The composition and calorie content of dandelion flowers. What useful properties do they have, can they be harmful. The use of the plant in cooking - salads, jam, wine. As you can see, the healing potential of dandelion flowers is truly enormous, and therefore it has earned its place of honor in folk medicine around the world. For example, in Europe, the product is popular as a diuretic, choleretic and hemostatic agent, and in China it is recommended primarily for the treatment of colds and skin diseases. But, one way or another, all nationalities believe in its healing properties.
Contraindications and harm of dandelion flowers
However, despite such an impressive range of beneficial properties, not everyone is destined to experience the healing power of dandelion flowers on themselves. The fact is that this product, like any other, has contraindications.
Dandelion flowers are not recommended:
- Suffering from severe diseases of the digestive system. In the presence of mild gastrointestinal dysfunction, this product is useful, but if there is a serious illness, such as, say, an ulcer, strong biological substances contained in it can have an irritating effect on the vulnerable mucous membrane and only aggravate the situation.
- With heart disease. The tonic effect in this case can lead to unpredictable results.
- With blockage of the biliary tract. And here the choleretic effect can play a disservice, provoking the movement of stones and causing an attack.
With caution, inflorescences should be introduced into the diet for allergy sufferers, since there is a high probability of individual intolerance to the components. Dandelion flowers can also harm pregnant and lactating women, so women in a special position should not experiment with this product.
It should also be said that no one can abuse dandelion flowers, otherwise unpleasant symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract in the form of diarrhea and vomiting may occur.
| Is prohibited | Carefully | Rules for everyone |
| For diseases of the digestive system | Pregnant and lactating | Do not combine with alcohol |
| For diseases of the biliary tract | Younger children | Do not overeat |
| If you have heart ailments | Allergy sufferers | Do not combine with smoking |
Another important rule is that you cannot combine the use of food and drinks from dandelion flowers with bad habits. The fact is that nicotine and alcoholic beverages get along very badly with beta-carotene, which, as we said above, the plant contains a record amount.
Note! If you have diseases that we did not talk about above, before introducing the inflorescences into the diet, just in case, consult with your doctor about the benefits and harms of dandelion flowers in order to avoid negative consequences.
Dandelion Flower Recipes
In cooking, as well as in folk medicine, dandelion flowers have been used since ancient times, and all over the world - in the West, and in China, and on the American continent, and, of course, in Russia.
Today, using dandelion in the kitchen is a rare practice, but now that you know how useful this product is, you simply have to try experimenting with it in preparing various dishes. Of course, flowers are best complemented by fresh salads, increasing their benefits and giving original notes. But they can also be added to soups and hot dishes as a seasoning and even make desserts from them.
Let's take a look at a few uses in dandelion flower recipes:
- Dandelion Green Salad … Disassemble dandelion flowers (20 pieces) into petals and rinse thoroughly, let dry. Rinse and finely chop the lettuce leaves (30 grams) - lettuce crops with low bitterness are best, since dandelion petals will add it without that. Prepare a dressing: Mix vegetable oil (3 tablespoons) with lemon juice (2 tablespoons). Mix the ingredients, season the salad, salt and stir if desired. The dish can be eaten.
- Egg salad with original dressing … Take the flowers and young leaves of the plant (1 handful each), onion feathers (3-4 pieces) - rinse all the greens thoroughly, having previously disassembled the flowers into petals. Cut a cucumber (1 piece) into thin strips, chop the garlic (1 clove). Mix all ingredients. Prepare a dressing: Combine apple cider vinegar (3 tablespoons) with sugar (1/2 teaspoon), mustard (1 teaspoon), a pinch of salt and black pepper. Gradually start adding olive oil (4 tablespoons) while whisking the dressing. Pour the salad with the resulting sauce, mix, put an egg cut into 4 parts on top (1 piece).
- Dandelion jam … Soak 400 dandelion flowers in water overnight, drain the water in the morning, rinse them again. Put the flowers in a saucepan, cover with clean cold water (1 liter), add coarsely chopped lemon, turn on the fire. When the water boils, turn off the fire, leave the "infusion" for 2-3 hours. After this time, strain the syrup, flowers and lemons are no longer needed. Add sugar (1 kg) to the syrup, put on the stove, cook for 40 minutes. If it doesn't thicken enough, cook longer. The consistency should be viscous honey, this, by the way, is one of the reasons why dandelion jam is also called honey.
As you can see, it is very easy to introduce dandelion flowers into your diet: they are easily added to salads as usual "greens", and it is easy to make jam from them. If you like this product, you can continue experimenting and prepare more sophisticated original dishes.
Note! To get rid of the bitterness, the flowers must be soaked in salt water. However, keep in mind that the bitterness in the plant is very beneficial, so think twice if it is worth doing.
Dandelion Flower Drink Recipes
Dandelion flowers can be used to prepare not only dishes, but also drinks - healthy infusions and surprisingly light wine, which is very popular in England. And the famous Ray Bradbury even immortalized it in the title of one of his works - the book about the carefree childhood of two brothers is called Dandelion Wine.
Let's figure out how to make this wine and how to properly brew flower infusions:
- Dandelion Wine … Collect the flowers (liter jar) and put them in water overnight, rinse in the morning, dry and sprinkle with sugar (0.5 kg). For 2-3 days they will give juice, at this moment you need to add cold water (1 glass) and leave to "ferment" for another three days, then strain. Squeeze out the juice of oranges (2 pieces) and lemons (2 pieces), pour into the infusion, also add raisins (1, 5 cups). Pour the future wine into a three-liter jar, add cold water to the neck and cover with gauze or a rubber glove with a hole in your finger. When fermentation is over, carefully pour the wine over the bottles so as not to stir up the sediment. After 3-6 months, you can drink it.
- Dandelion flower infusion … Pour a tablespoon of dried or fresh petals into a glass, pour boiling water (200 ml). Cover the broth with a lid and let it brew for 10-15 minutes. You can drink it on your own, adding honey for sweetness, or you can add a little to regular tea.
Note! If you are going to prepare meals and / or drinks from dandelion, you must follow the rules for collecting the plant. Firstly, this must be done in an ecologically clean area. Secondly, an important point is playing the season - it is best to hold the collection in spring and autumn. Third, it is important that the weather is dry. And, of course, it is necessary to evaluate the quality of raw materials - do not pick damaged flowers.
Interesting facts about dandelion
The name of the flower in our country comes from the verb "blow". Thus, with the name of the plant, our ancestors wanted to emphasize its feature of overgrowing after flowering with weightless seeds, which easily fly away from the slightest breath.
The plant contains rubber, in some varieties its content reaches 14%. At the moment, work is underway in the United States to create rubber from the milky sap of a flower.
In China, dandelion is called a vegetable because its flowers and leaves are often used in salads and other dishes.
They are very fond of dandelion in Italy, dishes from it are even served in restaurants as gourmet. In addition, a saying was born in this country: "If you eat a dandelion, the disease passes by your house."
The plant was actively eaten by the first settlers of the American continent, and the British invented dandelion wine in ancient times.
In the Caucasus, you can find varieties of dandelion with purple flowers.
Watch a video about dandelion flowers:
Dandelion flowers are an amazing product. In our country, the plant is treated like a weed and is fiercely exterminated, but it turns out that it is extremely useful and helps to significantly improve the body. So the next time you think about destroying a humble flower, think about whether it is better to prepare it for the winter, and not throw it away. However, this decision to use dandelion flowers will only be correct if your property is located far from the pistes and is not exposed to certain pollutants. In addition, before consuming the plant for food, make sure that you are not subject to the contraindications of the product.
