From:backwaterjon@yahoo.com

http://www.azuswebworks.com/herbs/dandeln.htm

Choline: Is found in bitter vegetables and the leaves of Dandelions 
and is critical for effective liver function.


http://www.healthwell.com/healthnotes/Herb/Dandelion.cfm

http://www.a-better-way.com/dandelion.html

Dandelion leaves and roots have been used for hundreds of years to 
treat liver, gallbladder, kidney, and joint problems. In some 
traditions, dandelion is considered a blood purifier and is used for 
conditions as varied as eczema and cancer. As is the case today, 
dandelion leaves have also been used historically to treat water 
retention.

Dandelion is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals. The leaves 
have a high content of vitamin A as well as moderate amounts of 
vitamin D, vitamin C, various B vitamins, iron, silicon, magnesium, 
zinc, and manganese.

The bitter compounds in the leaves and root help stimulate digestion 
and are mild laxatives.  These bitter principles also increase bile 
production in the gallbladder and bile flow from the liver.  For this 
reason dandelion is recommended by some herbalists for people with 
sluggish liver function due to alcohol abuse or poor diet. The 
increase in bile flow may help improve fat (including cholesterol) 
metabolism in the body.

Dandelion, also known as Blowball, Cankerwort, Lion's Tooth, Priest's 
Crown, Puffball, Swine Snout, White Endive, and Wild Endive, is a 
perennial plant found, to the dismay of many, almost everywhere. The 
oblong or spatulate, irregularly dentate or pinnatifid leaves grow in 
a rosette from the milky taproot, which also sends up one or more 
naked flower stems, each terminating in a single yellow flower. The 
familiar puffball that succeeds the flower is a globular cluster of 
achenes, each of which is fitted with a parachute-like tuft.

Dandelion has been used as an aperient, cholagogue, diuretic, 
stomachic, and tonic. Dandelion has two particularly important uses: 
to promote the formation of bile and to remove excess water from the 
body in edemous conditions resulting from liver problems. The root 
especially affects all forms of secretion and excretion from the 
body. By acting to remove poisons from the body, it acts as a tonic 
and stimulant as well. The fresh juice is most effective, but 
Dandelion is also prepared as a tea. Lukewarm Dandelion tea has been 
recommended for dyspepsia with constipation, fever, insomnia, and 
hypochondria. An infusion of the fresh root is said to be good for 
gallstones, jaundice, and other liver problems.  Dandelion leaves are 
healthful as salad greens.
www.viable-herbal.com/herbdesc1/1dandeli.htm

Herbalists know the plant as one of the most nutrient-rich in the 
plant kingdom. The whole dandelion plant is edible—the flowers being 
used to make wine, the leaves boiled like spinach or added uncooked 
to salads, and the roots used as a vegetable or roasted and brewed 
for a coffee-like beverage. The herb contains potassium, sodium, 
phosphorus and iron. The leaves are a richer source of vitamin A than 
carrots and contain some amounts of vitamins B, C and D.

It is very safe and its benefits are many. In our high-tech world we 
often lose sight of the low-tech remedies that nature has provided. 
These are all around, but unless we know about them their virtues 
will be lost. 

Next time, instead of reaching for the toxic chemicals, reach for a 
spade, harvest this wonderful weed, and enjoy your greens along with 
your good health!
