Survival Skills
Benefits Of Dandelions | More Reasons To Love The Survival “Weed”
Dandelions can be the best weeds, especially when you're trying to survive in the wilderness.
The Best Reasons to Love Dandelions
Why Are Dandelions Important?
Many people tend to categorize the dandelions as weeds. It is not surprising since these can be invasive.
Dandelion Definition: A dandelion is a flowering plant with several health benefits, such as fighting inflammation, help in reducing cholesterol, aid in controlling blood sugar, and etc.
The dandelion benefits, though, are worth noting as well — and they will surprise you.
They can be for decorations, but they can also be a source of sustenance. You can, for example, make tea out of the leaves!
Read on for more surprising reasons to love the plant. Learn also why you should look for them in a survival situation.
1. The Plant Is Edible
Even in the darkest of times, there is always a little light. Sometimes, it has a yellow tip, a green body, and a brown root.
The plant is an edible “weed” that grows in almost every grassy area or lawn. That's why some people look at them as garden pests.
If you ask me, it may be a good thing they are invasive. They make great survival food and will be abundant when other types of food are scarce.
2. It Can Be Nutritious
The plant is healthy for you and contains different types of vitamins. These include the following:
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Vitamin C
- Iron
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin A
They may also add some dietary fiber to the body.
As you can see, the plant can healthy. They may even save your life in difficult situations.
RELATED: Medicinal Plants You Can Grow In Your Backyard | Survival Life
Considerations When Gathering It
When gathering dandelion plants, remember the whole plant is edible. You should pull up as much of it as you can.
The leaves, though, are what you want to get since they have the most nutritional value. They're perfect for making dandelion leaves salad!
Once you finish gathering the weed, wash it. If water is not available, be sure the plant is clean enough to eat.
See to it no brown spots or blemishes are present on the plant.
What to Make Out of the Weed
You can eat the dandelion as is. You can also boil it or make tea from it.
This plant can taste like spinach.
Check out this dandelion tea recipe from our friends @PioneerSettler!https://t.co/pugaRDGr4q pic.twitter.com/0qHMgNXQl0
— Survival Life (@SurvivalLF) May 12, 2016
If you want to make a dandelion tea, here are some simple steps:
- Bring some water to a boil.
- Cut up the dandelion leaves and put them in the boiling water.
- Let them steep for 2 minutes.
- Let them cool, filter and pour them into a cup, and enjoy.
You can add honey or sugar to add more flavor.
If you don’t want these “weeds” in your lawn, you may want to consider farming them.
They are easy to garden since they need only water and sun. Growing them in large buckets is ideal.
Check out this video by jnull0 to learn more about growing dandelions:
Dandelions, indeed, are a nutritious and healthy plant that can save your life. The next time you mow the lawn or pull out the weeds, think twice before you kill them!
Do you know the other benefits of a dandelion? Share them in the comments section below.
Up Next: Edible Insects You Can Consume When Stuck In The Wild
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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Roger Tigner
February 9, 2018 at 6:29 AM
Roll the flower bud’s in butter and flower, and fry. It is a treat that taste much like a moral mushroon.
Ashton Laurent
February 9, 2018 at 9:36 AM
I never allow poison to be used in my yard because I use everything I can.
Here is how I cook dandelion leaves.
Cut up garlic. Use a little olive oil ( a couple of Tablespoons is enough.)
Don’t heat the oil on high heat. Be sure to stir the garlic because you don’t want it to burn. When it starts to get brown, put a cup of water in to stop the cooking. Then put the clean leaves in the pot. Let this cook on low for just a little while. You don’t want to cook it to death. Otherwise, you lose all the vitamins.
This is a bitter green – like escarole (You always cook bitter greens with garlic. Sweet greens are cooked with onions). Bitter greens are beneficial for your liver and build up the iron in your body.
If you grow beets, you can cook those greens with onions – they are sweet greens.
Geraldine Gregory
June 11, 2019 at 11:46 AM
Thanks for the tip about greens and onions v garlic. Very interesting. I’ll try your recipe too.
