Homemade herbal tincture: Dandelion root

If you looked at my garden, before we tilled for planting, you would think I had planted it with dandelion on purpose. It was full of them! So was my yard, but I don't mind them. How else does a 5 yr old get to bring Mommy flowers?

It is a surprisingly useful herb. The young leaves are good added to salad; the flowers can be brewed for tea or battered and fried for dandelion fritters; a yellow dye can be made from boiling the flowers; the root can be roasted, ground and brewed as a coffee substitute or made into an herbal tincture. Amazingly, researchers are even studying whether dandelion can kill some cancers!


Dandelion benefits:

• a mild diuretic
• stimulates and detoxes the liver
• high in potassium and vitamin A  
• mild laxative
• Improves digestion 

To make a tincture, harvest the roots from an area that has not been treated with any chemicals such as weed killers.

Wash them well, chop, and place in a mason jar.

Fill the jar with Vodka until the chopped root is just covered. Close jar, label and date it. That's it!

Allow it to sit for 3 weeks, at room temperature, shaking the jar once a day. Strain the roots out with cheese cloth and put the tincture into a dark dropper bottle.


how to use:
take 1-3 ml (20 - 60 drops) in juice, tea or water, up to three times a day.