DANDELION JUICE
DESCRIPTION
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are so abundant and
familiar that they hardly need description. The name dandelion
is a corruption of the French dents de lion, referring to the
jagged-toothed leaves that can be said to resemble a lion's well-equipped
jaw. The bright yellow blossoms are very sensative to light and
weather conditions, closing up before darkness and storms.When
the flower head has matured, it closes again with the calyx drawn
in a cylindrical shape arund the ripening ovaries. When the seeds
inside have ripened, it reopens to form the familiar flubby bal
of seeds; each with its own "parachute" waiting to be
dispersed by a breeze.
In practical application, it is for spring greens that the dandelion
are most well known. In early spring, before much of the plant
world is stirring, the leaves of the dandelion are at their prime
for eating. It seems after the plant blossoms, its leaves become
tough, bitter, and less desirable as a food or for juicing purposes.
But if some apple-cider vinegaris used in any saladcontaining
older dandelions leaves or in the juice of mature leaves,
the tartness of the vinegar itself does wonders in cutting down
the sharp bitterness of the greens.
There is a very efficient for collecting dandelion greens. Use
a butcher knife, old hunting knife, or small machete when ut gathering
them. Squat down on your haunches and slip the knife under the
entire plant and slice it off at the top of the root. This permits
you to gather the whole plant, including the best part, the delicate
unopened center called the heart or crown.
NUTRITIONAL DATA
One hundred edible grams of dandelion leaves, which is about three
and one-half ounces or nearly one-fourth pound, yields the following
nutrients: 300 mg. calcium, 66 mg. phosphorus, 3.1 mg. iron, 397
mg. potassium, 14,000 I.U. vitamin A, trace amunts of some B-complex
vitamins, and 35 mg. vitamin C. It is also high in magnesium.
The late Euell Gibbons, a popular naturalist, plant forager, prolific
writer, and television personality during the mid-sixties and
seventies ,once said of this lowly lawn weed:
"It is an excellent source of calcium and potassium, and the best known source of vitamin A among the green vegetables. And yet, we spend millions on herbicides to kill the dandelion in our lawnsm while we pay millions more for diet supplements to give outselves the vitamins that the dandelion could easily furnish."
He would occasionally throw "wild parties" for a
selected group of friends. Every food and beverage served would
have come from the wild, hence the name of "wild parties."
he liked to tell his friends that the "green punch"
thery were drinking was really his special recipe for dandelion
greens, pigweed, and parsley juices comboined into one concoction.
He claimed that this "green punch," which he flavored
with pineapple juice and Canadian Club Soda, had more iron and
vitamins A and C in it than any other foods listed in the USDA
Agricultural Handbook No. 8 entitled, Composition of Foods.
He called it his "feel good, health drink!"
THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS
One would not think of the liver as a primary organ of concern
in dealing with an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis.
But the late Rudolph Fritz Weiss, M.D., author of the popular
Germanbest-seller, Lehrburch der Phtotherapie (Stuttgart: Hippokrates
Verlag GmbH, 1985) claimes that it was "the point of action
at which chronic degenerative joint disease began."
Dr WEiss routinely recommended eitehr dandelion tea, fluid extract,
or the juice for arthritic cnditions. Of these three, he felt
that dandelion juice was the most helpful and effective. He prescribed
for his arthritic patients that they take one-half cup of the
juice morning and evening on an empty stomach. Sometimes he would
vary it a little by including equal parts of dandelion and watercress
juice for more severe cases in which the patients had become quite
crippled and unable to move about very much.
In one unique episode, Frau Muhlenstein, age 61, was diagnosed
as having "nodose rheumatism." Her clinical symptoms
bore all the earmarks of classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA):
gradual swelling of the hands and feet that were symmetrical and
spindleshaped, especially in the joint areas; smooth and shiny
skin; brittle and discolored nails; a "hot" sensation
around each swollen joint; an irregularlow fever; some weight
loss; and a general ill feeling.
Other medical specialists with whom she had previoulsy consulted
had put her on various types of therapies - corticosteroids, golds
salts, ibuprofen, and salicylates - which proved of little benefit.
