Last week I was procrastinating instead of attempt to bring some order to the chaos of my life in the time of Corona. I had just found an Instagram profile with some things I liked on mythology and she had a quiz to find out which healing herb is your “spirit medicine”. As everyone knows, random quizzes are the best way to procrastinate, so naturally I did it. Result? The humble dandelion is my spirit medicine. I did not need a quiz to tell me this, but I found the lesson I actually needed. The quiz lead me back to remembering that I already know myself well enough. It is living into what I know that is the challenging part. Which is why I closed the quiz and went to dig up some dandelions.
By now it is common knowledge that dandelions are good for the bees and good for the soil (and consequently for your lawn). Most of our ancestors were very aware that dandelion is not just any old weed. These were some of the first greens to push through the ground after winter. Rich in minerals and antioxidants, they were the perfect food after a sluggish winter. The leaves and roots are seen as healing for the liver and some skin conditions. There are all kinds of stories and recipes for how dandelions have been used as food and medicine. You can make a complete study of this humble herb and add it to your medicine cabinet. Or you can just appreciate it as an easy, free way to bring some diversity to our modern diets that tend to always lean to the same boring vegetables.
Here are some ideas for the latter:
Pick the young, tender greens. Wash them thoroughly and use as a salad green – either alone or with other greens.
Steam the young greens like spinach.
Stir fry some potatoes and onions with garlic and salt. Add hands full of chopped dandelion greens at the end.
Chop up some of the leaves, roots and flowers. Fill a jar 2/3 with your herb. Fill the jar completely with apple cider vinegar. Shake it every now and then for about 6 weeks. Strain and use as an herbal vinegar.
Make a pesto with young dandelion greens and pumpkin seeds.
Chop the fresh roots, add some chopped fresh ginger root and water. Boil for a minute or so and serve as a tea. A little bit of honey and a dash of lemon makes this delicious.
Using herbs or “wild” foods does not have to be complicated. You do not need to be a hippy, do witchy rituals or have complex recipes or tools. All you need is a little curiosity and willingness to add it to your diet in simple ways. If nothing else, go outside, pick a dandelion leaf, dust it off and pop it in your mouth. This is spirit medicine.