Dent de Lion (tooth of the tiger)

There’s a lot of unappreciated weeds in the world. Dandelions are one of them. They’re pretty, smell nice, grow everywhere, and are edible! Edible is of course not synonymous with ‘delicious’ or ‘tasty’ or ‘I want this for dessert every day.’ But by applying some creativity, dandelions definitely can be seen more of a handy, hardy volunteer, and less of a nosy, annoying nuisance.

I ate a dandelion leaf today. It was a small, young leaf (supposed to be the least bitter) and was similar in consistency and texture to romaine lettuce. It definitely had a bitter aftertaste which I didn't find particularly pleasing. But supposedly a bitter taste can signify some healthy benefits of a food. It can also signify something being poisonous though, hence bitter things don’t taste good.

Anyways I won’t go into detail about how to combine dandelion flowers with fermented fluids to create an interesting twist to some adult beverages, but I think I have to mention the plethora of dandelion-themed edible delights, including dandelion-blossom bread, dandelion pancakes, cream of dandelion soup, etc etc.

The roots can be boiled and eaten, though I have not heard too many positive things about their taste. The blossoms, as I mentioned can be used in cooking and flavoring (but only the yellow part.) And the stems are generally stripped of leaves, which can be eaten plain or in salads, and discarded due to their bitterness. 

A google search would doubtless bring up a few thousand things which dandelion roots, leaves, or blossoms, would help some of which might be valid and some of which might be based on tradition. It is however, known to aid digestion.

A lot of bitter herbs cause your stomach to release more hydrochloric acid and bile which makes digestion in the stomach go faster. This effect continues in the liver which likewise helps the digestion process go smoothly.

Apparently, it’s an appetite stimulant and I have no scientific reasons as to why that might be. My personal theory though is that after eating a bitter leaf you start craving something sweet, like a brownie. That was my experience at least.

Dandelions also contain high levels of boron and calcium. I have never heard of boron before, or seen cornflakes boasting of their high boron levels so I was curious and looked it up. It’s a trace element and boron deficiency has never been noticed in humans, though they managed to inflict on rats. Anyways, don’t worry about boron deficiency. And, you know, if you feel like it, try eating a dandelion leaf.