Out of desperation she turned to Dr. Weiss. Within a week, after
being on the dandelion-watercress juice program and a restricted
diet, she began showing improvement. Within two week, she began
to have movement in her gnarled fingers and toes. Within three
weeks, the joint swelling had substantially subsided. Within four
weeks, virtually all pain was gone. And within one-half months,
she was abe to grip a pen,pot handle, door knob, fruit jar, and
even shake someone else's hand without and problems. In two months,
she was able to begin walking up to a mile a day, including climbing
stairs again. Within three months, she was able to attend dances
with her husband and enjoy her favorite waltzes.
Dr. Weiss had similar stories of success for other ailments originating
from the liver and kidneys, such as obesity, gout, hypertension,
artreiosclerosis/atherosclerosis, Bright' disease, and autoim,une
disorders to a breakdown in the functions of th liver, one of
the most vital organs in out bodies. Dandelion was Gods's very
special remedy for these things, he insisted.
Dr. Weiss maintained that dandelion juice was good for a number
of othr conditions, not all of which were connected with dietary
abuse of the liver. While he didn't feel the juice would cure
any of them, he felt it could do no harm and might, in fact, actually
do some good where others didn't seem to work.
Herpes Simplex. Herpes is one of the oldest known viruses
to man. It has existed since the Jurassic Age of sinosaurs. As
goofy as it sounds, some paleontologists think that small noduls
on the thick hides of some dinosaurs might have been the result
of a herpes infection of some kind. It's hard to imagine such
a beast with chickenpox or shingles (both caused by this virus).
What is known for sure is that herpes is a greasy-looking virus,
prefers an acidic environment, and likes to hide inthe ganglion
or sensory nerves located just beneath the surface of the skin.
Dandelion is loaded with mineral salts, which quickly alkalinize
acidic blood. The enormous vitamin A content then takes over to
minimize further viral activit by boosting immune defenses.
NIGHT BLINDNESS. A German doctor, S. Niedermeier mentioned
that vitamin A and B-complex work in the liver to restore deficient
dark adaptation. He also routinely prescribed a juice extract
of dandelion flowers for night blindness. he attributed their
remarkable success to a particular substance known as helenin,
which produces more visual purple for the eye. To be effective
for this, though, helenin requires the presence of a certan amount
of vitamin A, he discovered. Dandelion leaf and flower, of course,
are very high in this and B vitmains. Through experimentation
he found that dandelion helenin is also good for improving the
nyctalopia that accompanies retinis pigmentosa. His highly interesting
report appeared over four decades ago in Deutsche medizinische
Wochenschrift (76:210, February 16, 1951).
Tuberculosis. TB is an infectious disease that was on eof
the leading causes of death worldwide in centuries preceding our
own. For many decades it has been virtually extinct. Now with
the increasing rise in poverty and homelessness, the disease is
again making a strong comeback. TB is caused by a bacterium called
tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It's spread person
to person in droplets of saliva that are expelled by coughing,
sneexing, speaking, or even exhaling. The droplets evaporate,
adn the bacilli remain airborne. TB developes when a susceptible
person with weakenedimmune defenses inhales the bacilli. Dandelion
leaf juce helps out in several different ways. First, it's strong
vitamin A content acts as an effective antibiotic in stopping
the progress of the TB. Secondly, the rich combination of calcium
potassium salts chemically "strip" the bacilli from
moist mucosal tissue inthe lungs where they prefer to colonize.
Thirdly, certain plant alcohols in the leaves (notably xanthophyll
or lutein) disinfect the lungs, making it much harder for the
bacilli to remain there.
METHOD OF PREPARTION
Select dandelion greens from an area that hasn't been sprayed
with herbicides. Pick them wearing gloves or cut off the top part
of the plant with a knife level to the ground as previously described.
Rinse them in a collander to remove bugs and dirt. Then cut or
tear to juicing size. You can juice fresh watercress right along
with them, if you like. The younger dandelion leaves will make
a sweeter juice than older leaves picked later inthe dummer or
fall.
Drinking one cup of dandelion juice by itself or in combination
with an equal amount of watercress, will give the body a "natural
high" or incredible sensation of energy when the juice hits
the liver. In some cases, this may be somewhat overpowering for
older people or those with delicate digestive tracts. In the event
this proves to be so, simply dilute the dandelion juice with a
little carrot juice.
From John Heinerman's
"Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Healing Juices"