A4C Prepper Dan： The Benefits of Dandelions Vlog13
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Summary
It's spring and dandelions are all over the place, but are they really a pesky weed? Well, I beg to differ. Somebody has said that there's no such thing as a weed, it's just a misplaced plant. We're going to explore all of the benefits of these wonderful little flowers.
Transcript
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Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prepper Dan. Today, it's springtime. It's a beautiful
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day. We're going to talk about these pesky little weeds that pop up all over the property.
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These are known as dandelions, and you probably have them all over your place as well. But
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are they really a pesky weed? Well, I beg to differ. Somebody has said one time there's
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no such thing as a weed. It's just a misplaced plant. We're going to explore all of the
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benefits of these wonderful little flowers. Maybe you've heard it said that in the month
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of May, it's no mow May. Now, I live on the East Coast, and some of you that may be on
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the West Coast, you've probably had to mow your lawn already several times because it's
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a little bit warmer out there. Well, parts of the West at West anyhow. But here in the
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East, we're almost at the end of May, and I've held off mowing my lawn already. My neighbors
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have mowed those already twice. But there's a lot of benefits to these little flowers,
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and I want to explore that with you. Maybe by the end of this short video, you'll understand
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why we let these little guys grow, and you may learn something very interesting. So let's
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get into the meat and potatoes of these little flowers, and we'll learn a few things.
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Now, you can see in some of our paths here, we have these dandelions growing absolutely
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everywhere, in every little nook, cranny, and crack. And these things will grow under
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any really growing condition, in the shade and in the sun. Here you even see them growing
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in the driveway. Really hard-packed gravel. I mean, this is somewhere that we literally
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dry every single day. And once these are done with their pretty yellow flowers, they like
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to spread around by sharing their little seeds. The winds just pick these up, and it doesn't
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take too long before they spread their beautiful natural beauty. Now, pulling them from some
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places, such as hillsides and that, where it doesn't really matter if they grow or not,
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it's fairly easy. You grab the whole bottom of the clump securely, and then just kind of
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wiggle it in loose soil, shake it out, and then you get the whole root system as well.
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In this case, not so much of a root on this one, but yeah, these are fairly small roots
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on this one. But on some of them, you get a nice, big, fat root. These ones just have
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little roots, but a lot of good eating in this particular package right here.
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And there's nothing like a little treat for the bunnies. They'll eat the flowers first,
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probably. Yep, there they go. A real salad delicacy for all the bunnies. Officially known as
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Taraxicum officinale, when this little flower appears, signifies a sure sign of spring. The word
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dandelion means lion's tooth, probably a reference to its jagged leaves. It's a common plant in the
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grasslands and the cultivated grounds. It's native to Eurasia, but it's been naturalized in all parts
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of the northern hemisphere, right through to USDA zone 3. Now, most people are less than enchanted
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when these little flowers appear. Oftentimes, they're more numerous than the grass alone in
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most home lawns. But this plant is actually cultivated in some places and used for both food
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and herbal remedies. The dandelion is a short-lived perennial that'll grow just about anywhere,
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regardless of the soil conditions. But rich soil will improve its growth. These plants withstand
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frost and freezes, and they will tolerate crowding. Heat and insufficient moisture will cause the leaves
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to get bitter, but it won't kill the plant. The lance-shaped leaves grow in a rosette emerging early in the
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spring from the crown, and individual leaves may be entire or lobed, with the tooth lobes anywhere from
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shallowly to deeply incised. You'll often find different lobe patterns that may occur in the
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same plant. Now, these rosette of leaves can be a food plant for the caterpillars and some butterfly
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and moth species. The stem contains milky latex sap, and it's important to note that if you are allergic
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to latex, you should probably avoid this flower. The flowers are utilized by bees and other pollinators
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and can be an important nectar source early in the season when few other flowers are blooming. And
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that's why most people like to just leave the flowers alone in the month of May. The flowers are
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followed by the distinctive globe-shaped seed heads, and each has a pappus, a feathery parachute of soft
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white hairs that makes it easily carried by the wind. Did you know that each plant can produce up
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to 20,000 viable seeds? How many of us remember just blowing on these when we were children?
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Dandelions can also reproduce vegetatively from pieces of taproot, with the upper sections of the
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root having greater viability. The deep taproot grows up to three feet long, and that's why they are
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so resilient. But usually, they're only about 6 to 12 inches long. Regardless of which part you intend
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to eat, make sure the dandelions have not been treated with chemicals. Wash them thoroughly to
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remove all soil and insects from the underside of the leaves or roots. Keep in mind that the young
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plants, especially the leaves, are not as bitter as the older plants. The leaves are high in calcium,
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potassium, and iron, and as I just mentioned, they're best tasting when they are tender.
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Now, you can cook these in some olive oil and a little bit of garlic, and they will taste much
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better. The roots can be eaten as any vegetable. They have a turnip-like flavor if dug early in the
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spring. Be cautious of ingesting too many roots, as they are reported to be both a diuretic and a
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laxative. The blossoms also can be eaten fresh, and they're sweetest when picked early in the season.
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They should be used immediately after picking because the flowers will close up quickly.
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I won't get into too many details here, but I do want to tell you about the nutritional value of
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these dandelions. So, let me get to you point by point here. Number one, these dandelions are highly
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nutritious. From root to flower, the plants are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Vitamins such
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as A, C, and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other vitamins like B.
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The dandelion greens provide several minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
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The dandelion root is rich in carbohydrate inulin, a type of soluble fiber that's found in plants
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that support the growth and maintenance of healthy gut bacteria in your digestive tract.
