Merry Rambler

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I am a Reiki & Meditation Teacher. I wander among the realms of the I Ching &The Tree Ogham I have an allotment by the sea which is my haven & retreat.

Saturday 15 February 2014

The Dandelion


The Dandelion
taraxacum officinale 
Everyone knows this plant, In May the meadows,filled with the radiant yellow blossom can be seen from long distance.  The leaves including the roots are eaten as salad.  In autumn there roots contain a lot of sugar.  Hare, Rabbits. birds and cattle like it very much. The Dandelion has existed since the time of creation of the universe and sows itself.  Father John Kunzle, Herbs & Weeds, 1911 
I do have dandelions on my plot, I have a patch by the gate.   I love to see the the sunshine flowers in Spring and the bumble bees that nest on my plot appreciate their early flowering. One naturalist counted 93 different insects visiting a patch of dandelions.

 I try not to let them seed and produce that wonderful round seed head like  a white downy clock that I use to play with as a child.  I would  huff and puff them away counting the time.  I do not do that now as I do want them to seed all over my plot as they are difficult to root out once they get their tap root down into the soil.

 Gertrude Jekyll  recommended carry a blunt knife with you as you garden and tackle dandelions with it.:
If you cannot get the dandelion right up you should scratch away some of the top soil and cut away the root as far down as you can with the blade of the knife. Gertrude Jekyll 1908.
For many people the dandelion is just a despised as a weed, but it is a valuable healing herb that has been used for thousand of year and probably longer.  The Ancient Chinese Herbalist  would prescribe dandelion for colds, bronchitis, boils ulcers, obesity  and for kidney and bladder infections.  India's traditional Ayurvedic physicians prescribed dandelion for a similar list of complaints.

In the middle ages the "Doctrine of Signatures  used by physicians stated that parts of  plants having a resemblance to any part of the human body will have a therapeutic relationship and treat dieeases of a particular organ,therefore, the yellow flowers of the dandelion were linked to the liver's yellow bile and considered a liver remedy and a treatment for jaundice and and gall stones.  This Doctrine also valued the dandelion as diuretic because its has juicy leaves, stems and roots linked it to urine production.

By the 17th Century the  herb was well know for being a diuretic in Europe and in England where it became known as piss-a-bed from the French pissenlit.  I can remember as a child that anyone who picked a dandelion was taunted by that name. The Pilgrim Colonist in America took Dandelion seeds with them to America, were the native Indians soon recognized it as a powerful  herbal detox and tonic in spring.

 Today it is still used as a herbal infusion in Spring to detox the body and young leaves are recommended as a blood cleanser and are beneficial to the digestion, to the kidneys and in bladder complaints like cystitis. The leaves contain high degree of potassium unlike some of the other remedies for kidney and urine complaints which can cause a loss of potassium. Potassium is vital for the heart, kidney and other organs.

 Drinking dandelion tea or coffee can be beneficial to suffers of rheumatism and arthritis.  If you get stung by a bee or other insects split the stem of a dandelion flower and dab the milky sap  onto the sting for to soothe the pain. A Tea made from the young leaves gives a wonderful boast to the body and Glennie Kindred suggests Dandelion Tea made from the leaves or coffee from the roots is:

....a very useful herb for emotional stagnation, turning depression into expression and self empowerment.
Dandelion wine is one of the best country wines I have ever tasted at one time the flowers would be picked from hedgerows and fields edges but nowadays it is best made with cultivated dandelions as there is no knowing what chemicals may have been sprayed on the ground.

Do not use Dandelions if you have kidney stones and if used as diuretic for slimming it is best use it for only a few weeks.

The Dandelion's flowers glow in the sun like jewels and they are in fact a jewel of a healing herb.

With Reiki's golden light

MerryB


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