New Years’ resolutions have been made and detox season has officially begun for those who ate, drank and were merry. So now it’s time to wake up and smell the dandelion root coffee. The humble dandelion, the bane of lawn owners all over the world, is the herbal ally for people who have been overindulging. Dandelion is highly nutritive, full of minerals and health promoting properties. Through its bitter principles dandelion root stimulates the production of bile and liver function. In the words of New Zealand herbalist Richard Whelan “the liver takes an enormous amount of the brunt of the stress of such lifestyles and, whilst of course they still have to address where they are doing harm, dandelion does a tremendous amount to help knit them back together in the meanwhile.
While occasional detox diets are helpful for a reboot, detoxification is something that is needed to support the body every single day, not just a couple of times each year. The body is equipped with detoxification systems that have been evolving and improving over millions of years and most of these are in the liver. The liver carries over 500 functions in the body and is considered the “master filter,” responsible for processing and filtering the blood in addition to helping detoxify chemicals from the body. When living in an environment where air quality, pollutants and water quality are more of a daily challenge, it is vital to ensure that the liver is functioning optimally.
Adding a simple, daily liver-supportive herbal formula is an easy way to help promote healthy liver function amidst all of the additional challenges it faces when a healthy lifestyle has slipped by the wayside during the silly season. Herbalists celebrate dandelion as a supreme liver tonic as it excels at clearing excess heat (inflammation), clearing stagnation (congestion) and supporting detoxification of metabolic wastes. A simple alterative tonic recommended by herbalist, midwife and medical doctor Aviva Room combines one quarter of a teaspoon of dandelion root liquid extract in equal parts with burdock (Arctium lappa), globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus), sarsaparilla (Smilax spp.) and ginger (Zingiber officinale). Add these to a glass of sparkling water with lemon and drink 1-2 cups daily for a week, or as a digestive aid after meals.
References
Whelan R. Dandelion. c2011 R.J.Whelan Ltd (accessed 25 Nov 2024). Available
from https://rjwhelan.co.nz/herbs%20A-Z/dandelion.html
Romm A. Top Ten Foods and Herbs to Support Natural Detoxification. (accessed
26 Nov 2024). Available from https://avivaromm.com/detox-every-day/
Love Your Liver Herbal Tincture. The Herbal Academy (updated 11 May
2021;accessed 26 Nov 2024). Available from
https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/liver-tincture/
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