Celebrate National Dandelion Day – It’s Not Just a Weed

Stop, don’t pull those pesky yellow flowered dandelions popping up in the lawn and garden. These beautiful flowers have not only been used as bouquets for mom and crowns for children, but have a long medicinal and edible history.

On April 5th, Dandelion Day, celebrate the benefits and beauty of this perennial plant many consider a weed. You’ll find this adaptable plant growing in a wide variety of locations.

The name dandelion comes from the French “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth. This refers to the leaves with their jagged tooth-like edges.

Dandelions are high in Vitamins A, B, C and D and were used by Native Americans for kidney disease, swelling and skin problems.

Harvest the young leaves in spring and add them to a salad or sauté with onions. Brighten up a salad with just the yellow portion of the flowers or ferment them into wine.

A bit more information: Dandelions are also known as 'wet-the-bed'. This refers to the old belief that just touching a dandelion can cause bed-wetting. This may be tied to the fact that dandelions have been used as a diuretic.