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I had absolutely no idea what kind of superfood dandelions were until I read, you guessed it, The Forever Dog Life, by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker and Rodney Habib. Ever since I got this book I have been making Dandelion Root Tea for Apollo and incorporating that into his daily meals. I recently moved, and was delighted to discover an abundance of Dandelions growing all around my house. Now I harvest the leaves and flowers roughly every 2 weeks and include a little bit every day with Apollo’s breakfast. Now here’s why:
“They’re full of prebiotic fiber that’s good for the gut, as well as polyphenols that cleanse the liver” ( super important for Apollo as he is on a number of medications for seizures, like phenobarbital, which is known to cause damage to the liver over time) “keep the bloodstream healthy, prevent inflammation, and help manage chronic diseases like diabetes.” (Becker & Habib, 2024, P58)
The flowers contain:
- Lecithin: helps memory, supports immune system, and cellular health
- Polyphenols: prevent inflammation
- Antioxidants: protects cells
The leaves:
- Contain Vitamin C, K & Electrolyte Potassium: supports muscles, nerves and fluid balance (fluid balance is the body’s regulation of water and electrolytes).
- Protect the liver by stimulating bile production and increasing circulation
The roots:
- Can obliterate both colon and gastric cancer cells
Dandelions and the Microbiome: Dandelions contain “A. muciniphila, which protects the lining of the gut”. This helps prevent diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and “may combat obesity.” (Becker & Habib, 2024, P58)
As long as there are no chemicals used to treat the area where dandelions are growing, they are safe to eat. I have been picking a variety of leaves and flowers, cleaning them as I will illustrate below, storing them in an airtight container, and then putting a little bit into the smoothie I make for Apollo every morning.
When I first start, you’ll notice that the flowers are still very open. But as you scroll you’ll see that they close. This is normal and you can expect the flowers to stay closed. I use a salad spinner to collect my Dandelions and their leaves. I try to select the smaller leaves, because I personally like the taste of the smaller leaves on plants like kale and lettuce better than the larger leaves although either is perfectly fine.
Next I’ll fill the salad spinner up with cold water and then let everything separate out. Usually the little bits of dirt will start to sink to the bottom. So after maybe 20 minutes or so I will lift the bin out and dump out the water. Then I will wash it all over again and let everything set for another 20 minutes or so.
Like I mentioned earlier, the flowers will start to close during this process. But it’s okay!
Once I have rinsed, soaked, and emptied everything three times, or until I feel it’s clean, I’ll spin everything until it’s just damp. Then I’ll take some paper towels and start to place a little bit at a time in half a paper towel, folding the other half over the top of the leaves and flowers, making layers as I go.
When I’m all done, the finished product looks something like this. It will last around 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
The Forever Dog Life dedicates FOUR PAGES to Dandelions! For a more thorough explanation of the benefits of each part of the plant, or how to incorporate Dandelions into your dogs diet, definitely have a look at this book!
Becker, K. & Habib, R. The Forever Dog Life. Harper.