When I look out over my yard and see those sunny flower heads and toothy green leaves, I don’t see a nuisance; I see free nutrient-rich food. All parts of the dandelion are edible from their sweet and fragile blooms that make a delightful mead-like wine, to their slightly bitter tender early-spring greens, to the inulin-rich carrot-like late-fall roots. Working with the fresh plant is quite rewarding, but as you can see, not all parts of the dandelion are in-season year round.

We all know that our liver is important, but how much do we really know about the liver? Let’s explore this extremely important organ and come to a better understanding and appreciation of it. The liver is involved in five main areas of body functioning: filtering your blood, digestion via bile production, blood sugar regulation, blood clotting, and biotransformation of endogenous (made by the body) and exogenous (introduced to the body) toxins - AKA detoxification.

Dandelion is one of my favorite herbs for so many reasons. Not only is this herb full of medicinal qualities, it also possesses an incredible tenacity. I can only dream of having the vim and vigor of this wild and weedy green ally. For me, dandelion says, “Eat me and grow!” Don’t mind if I do.