rheumatism
• Liver, clears obstructions, helps with cholesterol distribution, reduces cholesterol in the blood, removes poisons, helps with gallstones, reduces jaundice
• Spleen
Dandelion Root Powder
A Healthy Liver
In Western medicine, the importance of a healthy liver is often ignored, but natural health practitioners, especially those trained in Chinese medicine, recognize its fundamental role.
Just how critical is the liver? It is the largest gland in the body, the second largest organ and it performs over 500 specific tasks. Some of its essential functions include:
1. Production of glucose (blood sugar)
2. Conversion of glucose to glycogen (a form of sugar that can be stored for future use)
3. Production of critical blood proteins (white blood cells, for example) and blood clotting proteins
4. Digestion of fats and storage of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and certain minerals
Signs of an Unhealthy Liver
Some signs of an unhealthy liver include:
1. Acne, dry skin and other skin problems (sometimes bile in the bloodstream can cause the skin to itch all over)
2. Digestive problems (nausea, poor fat digestion, constipation, hemorrhoids)
3. Certain types of headaches, particularly those around the top of the head
4. Yellow skin or eyes
If you suffer from low energy, it may be due to an overloaded liver. Since detoxification uses a large portion of your body’s energy, little is left over for other functions. A sluggish liver leads to the build-up of toxins, which make the cells and organs susceptible to disease. A toxic liver strains other systems – glands, muscles, joints, other organs… the entire body.
Liver imbalances may manifest themselves through weight gain, stomach ache, stiff and cramping joints, dry itchy red eyes, fatigue, headache, or depression.
As the body’s primary detoxifying organ, the liver can store pounds of undesirable material. Many people have a liver enlarged to twice its healthy size as a result! This toxic build-up results from over-consumption of meat and animal products, environmental toxins, and overeating in general.
In Oriental medicine, a healthy liver is essential to having smooth emotional interactions.
Harvest Haven Dandelion Root Powder Facts
It is:
1. Rich in calcium (highest concentration of any plant), potassium, and organic sodium, with some iron and phosphorus
2. A good source of protein
3. High in vitamins A, B, C, and E
4. Free of any pesticides and herbicides
5. Watered with Grander Living Water, which enables all plants including dandelions to much more effectively assimilate nutrients from the soil
A Note on Supplements
Our bodies were created to derive nutrients from whole foods, not vitamin or mineral extracts. In fact, as little as 10-20% of the vitamins and minerals in a tablet or capsule are absorbed by the body. Dandelion Root Powder is a whole food which provides a nutritional boost to the liver aiding it in its natural function of cleansing the body.
Dandelion - A Carpet of Health under Our Feet
Science is finally catching up to what has been known since prehistory…dandelion is good for what ails you. A number of studies have found dandelion extract and tea to be effective in treating different types of cancer with no toxic side effects.
Related Links:
Dandelion gets scientific acceptance as an antioxidant and "novel" cancer therapy (Natural News.com)
Dandelion root destroys cancer cells, study finds (Australian National Review)
Can dandelions kill cancer? (Global News.ca)
Cancer-fighting tea set for clinical trials in Ontario (CBC.ca)
Not so Trivial Trivia on the Dandelion
1. It is a member of the sunflower family.
2. The name is derived from the French dents de lion (teeth of the lion) due to the jagged shape of its leaves.
3. The botanical name, Taraxacum officinale, is Latin for “remedy for man's illnesses.”
4. A native to Europe it was introduced to North America in the mid-1600s by European settlers who cultivated it in their gardens for food and medicine. They knew, as do modern herbalists, that the dandelion is one of the most nutrient-dense plants.
5. Herbalists classify dandelion as a bitter herb with cool energy.
6. Dandelion greens also contain many healing properties. They have more vitamin A than almost any other vegetable and are also a great liver cleanser. They help to stimulate glandular activity and the flow of bile. Eat them in salads or quickly steamed.
This is a good snapshot of the dandelion from an Alberta Native Plant Council fact sheet:
Getting to Know the Common Dandelion.
We have much in common with the dandelion. Read more...
Dandelion is a very beneficial herb; we carry Dandelion Greens and Dandelion Root Powder.