dandelion leaves

Leaves dandelion not only edible, but also useful. Previously, every healer knew about the benefits of dandelion leaves and used them in folk medicine. However, now even more traditional medicines cannot do without dandelion leaves.

Dandelion leaves are a healthy and vitamin-rich raw material that is used in the following cases:

• against scurvy;
• to improve the functioning of the digestive tract;
• for the treatment of diseases of the kidneys and liver;
• to improve the functioning of the bile ducts;
• as a diuretic;
• to improve appetite.

Many people suffer from beriberi. You can fill the lack of nutrients with the help of dandelion leaves. For this, an infusion is prepared.

About 10 gr. crushed leaves and the same number of plant roots are poured into 200-250 ml. boiling water, insist in a thermos for a couple of hours and filter.

It is recommended to drink a quarter cup several times a day half an hour before meals. Instead of infusion, you can use the juice of dandelion leaves. The recommended dosage is a tablespoon several times a day before meals.

Dandelion juice can be bought at a pharmacy.

But you can also cook it at home:

• Collect a plastic bag of young dandelion leaves. Rinse them.
• Prepare saline solution from 6 tbsp. salt per 1 liter. boiling water. Let the solution cool to room temperature. Pour the chilled solution over the leaves.
• After half an hour, drain the water through a colander, rinse the leaves and scald with boiling water.Pass them through a meat grinder or chop with a blender.
• Wrap the resulting mass in gauze and squeeze the juice.
• Add water in a ratio of 1 to 1.

Since the juice will be bitter, you can sweeten it slightly with sugar or, better, with honey. Store dandelion juice in the refrigerator.

Dandelion leaves help relieve skin inflammation, make the skin smoother and brighter, and also discolor freckles. To do this, you can wipe the face with the juice of the leaves or prepare a decoction. To do this, use one and a half glasses of water per 20 g of crushed leaves. They should be boiled for 15-20 minutes. After the broth has cooled, it must be filtered. Before going to bed, it is recommended to wipe your face with it.

You can also take 6-7 dandelion leaves, grind them to a pulp and mix with a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese. For dry skin types, no other ingredients are needed, for oily or combination skin, two more egg whites are added. Before applying the mask, the inflamed areas of the skin are wiped with the juice of the leaves. They are already wearing a mask. Cleanse the skin after 20 minutes with sour milk.

To strengthen the hair roots and reduce their fat content, a mask is prepared from dandelion leaves, mint and mountain ash. They are taken in equal proportions and crushed into gruel. It is rubbed into the scalp and hair roots. For the best effect, you can wrap your head with a film, and put on a hat or wrap a towel on top. After 40 minutes, the mask is washed off.

If you suffer from split ends, then take a spoonful of crushed leaves and pour 200 ml of boiling water over it. When the water turns dark, strain the infusion and after washing your hair, rinse it with the prepared liquid.

There are many recipes for dandelion salads. Here is some of them:

1. Young freshly picked leaves are finely chopped, chopped onions and carrots are added. The salad is salted, and either sour cream or lemon juice with olive oil is used as a dressing.
2. You can make a salad only from dandelion leaves. They must first be soaked in salted water for a couple of hours, and then finely chopped, add salt and sugar to taste. Dressing can be apple cider vinegar with olive oil or low-fat sour cream.
3. Dandelion leaves are washed and soaked in salted water for about an hour. Then boil them for 10-15 minutes until they become soft, then cut and mix with chopped green onions. Salt, spices and sugar to taste, lemon juice and olive oil are added to the greens. Within 50 minutes, the greens should absorb the spices. Then cheese is cut into medium cubes, and the salad is served on the table.
4. For this salad, take 0.1 kg of dandelion leaves, pre-soaked in salt water, and a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts. The leaves are cut and mixed with nuts. The dressing is honey, which is mixed with vegetable oil.
5. 0.1 kg of dandelion leaves are soaked for half an hour in salt water, then finely chopped. Chopped green onions and parsley are added to them. Boil the egg first. Greens are seasoned with apple cider vinegar mixed with vegetable oil. Pre-salt and pepper to taste.When serving, decorate the salad with finely chopped dill and chopped egg.
6. Soak dandelion leaves in salt water to remove bitterness, then finely chop. Mix with chopped parsley and green onions. Greens are salted and lemon juice mixed with vegetable oil is added as a dressing.

In rare cases, side effects from dandelion leaves are possible. For example:

• diarrhea;
• blockage of the bile ducts;
• vomiting and nausea.

However, this effect is possible only with an overdose.

It is not recommended to use dandelion leaves:

• with acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• with a tendency to diarrhea;
• with increased stomach acidity.