Traditionally, dandelion leaves are eaten as a spring tonic, to gently cleanse the body with the change of seasons, but they are also edible in summer and fall.
Eating dandelion supports the liver and kidneys, which are burdened by the breakdown of cells as the warmer weather thins our blood and mucus. Dandelion tastes mildest before it flowers, but the greens may be eaten throughout the growing season, for the high concentration of calcium, potassium, iron, Vitamin A, and other nutrients, the vitality inherent in uncultivated plants, and the joy of being able to eat one’s lawn.
People troubled with digestion may find it helpful to eat a few dandelion leaves--the fresher the better--about 20 minutes before eating. The bitter taste, largely absent from the American diet (except for coffee and beer), will stimulate secretion of digestive enzymes, making the meal easier to digest. Those who haven’t yet acquired a taste for healthful bitterness can rip the leaves into small pieces, and they’ll blend right into salad or soup. Simmering the leaves in a little water for ten to fifteen minutes reduces the bitterness, and application of a dressing (try oil, vinegar, and soy sauce, with optional minced garlic) further enhances the flavor. (If possible, drink the cooking water so you won’t lose the priceless nutrients.)
Dandelion is used medicinally as a liver tonic and as a mild diuretic. The roots may be dug in fall or early spring and tinctured (soaked in a jar of brandy or vodka for four weeks or more to extract the medicinal components). A dropperful of this alcohol extract twice a day is a time-honored remedy for liver complaints. The leaves are also good for the liver but have more of the diuretic properties and also contain potassium, which replaces the potassium that tends to be depleted by diuresis.
Most people know what dandelion looks like. Long, narrow, deep-green leaves emerge straight from the ground in a basal rosette. The leaf edges vary from deeply jagged to barely toothed. If you break a leaf (or root or flower stem), a bitter milky sap oozes out--as in related plants such as chicory and wild lettuce, which are also edible. (Note that milkweed, which also has a milky sap, is somewhat toxic unless boiled in several changes of water—but you are unlikely to mistake milkweed, with its tall, thick stem, for humble dandelion.) Although the dandelion root sometimes forks or branches a bit, it consists largely of a long, white taproot. The familiar, fuzzy flower’s bright yellow rays are edible and sweet and make a pleasant nibble out in the yard, although the green base of the flower is chewy and more harsh.
The blossoms are also spectacularly handsome, of the purest and happiest yellow. A close examination reveals the different textures of petal, pistil, and stamen, the tiny notches in the tip of each petal, the tan stripes on the undersides of the lowest rays.
For more on dandelions, see the Botany blog Dandelion Harvest and the Home and Garden article The Downtrodden Dandelion.