Robert Pollock
February 9, 2018 at 10:14 AM
They are very good, keep an open mind.
Dio
February 9, 2018 at 10:23 AM
AMAZING DANDELION SOUP RECIPE
Pick about 10 nice fresh healthy looking dandelion leaves (no blemishes) and about 8-10 inches long.
Or whatever size, as long as you get about an equivalent amount of fresh dandelions.
Get a pot.
Add
1- quart water
1/2- tsp sea salt
1- 5-6 oz potato (julienned) or chopped fine.
Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium/low and cook until potatoes are cooked.
While potato is cooking, chop up dandelion leaves fine, and add to pot and stir a bit and cover.
Cook on low heat for a couple of minutes.
Chop up about 2-3 tablespoons of fresh dill. Add to pot.
Stir in a bit and cover.
Add 2 tblspns of butter
Add pepper to taste.
Let sit for 5-10 min for flavors to blend.
Serve with warm fresh baked multi grain or real good old fashioned European rye bread and butter.
An amazing elixir!!!!!!!!
Very filling and soothing.
Elixir: 1. a magical or medicinal potion.
“a homemade elixir purported to enhance virility”
2. a preparation that was supposedly able to change metals into gold, sought by alchemists.
3. a preparation supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely.
Renae
February 9, 2018 at 11:54 AM
Dandelion salve is great for skincare…
Dandelion Infused Oil:
Glass Pint Jar with lid and rings – washed clean and sterilized
1 cup of dried dandelion heads
Olive Oil
Place your dried flowers in the clean glass jar. Fill with the olive oil, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top of your jar. Use a butter knife to get out any air bubbles that may be present and cap your jar. From here, you can store in a cool, dark place, for 4 to 6 weeks to let the dandelions and oil fully infuse. Shake your jar once a day to help the process. However, being the ever impatient person that I am, you can also infuse your oil in a crockpot/slow cooker. After a long winter, my skin and the chickens combs need some TLC and I am usually pretty anxious for my first batch of dandelion oil salve. To speed up the process, put a small towel or washcloth on the bottom of your slow cooker. Next, place your your filled jar on the towel. Fill the slow cooker with water until the water reaches about 1/2 of the way up the jar. Turn the crockpot to the warm setting and let heat slowly for 6 to 8 hours. Your temperature of the oil should be between 100F to 120F. Any higher and you are cooking the oil and no longer infusing it. During this heating process, it is helpful to shake the jar(s) of oil to help mix and fully infuse the oil. Once done, allow the jars to cool to room temperature before straining the flowers out of the oil. I do a double straining method. First with a fine baking sifter and next with a cheesecloth. Once strained and free of debris, you have a wonderful infused oil.
Now that you have Dandelion infused oil, you can make salve…. Yay Salve!
Dandelion Salve:
(In this salve, I use an 8:1 oil to beeswax ratio)
7oz Dandelion Infused Olive Oil
1oz Coconut Oil
1oz Beeswax Pastilles – You can grate beeswax instead of using pastilles
In a glass jar, mix your oils and beeswax. Set this jar into a pan filled with a couple inches of water. Begin to heat to a low, medium low, heat. Stir until everything is melted and combined. Once combined, remove from the heat and pour into smaller containers or keep in the same glass jar you melted everything in.
This salve is great for your chickens combs (helps prevent frostbite) as well as your own hands after a long dry winter or digging in the dirt all day. A little dab will do you and your birds. Just rub into the skin and enjoy the moisturizing and healing benefits from the all natural salve made from your very own dandelion harvest.
Mark Diehm
February 9, 2018 at 2:42 PM
The roots, chopped and roasted, can be used as a coffee substitute. Dandy Blend is a commercial powder that we put in chocolate milk or milk shakes to make a Mocha flavor. The darker you roast the stronger the flavor.
Kathryn
February 9, 2018 at 7:34 PM
Dandelions are wonderful for kidney and bladder health…my Mama used to have kidney and bladder infections until she started drinking Dandelion tea.
Willowa
February 11, 2018 at 8:43 PM
Good article, thank you!
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