Dandelions!

One of my very very favorite HERBS (aka, a weed to some people) is the DANDELION! Here is SC they are starting to pop out of the ground. The WHOLE plant is good for you...leaves, flower and root. I eat the dandelion is some form (usually the root) every day! I am thrilled they are coming out so I can have some fresh, young leaves to eat. 

Dandelion leaves act as a diuretic, increasing the amount of urine 

your body

 makes. The leaves are used to stimulate the appetite and help 

digestion.

 

Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help

improve the immune system.

 

Herbalists use dandelion root to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, 

and

dandelion leaves to help kidney function.

 

Medicinal Uses and Indications

Most scientific studies of dandelion have been in animals, not people.

Traditionally, dandelion has been used a diuretic, to increase the 

amount of

urine in order to get rid of too much fluid.

It has been used for many conditions where a diuretic might help, 

such as liver

 problems and high blood pressure. However, there is no good 

research on

using dandelion as a diuretic in people.

 

Fresh or dried dandelion herb is also used as a mild appetite 

stimulant and to

improve upset stomach. The root of the dandelion plant may act like a 

mild

laxative and has been used to improve digestion. Some very 

preliminary

research suggests dandelion may help improve liver and gallbladder 

function,

but the study was not well designed.

 

Some preliminary animal studies also suggest that dandelion may 

help

normalize blood sugar levels and lower total cholesterol and 

triglycerides

while raising HDL, "good," cholesterol in diabetic mice. But not all the 

animal

studies have found a positive effect on blood sugar, and researchers 

need to

see if dandelion would work in people.

 

A few animal studies also suggest that dandelion might help fight

inflammation.

 

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/dandelion-000236.htm