The inconspicuous wonder herb: Dandelion has always been considered a powerful medicinal plant and healthy food

Dandelion , the unique native and ubiquitous superfood, stimulates the metabolism, helps with digestive problems, strengthens bones and muscles, detoxifies, cleanses the liver and blood, serves to prevent cancer and diabetes and even inhibits tumor growth.

Resistant and flexible

Barbara Simonsohn has been dealing with the topic of "healthy nutrition" for many years and is considered an expert on "superfoods", i.e. foods that are particularly rich in vital nutrients and mostly natural. It is her great achievement to have drawn attention to local herbs and vegetables, which are in no way inferior to exotic plants in terms of content and effect.

Her latest book is about a real jack of all trades that is so commonplace that it is hardly noticed. The dandelion is one of the most plastic, adaptable plants there is. Its enormous strength makes it stand out from all wild herbs and its flexibility and resilience support us on a physical and mental level. The dandelion plant has around 500 to 600 names, a unique wealth of names, which indicates its importance to people in earlier times and its diverse applications and areas of use. All parts of the plant can be used - flowers, leaves, roots, stems, buds and seeds - and some can even be harvested all year round.

Dandelion – superlative food

Because dandelions do not experience a real winter dormancy, rosettes and leaves can be harvested all year round. The best months for flowers are April to June and then again August to the end of September, because dandelions are short-day plants and receive less than twelve hours of sunshine during the growing season. The concentration of vital substances in the roots is highest in spring, winter and autumn.

Dandelion is a power food that provides us with many essential nutrients. For example, it contains all eight essential and almost all non-essential amino acids in an ideal amino acid profile. The inulin in dandelion root is a starch-like polysaccharide that is made up of fructose molecules, is therefore metabolized independently of insulin and is a perfect vegetable for diabetics.

100 grams of dandelion leaves already cover around two thirds of a percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C. The vitamin E predominant in dandelion reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer and prevents the growth of cancer cells ten times more effectively than normal vitamin E, which is known for its cancer-preventing effect.

Prevention and cure for diabetes and cancer

Dandelion is so effective against type II diabetes and even cancer that Barbara Simonsohn has dedicated a whole chapter to this topic in her compact guide.

Many ingredients in dandelion have an antioxidant effect as free radical scavengers. A herbal mixture containing dandelion was also shown to have a smoothing effect on the blood sugar curve in type II diabetes, as well as a positive effect on sugar metabolism in general. A certain type of dandelion is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes and is also used for this purpose in African and Asian countries.

Regular consumption of dandelion also strengthens our immune system and enables it to successfully fight cancer cells. Dandelion contains exactly the nutrients needed to produce immune cells. Dandelion cleanses the digestive system, optimizes the elimination of waste and toxins and promotes healthy blood formation, so that the cells are first detoxified and then supplied with plenty of urgently needed nutrients. Although there are no controlled studies on cancer treatment yet, there are numerous case studies that underline the effect and give hope for further research.

Book tip:
Barbara Simonsohn: Dandelion - miracle herb for resilience and vitality. Applications and recipes for metabolism, cell protection, skin health, detoxification and mental balance. Compact guide . Mankau Verlag 2023, paperback, full color, 11.5 x 16.5 cm, 158 pages, 12.00 euros (D) / 12.40 euros (A), ISBN 978-3-86374-694-0

Link recommendations:
More information about the book “Dandelion”
To the reading sample in PDF format
More about the author Barbara Simonsohn
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