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The dandelion root is often dried and made into tea, but you can heat it whole like any other root
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vegetables. We're going to talk about dandelion tea in just a few minutes. Second, the plant contains
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potent antioxidants. Dandelion contains compounds that neutralize the free radicals. Third, dandelions may
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help fight inflammation. Now, inflammation is a natural immune system response to injury or infection.
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However, long-term inflammation may permanently damage body tissues and your DNA.
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Fourth, dandelions may aid in blood sugar management. Number five, they may reduce cholesterol and
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triglyceride levels. And some compounds in dandelion may decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels,
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which are key factors in heart disease. Number six, may lower blood pressure because these little
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flowers are also a diuretic. Number seven, they promote liver health. Number eight, they may aid in weight
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loss. Number nine, they might have anti-cancer effects. Number 10, they may support healthy digestion and
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treat constipation. Number 11, they may boost immune health. Number 12, they may be a useful skin care
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treatment. Number 13. Number 13, because of their high level of calcium and vitamin K, they may support
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healthy bones. Now, the dosage and supplement forms here, there's not been a whole lot of study in human
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forms. However, it's suggested that for fresh and dry leaves, four to 10 grams a day. A leaf tincture,
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about two to five mils, three times per day. A fluid extract, and we're going to talk about that in a
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little bit, one to two teaspoons, or five to 10 mils a day. Fresh roots, two to eight grams a day, and a
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dried powder, which you can purchase, 250 to 1,000 milligrams, four times per day. So how do you make a
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herbal tea with dandelion extract? Well, it's very simple. You steep about one tablespoon of the stems or
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the flowers for 30 minutes in about five ounces of boiling water. You strain the roots and flowers,
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and you drink them up with your tea. This recipe can be doubled or tripled if you plan on making
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several days worth of tea. You can add a little bit of honey, just to sweeten it up a little bit,
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and some people even add a little bit of turmeric to the brew. Additionally, you can try roasting the
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root of your dandelion plant to make a coffee-like beverage. So here's how you do it. You clean up the
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root. You chop it up in a food processor. Use a baking sheet and roast the pieces in an oven at 300
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degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Then you let it steep in boiling water for about 10 minutes before
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drinking. So what about the dandelion root? Well, what is it good for? We're going to talk about making
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a dandelion root tincture in just a moment, but some of the benefits include stomach digestion and
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gastrointestinal issues, constipation, liver detoxification, acne, eczema, high cholesterol,
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heartburn, various disorders, diabetes, cancer, and joint stiffness. That kind of gives you an idea
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why the pharmaceutical companies and the big pharmas really want you to eradicate it off your
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lawns and off of our properties, right? So what is a tincture? Well, a tincture is a method for extracting
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and preserving the medicinal constituents of herbs in a solvent other than water. Now, the most popular
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thing to use is 80-proof alcohol, or you can use vinegar such as apple cider vinegar or glycerin, but
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alcohol is an excellent solvent to use because it works so well to extract the widest range of plant
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properties and allows for the easy absorption of its healing compounds into the body. So the easiest
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way to make a tincture is to get yourself a small jar, a pint jar, and you fill the dandelion root two
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thirds full of the way of finely chopped roots. Then you would pour enough high-proof alcohol, vodka is the
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most common one to use, over the herbs until the alcohol level is about an inch above the top of the herbs.
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Now, if you're using dry herbs, they may also absorb the liquid, so you've got to check to make sure that
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the alcohol is still covering the roots about a day or so later. Cover the lid tightly and place a jar
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in a dark cupboard and allow to soak for four to six weeks. Now, for the first week or so, you'll want to
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shake that jar or tip it upside down at least once a day. Make sure the roots are still covered with
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alcohol and if not, you may need to add alcohol. After four to six weeks, you want to strain your
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liquid from the roots and to strain, you can pour your liquid through a fine mesh sieve into another
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wide mouth jar or through a cheesecloth. But if you're using a cheesecloth, you'll want to squeeze
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the liquid out. Allow the liquid to settle overnight. Strain again if necessary. Transfer into a labeled amber
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bottles and store in a dark place. Now that you have your tincture, for maintaining general health,
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you would use half a teaspoon twice daily. For acute skin eruptions, you would add 10 drops in water
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frequently throughout the day. For arthritis, gout, eczema, psoriasis, and liver trouble, one teaspoon
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three times a day in water. Or for indigestion, you would use 10 drops in water every hour until resolved.
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Now you can also use a tincture or make a tincture using just the flowers and it would be the same
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process. Keep in mind if some people want to stay away from the alcohol or if you want to make a
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tincture for children, that apple cider vinegar is a good alternative to use for making your tinctures.
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So I hope you found this little video about the mighty dandelion informative and instructive. You know,
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you may find that there's many other plants in your backyard that you may consider invasive,
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maybe even as weeds. But I want to challenge you to do some research on a lot of these plants because
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when our medical system was taken over quite a few decades ago, this was our medicine. And now we've
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got big pharma making a lot of medications out of products that really aren't good for you. A lot of
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products are made out of petroleum-based medications. We've got cancers now that never
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existed before. And I want you to know that you can help heal yourself, you can help take care of
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yourself by doing a little bit of research. And I may make a few more videos like this just about
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what's in our backyard. Because I know that right here on our property, we've got a few acres here in
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Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. There's a lot of good medicinal things that we can just harvest
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ourselves and either dry, dehydrate, or make tinctures out of and make teas out of. And so this
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is all trying to just inform you and educate you. So I hope you found this fun and informative. And I
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hope you have a new appreciation for this pretty little yellow flower. And by the way, this is my
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favorite color. It's a very bright and joyful color. And it just brings, I don't know, it just
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brings joy to your soul when you have something this bright. And that's just a little tidbit. So
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thanks for being with us today on this other edition of Prepper Dan. And we hope to catch
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you in the next one. God bless you. Have a wonderful day.