By Alex Jean Smykaluk
From a young age, I learned that dandelions were a powerful plant that had many benefits. These benefits are well known in my family as we used dandelions in tea, as well as boiled it down to an oil. To others, dandelions are irritating weeds that they can’t get out of their yard.
Historically, dandelion tea benefits have been passed down throughout families, however there isn’t as much scientific research in this area to date. It’s important to do your own research or speak to a medical professional if you have question about your health and its interactions with dandelions.
At the Sage Soap Company, Carly, has worked hard to pack the dandelion benefits into her products. The Sage Soap Company has done all the hard work for you so you can enjoy the benefits without any hassle! Be sure to check out Dandelion Soap and Dandelion and Lemongrass Bath Bombs!
Now let's jump into what benefits that come from dandelions!
Dandelion Benefits for your Skin
Using dandelion leaves and flowers on your skin can help with protecting your skin against sun damage. Dandelions are rich in antioxidants, which we know are great for our skin! The nutrients found in the flower can help with improving your skin's condition by protecting it against the sun, helping reduce inflammation in the skin, and helping new skin cells grow.
Dandelions also have detoxifying properties, so they help reduce clogged pores and reduce inflammation, scars and help speed healing of the skin. The roots of dandelions are rich in vitamins and minerals (Vit A, E & B complex). When boiled down into an oil this helps pack the nutrients into many forms, such as Dandelion Soap!
Liver Health
Dandelions are known to help reduce stress on the liver, as well as support the production of bile. Your liver focuses on filtering the blood that comes from your digestive tract, and once filtered passes it along to the rest of your body. It also helps to detoxify and secretes bile to the intestines. When safely ingested (such as in tea), dandelions can help to reduce toxins and chemicals out of your food and help support your liver.
Dandelion Tea
You can always do a quick search on Pinterest or the internet to find recipes for making dandelion tea. Be sure to do your research first to ensure you're consuming safely. For myself growing up, we would do 2 cups of clean dandelions (really give them a good wash!) in a pot with about 4.5 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn it off and let it infuse overnight. Pull out as many dandelions as you can, strain the rest and enjoy! You can add more water, or honey to help with flavour.
If you’re wanting something you can purchase without the hassle of making it from home, you can always purchase dandelion tea, ideally from a health food store.
Dandelion tea can also be a natural replacement for coffee – with respect to its taste, rather than the caffeine, that is. If you're trying to reduce your coffee consumption, dandelion tea tastes very similar to coffee, without the caffeine.
Digestion Aid
Everyone can use some help with digestion every now and then. Dandelion benefits include helping ease and promote digestion. Dandelions can help with easing constipation and help your body with removing toxins. Dandelion tea can help reduce water retention and can reduce excess water in your system. If you’re drinking a cup or two of Dandelion tea, make sure to have lots of water throughout the day as it can be a diuretic like most teas.
Lowering Blood Pressure
Looking for a natural way to lower your blood pressure? Dandelions are a great way to help do that. Dandelions contain potassium, which is a mineral known for helping reduce blood pressure. As mentioned above, it’s also thought that diuretic dandelion benefits can also help reduce blood pressure, with increased urination.
Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
Dandelion tea is known to help ease and prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). With increased urination in combination with dandelions anti-bacterial components that it can help reduce UTI’s. Both dandelion leaves and roots are helpful in providing the nutrients for its anti-bacterial components.
Dandelions have a plethora of benefits, using products that contain dandelion can help you get the benefits without all the work. Be sure to check out The Sage Soap Company’s dandelion collection to try out the benefits yourself.