Many gardeners and even your typical home owners view the dandelion as something that causes great trouble or suffering, when it actually has so much medicinal value. Each part of the dandelion can be used to aide different ailments: the root and leaves can make a tea to help calm stomach aches by promoting healthy digestion, dandelion roots also nourish the liver and the root can be made into coffee, dandelion flowers relieve pain from headaches, backaches, and menstrual cramps and can make wonderful jelly, and its sap can help acne, skin diseases, burns and stings, and has anti aging properties!
Dandelion sap, also known as dandelion milk, is high in Vitamin C and is a powerful antioxidant which makes dandelion a great topical treatment for fighting free radicals and the signs of aging skin. Dandelions contain potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. The root is particularly rich in mineral concentration. These minerals will hydrate the tissues and support the functions of the skin. The milk or sap from the stem of the flower is useful in treating skin diseases, which are caused by microbial or fungal infections. It’s high alkaline levels help fight off infection in the skin’s tissues, including itching, eczema, and the bacteria that promotes acne.
Acne:
Dandelion juice, being a stimulant, diuretic, and detoxifier in nature, can help regulate proper secretion of hormones, increase sweating and widen the pores. These factors help to facilitate the removal of toxins through sweat and urine. If topically applied to areas with acne the sap can inhibit microbial infection and reduce the frustrating signs of acne. Also, it can speed up healing due to its vitamin-C content, so the scars and red inflammation that traditionally follow an acne treatment will be less noticeable.
Skin Diseases:
Dandelion sap is useful in treating skin diseases which are caused by microbial and fungal infections. This treatment stems from the fact that the sap is highly alkaline and has germicidal, insecticidal, and fungicidal properties. Its sap can be used on itches, ringworm, eczema, and other skin conditions without the risk of side effects or hormonal disturbances commonly caused by pharmaceutical skin treatments.
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Burns & Stings:
The anti-inflammatory property of dandelion makes it feasible for curing topical burns. That is why the leaves and roots of this plant have been used in Chinese medicine to treat poison ivy, sunburns, and hives.
Anti-Aging:
Being rich in antioxidants, dandelions prevent aging by reducing the appearance of fine lines, dark spots and wrinkles around the eyes and lips. Besides nourishing your skin, this herb helps tone and firm up sagging and unbalanced skin
Below is a recipe to make your own dandelion skin moisturizer:
Ingredients
- ½ cup of organic coconut oil
- ¼ cup of dried dandelion flowers
- Stems from each flower
- 6-8 drops of lavender essential oil
- 1 pint canning jar
- Small saucepan
- Hand mixer
First you harvest a ¼ cup of dandelions. Make sure you collect the dandelions from a location you know is not being sprayed with chemicals and remember to leave some for the bees! Separate flower heads from the stem to minimize the amount of green foliage being harvested. Set the stems aside to extract the sap from later. Take the flower heads only and set them out in the sun to let them dehydrate.
After the flower heads shrivel infuse the coconut oil with the dandelion flowers. To do this you need to put ½ cup of coconut oil into a canning jar. Add the jar to a small saucepan. Fill the saucepan with enough water to reach a couple of inches up the side of the jar. Set the pan on low heat until the coconut oil is melted.
Once the oil has melted, add in the dried dandelion flowers. Let the flowers steep in the oil on low heat for about two hours while maintaining the small amount of water.
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Then you need to strain the flowers out of the coconut oil which will now be a yellow resembling the dandelions.
Before you add an optional 6-8 drops of lavender oil, you want to take your stems and pinch the stems between your thumb and first finger from one end all the way to the other extracting the sap into your oil mixture. Then add the lavender essential oil.
Put the infused coconut oil into the fridge until firm, not solid. Once firm, using a hand mixer, whip the infused coconut oil until it resembles whipped butter or frosting. Put into a tin container or glass jar and store it in the fridge.
Apply this moisturizer on acne, skin issues, burns and stings, and even use it to reduce wrinkles! What a powerful plant, that so many see as just a pesky weed!
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