Spring has sprung and it’s time to turn your attention inward to your liver and gallbladder for a little cleanse and detox.

I have a little miracle for you to help the process. By the way, April 22 (Earth Day) is opening day for the infamous 18 Day Love Yourself Naked Challenge Cleanse. Click here for details.

What if you went to your doc today and they prescribed a miracle prescription to help you do the following…? Would you take it and use it every day without fail?

• Cleanse your system

• Dissolve Kidney Stones

• Clean/purify blood

  Source: grandmas-dreams.tumblr.com via

  Audrey on Pinterest

• Prevent or cure liver disease

  (like jaundice or hepatitis)

• Balance blood sugar

• Cleanse your skin (clean up acne)

• Help with weight loss

• Relief of constipation

• Contribute to lowering blood pressure

• Reduce acid indigestion (sometimes eliminate it completely)

• Prevent cancers

• Prevent and control “diabetes mellitus”

• Lower serum cholesterol

By the way, it has zero side effects and it fixes what is ‘broken’ without you having to direct it.

Before I share this springtime, liver loving, and miracle prescription with you, we’re going to take a little trip inward.

Our food, water, air and soil are polluted and as hard as our sweet bodies work to cleanse on their own, they simply cannot keep up the pace with the toxins that are the reality today. Detox and cleansing are necessary and spring, according to Chinese Medicine, is the time to support your lovely liver.

Let’s jump on to our microscopic space shuttle and take a trip into your body… in a nutshell the food travels into the mouth, down the esophagus, into the stomach, then through the small intestine. Meanwhile you liver is busy making bile (fluid that helps you digest food/fats). That bile is then mixed with the ‘food’ to continue along the digestive process before the ‘food’ is expelled out as feces.

This crucial step by your liver is only one of the 500 known functions of this organ that sits just to the right of your belly under your ribcage. Give it a pat; it deserves some lov’n. The liver is your largest organ and some say the most important and vital to life.

 

So in cleansing the liver, you also contribute to the above results by utilizing that small little yellow, pesky plant, commonly known as the dandelion.

This plant has been used as medicine for over 1000 years and the name for dandelion comes from the French words for the plant: fleur de pisenlit. Translated in English, this means wet the bed! This is true because when you eat the dandelion greens they remove water from your body. You may want to avoid eating the greens several hours before you go to bed!

Unfortunately, dandelions can grow in yards that have toxic sprays or fertilizers so be aware where you forage. Foraging is highly recommended in natural and organic settings or you can find the greens at your local markets. An important foraging tip is to pick your greens before the flowers have bloomed or the greens may taste bitter.  By the way, the dandelion happens to be an important food for our precious bees.

Dandelion greens eaten raw provide a high amount of nutrients and minerals. I’ve included a list here, courtesy of Self.com. There are testimonials all over the place of people who attribute dandelion greens to curing or helping their ailments. Please don’t take my word for it… try it yourself!

A quick and friendly disclaimer that I am not a doctor and I am not prescribing dandelion as a miracle cure for your ailments. I am however, telling you that from my experience and the 1000 years prior to this date,  dandelions have proven time and time again to create small and big miracles for millions of people.

There is a catch. You must have belief in what you are doing. You can eat all the healthy foods in the world, but your faith in them working for you is just as important.

I’ve included several recipes for dandelion. Two wonderful raw salads and dandelion root tea, which is so yummy!

If you liked this blog post or you have your own insights into dandelion, I want to hear all about it! Leave a comment below and tell me about it 🙂

Voila, fleur de pisenlit!

PS. Be sure to mark your calendar for your cleanse, start here with the 18 Day LYN Challenge. See below for some delish recipes!

RECIPES

Zigorriesalat (lion’s teeth salad) – Renee’s recipe from her cultural roots

(serves 4 to 6)

4 cups dandelion greens

6 hardboiled eggs, chilled, peeled and sliced

1 cup prepared creamy dill or creamy italian-style salad dressing

salt and pepper to taste

After picking your dandelion greens, sort the leaves (see caution above), throwing out the harder outer leaves. Separate the tender, inner leaves, tearing them into bite-sized pieces. Wash well in cold water at least 3 times to get rid of sand or grit. Drain well.

Place eggs in a bowl. Add prepared salad dressing. Stir to mix.

Place greens in a big salad bowl. Add dressing and egg mixture. Toss together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad of Dandelion Greens with Almond Vinaigrette and Dried Ricott
Insalata di Dente di Leone con Vinaigrette di Mandorle e ricotta Salata

recipe courtesy of: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/775

1 pound dandelion greens, young and tender, (anbout 10 loosely packed cups)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ pound ricotta salata, cut into shards with a vegetable peeler

Cut tough stems from the greens and trim any wilted, yellow or tough leaves. Wash and dry them according to directions on page 67. The greens can be prepared up to several hours in advance and kept, loosely covered with a clean towel, in the refrigerator.

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the toasted almonds, vinegar, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the greens in a large bowl, season them with salt and pepper, and pour the dressing over them. Toss well and divide the dressing greens among six plates, mounding them in the center of the plate. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of toasted almonds and top with shavings of ricotta salata. Serve immediately.

 

Dandelion Root Tea

Check out your local stores, Amazon or make your own!

http://www.amazon.com/Dandelion-Root-Tea-30-Bag/dp/B00020HHO0

The following website shows you how to make dandelion root tea or coffee here!