The Dandelion Plant and Its Benefits

The Dandelion Plant, 'taraxacum officinale , the common dandelion, Lions Tooth, Priest Crown, Pu Gong Ying, Swines Snout, Dent de Lion are all names used to describe this plant.

Dandelions are grown commercially on a small scale as a leaf vegetable.

The Leaves called , ' dandelion green ' can be eaten cooked or raw in various forms some as soups or salads.
They are close in character to ' mustard greens ' and the raw leaves are slightly bitter in taste.

Usually the young leaves and open buds are eaten raw in salads while older leaves are cooked.

Dandelion salad is often accompanied with hard boiled eggs.

The leaves are high in Vitamin A, C and iron, carrying more iron and calcium than spinach.

The Dandelion has been used as a medical herb, far back in Chinese history.

The Arabs then recognized its useful properties and these were written about in the 11th century.

It was they that taught the Europeans about the medical benefits of the dandelion.

There were no dandelions in North America until the May Flower arrived in 1620, then they were everywhere.

The Dandelion was introduced to Americans by the Europeans and was then used as part of their regular diet.

Away from their native regions, dandelions have been established in the Americans, Australia and New Zealand and now growing though out all temperate regions.

This tough, beautifully flowered and versatile plant, so easily overlooked, stands out as a most beneficial plants, used in alternative medicine.

Sources
Wikipedia
Photos
Photobucket