An Herbalist’s View - Dandy Dandelions
As a more recent resident of PCC and a long time visi-
tor, I have always enjoyed Prescott and itʼs neighboring
areas as a beautiful place to cool off and spend time in
nature. As an Herbalist I have become more and more
interested in what medicinal plants live in this plant rich
area. I am never disappointed.
My goal as an Herbalist is to help people assimilate
herbs into their daily routine by making it easy for them
to use. Not everyone loves the taste of medicinal herbs
as much as I do so I attempt to find ways to incorporate
them into what people do enjoy in their lives, their food.
Herbs are wonderful, healthful and have been around
for as long as humans have walked the earth, looking
for food and medicine. At one time, these two concepts
walked hand in hand working synergistically to help cre-
ate a healthy life and to prevent disease. These days we
do have modern medicine that is necessary, particularly
for those who are sick, but how about the concept of
using these plants in a way to provide us with power-
ful ways to increase our vitality and reduce our risk of
disease? You probably have quite a few in your kitchen
already.
There are also plants outdoors that are recognized as
powerful health allies. One of my favorites is a plant
that didnʼt even originate in the US but came over with
the pilgrims from England. A plant that was used so
much for food and medicine they couldnʼt do without,
thatʼs right, the lowly dandelion. Dandelions were con-
sidered strong medicine and essential for home apoth-
ecaries. In the early spring the leaves provide nutrition
to those who had to survive the winter with barely any
fruits or vegetables. These young greens are delicious
added to a salad. The leaves also have a diuretic effect
therefore assisting those with higher blood pressure to
eliminate excess fluids. The roots help clear the liver.
They can be dried and roasted to help make a coffee
substitute or steeped in hot water to make tea. The flow-
ers can be used in teas, salads or to make wine. None of
this plant goes to waste.
Maybe the next time you go shopping, you might
want to look for some baby dandelion leaves to add
some zest in your salad. Right now our local dandelions
are too mature to use for dinner but you can still make
a wish with them.
– Sue Ehlbeck
[email protected]
pccnews June 2017
11