Dandelion Tincture

Dandelions are EVERYWHERE!  As we prepared to start our vegetable garden, I was inspired by the amount of dandelions all over the yard.  I only picked a few, but I made sure to get the roots!

Medicinal uses of Dandelion
The roots, leaves and flowers of this hardy plant are used for both food and medicine.  The roots and leaves are a powerful liver tonic, with a decongesting, detoxifying, and stimulating effect on the liver.  It also optimizes the process of digestion. 

Dandelion Root tincture is commonly used the cleanse and activate the liver.  It helps improve sluggish digestion, detoxify the blood stream, and can help clear up skin conditions such as eczema and acne.  To use dandelion tincture take 1/2  to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day.

Harvesting Dandelion roots: Thick and mostly straight, they can be difficult to pull up in one piece!  I dug into the ground around the base of the plant a bit so I could reach into the dirt and get a good grip on the root, otherwise the leaves and flower come up but leave those roots behind in the dirt!

Sitting in the sun on my porch, I separated the roots, leaves, and flowers. 

 

I then washed and chopped the roots and leaves.  I decided to use both leaves and roots for my tincture because they both have medicinal purposes and can be used in a tincture.

 

 

 

pop them in a jar

 

 

 

cover with vodka!

 

Label the jar and mark it with the date.  I'm giving it 6 weeks till it's ready.  Leaving it out on the porch where it can get lots of sunlight, shaking it once a day.

I'll post an update when the tincture is ready to bottle and use!