Common throughout almost the entire territory of our country and so often causing irritation to gardeners, the field dandelion is a characteristic representative of the domestic flora.
This article will tell about this plant, its habitat, properties and application.
Field dandelion: description
Who is unfamiliar with a herbaceous perennial that blooms forest glades, roadside roadsides and even gardeners' favorite beds from early spring until the end of the summer season with life-affirming golden stars of flowers? The enviable vitality of the plant allows it to germinate on any soil, including rocky and foothill scarce soils, in forest and steppe zones. The field dandelion easily adapts to any environmental conditions and successfully survives even on pastures, enduring trampling. It is not able to drown out or displace other plants.
And the dandelion has many names, it has been awarded with different epithets - medicinal, pharmacy, ordinary, field. Popular names for thisherbaceous brave man and even more - empty, powder puff, milkman, bald patch, milker, baby beetle, euphorbia, cow flower, milky color, etc. All of them amazingly accurately convey the qualities and characteristics of the plant.
Field dandelion (aster family) is equipped with a large root, taproot and branched, going deep into the ground sometimes up to 0.3-0.5 m. On dry soils and in the sun, they are no longer than 15-20 cm, and in wet ditches, along river banks, in the shade and under bushes, leaves grow up to 40-60 cm. Nature is wise, she conceived an amazing device, it would seem, a simple leaf: a longitudinal groove is laid in its center, collecting dew and rain moisture, and then supplying it to the root.
Characteristics of field dandelion
Peduncle, hollow stem ending in a basket of tubular sunny yellow flowers, each with five narrow reed petals. Inflorescences-baskets are real barometers that react to weather changes, as well as the change of day and night.
Everyone noticed that in the evening and before the rain, dandelions close, keeping pollen from getting wet, and open again with the sunrise. The fruits of the dandelion are dry achenes, attached to parachutes-fluffs with a long thin rod, easily carried by the lightest breath of the wind. Botanists have noticed that the achenes never turn over, being exactly below, and, landing, they are already ready for sowing. The field dandelion germinates at the lowest positive temperatures. Seedlings and shoots from the growth buds of the root appear from April and throughout the summer period. The fertility of the plant is impressive - one plant forms up to 7 thousand seeds per season.
Useful properties of the plant
All parts of the dandelion contain a milky sap that tastes extremely bitter. It is this circumstance - the presence of bitterness - that makes the plant medicinal and the main purpose of active bitter substances is an effect that improves appetite, digestion, and increased secretion of gastric juice. The main share of nutrients is concentrated in the root of the plant.
Dandelion field contains compounds that normalize metabolic processes in the body, increase blood hemoglobin, neutralize the effect of bad cholesterol on blood vessels and contribute to a significant improvement in the psychophysical state of a person. Dandelion preparations also have other properties: antiviral, antispasmodic, laxative, sedative, diaphoretic, anthelmintic, etc.
Indications for the use of dandelion preparations
Useful properties of dandelion have long been used in the complex treatment of various diseases.
And today, drugs produced on the basis of this perennial are used for lack of appetite, colitis, gastrointestinal disorders, constipation, diseases of the biliary tract and liver, pancreas, anemia, atherosclerosis, pulmonary and skin problems, inflamed wounds, diabetes mellitus,arthritis, gout, etc. Such an extensive scope of drugs, the basis of which was the field medicinal dandelion, is possible due to the impressive list of substances and compounds concentrated in the roots of the plant.
Use of dandelion in everyday life
Inflorescences collected in the spring, in Russia have long been used in cooking. From dandelion and today they make jam, reminiscent of fresh honey. The French and British marinate buds, which successfully act as a full-fledged replacement for capers in salads and soups. Use in salads and fresh leaves that have undergone culinary processing. There is also dandelion honey - a thick, viscous product of excellent golden color with a bright spicy smell and the same slightly harsh taste. Due to the significant amount of inulin in dandelion roots, they are used to make a surrogate coffee drink.
Procurement of raw materials
The preparation of dandelion roots is started in spring or autumn. It is at this time that they accumulate the maximum amount of useful substances.
The roots are dug up by hand or small-scale agricultural machinery is used, plowing the soil shallowly. Intensive procurement of raw materials in one place is carried out with a time interval of 2-3 years. The extracted roots are cleaned from the ground, washed and laid out to dry, after crushing large parts. It is better to use a drying cabinet, setting the temperature to no more than 50 ° C. Properly dried root fragments are odorless, but taste sweetish with noticeable bitterness. You can use such raw materials no morefive years.
