How Dandy: The Anti-Stress Benefits of a Dandelion
April 21, 2008 by Liberty Kontranowski
Filed under A Mother's Wisdom, Easy Health Tips, Food and Drink, Happy Living Tip, Stress, Your Mind
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Spring is in the air for many of us, and usually that means allergies, yard work and the weeds that cause a lot of allergies and yard work.
But the next time you see a stray dandelion pop up in your yard, don’t be so quick to dig it up. Instead, admire it for it’s stress-busting abilities.
Here’s the scoop: The leaves of a dandelion are packed with calming B vitamins and lethicin, which lessen stress and anxiety by balancing chemicals in your brain. Dandelions also boost levels of the happy chemical, seratonin.
Now, we’re not recommending that you run out and pluck these from your yard to make a meal out of. But the next time you head to the grocer, look for premixed salad kits that include dandelions or maybe try a dandelion-enhanced tea blend. And, of course, be sure to spend some time outdoors where these little wonders can be found in all their natural glory. Because there is hardly a better mood-booster than a beautiful, sunny day.
More Dandelion Health Benefits
More Info on Dandelions as a Supplement
Actually, I think you /should/ use the leaves in a salad. Presuming that you haven’t been spraying your lawn with pesticides, you’d be eating greens that have more iron than spinach and lots of other healthy stuff as well.
One more argument: dandelion leaves are a diuretic, but — unlike the vast majority of diuretics — they don’t make you lose potassium.
Almost any diuretic that humans take will cause an imalance in their system between sodium and potassium. (This is not good.) But because dandelion leaves are so high in potassium, the diuretic effect does not end up leaving an imbalance in the system.
Okay, enough preaching. I’m done now. Honest. Seriously. (Not that I wasn’t serious above, because I was.)
So what you’re saying is that a garden full of dandelions is a healthy garden — wow…and I just thought my garden was ‘full of weeds’.
Thanks for your added insight, Merry. There is definitely a lot more to these pesky “weeds” than I ever knew.
Do you use dandelion leaves/extracts on a pretty regular basis then?
Yeah, Liz. Who knew, huh?
See, you really do learn something new every day!
I don’t know…dandelions seem to really stress out my neighbor. Especially when my yard is full of them and he pays big $$$ to have his killed…then the wind blows from my yard to his.
He trims his driveway edges with scissors.
Anyway, my grandma used to cook up dandelion greens all the time–they were my favorite as a kid.
Wow, Kula. Sounds like your neighbor could stand a little dandelion therapy. Why don’t you introduce him to the fantasticness that is dandelion leaves…next thing you know, he’ll be welcoming your dandelion pollen!!
I think they are beautiful – I don’t care what any one else thinks!
Although they can really take over an area if you’re not careful.
I think they’re pretty too, Trisha. Like mini-sunflowers kind of. They’re even prettier when I’m wearing a mask over my face and not breathing in their pollen!!
Mother Earth magazine has a great article Wild About Dandelions online — has some dandelion salad recipes…
Fabulous link, Liz. Thanks so much!