Dandelion is not only a beautiful wildflower, but also a powerful natural remedy for many diseases. Recently, this plant has been actively used to catalyze the process of losing weight, since dandelion helps speed up the metabolic process and remove excess fluid from the human body.
The undoubted advantage of the plant is that both leaves and roots of dandelion are used in dietetics, which undoubtedly expands the possible list of tasty and healthy recipes for active weight loss.
Dandelion root for weight loss
This part of the plant is widely used for medicinal purposes. Due to its unpretentiousness and low care requirements, it can grow almost anywhere. Dandelion contains a lot of calcium and iron. It is used for weight loss:
- You can make a salad from dandelion leaves. Pick the leaves, soak them in salted water for 30 minutes, and only then start cutting them. You can also add parsley, onion, spinach, arugula, and dill to the chopped leaves. When you combine all these herbs together, the bitterness of the salad will not be noticeable.
- They also prepare a salad from the leaves of sorrel, dandelion and coltsfoot. This salad is very healthy and tasty. Add cucumber to it and season with low-fat cream or lemon juice.
- So let's go back to the bottom of the plant. The root must be harvested in late autumn. But the root itself is not used in the process of losing weight; it must be mixed with herbal tea. It helps reduce blood sugar levels.
- The prepared dandelion infusion is a blood purifying and tonic. The infusion is prepared as follows: 250 ml. boiled water, chopped root. The poured ingredient is left for 15 minutes and then drained. Take it three times a day, half an hour before meals. It is better to make herbal tea from various medicinal herbs with the addition of roots. You can drink this tea all day, because it has a positive effect on the body. It is also useful to drink dandelion juice to give the body all the substances it needs.
- It is advised to collect the root of the plant outside the city, in meadows, fields, away from pollution and industry. After all, a flower growing near the road has accumulated toxins, and it will not bring you any benefit. Dandelion root normalizes metabolism, eliminates constipation, and improves digestion. Only if you have diarrhea, it is not advisable to drink it. It is forbidden to take for gastritis, ulcers, gastrointestinal tract, allergies, disorders.
- The root also promotes the secretion of gastric juice and stimulates appetite. In order to lose weight, the root should be taken before meals to increase the effectiveness of the effect.
Rules for collecting plants
Today you can buy dry raw materials at any pharmacy. The packages offer simply dried roots, as well as lightly fried ones, or just dandelion leaves. If you don’t trust pharmacy preparations, then you can prepare dandelion roots and leaves for weight loss yourself. But you need to collect the plant correctly:
- The place should be clean, away from roads and factories.
- The best time to collect is spring or autumn.
- Only the roots of two-year-old plants are suitable for infusions and tea. One should be large and thick; forked ones will not work.
- Raw materials should be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. It is advisable to put it in a fabric bag.
- To prepare infusions from dandelion roots for weight loss, it should be ground in a blender. This way he will give away the maximum of useful substances.
We recommend reading about the best herbs for weight loss that burn fat. From the article you will learn about how herbs for weight loss work, contraindications for taking them, and recipes for herbal teas for weight loss. And here is more information about how to use milk thistle for weight loss.
Thanks to the beneficial properties of this flower, you can find a beautiful figure. It saturates the body with vitamins and starts internal processes. To lose weight, you don’t need to look for an expensive remedy; you can turn to your own garden. Dandelion is suitable for preparing delicious drinks and dishes.
How does weed affect the weight loss process?
The use of dandelion lies in its composition:
- vitamin E, C;
- manganese, iron, copper, calcium, potassium;
- rubber;
- resins;
- acids;
- provitamins;
- bitter glycoside.
The element potassium is responsible for the main property of the weed.
After all, it promotes the loss of excess weight. Potassium has a diuretic effect, which is what burns calories. It also helps with swelling, and this also helps get rid of unnecessary pounds. After this, our body is cleansed and washed away from harmful enzymes. Dandelion improves the functioning of the intestinal tract and liver. In addition, it removes cholesterol deposits and accelerates the absorption of food.
Beneficial features
Dandelion is a flowering plant belonging to the genus Taraxacum. Most likely, due to ignorance, many summer residents and gardeners, when cleaning their plots, pull out dandelions and throw them away. But this plant has a wide range of beneficial and medicinal properties.
Many connoisseurs of traditional medicine call it Russian ginseng, and this is no coincidence. The roots of this beautiful plant contain a whole storehouse of useful components.
- cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques and returns them to their former youth, restores their elasticity and strength;
- cleanses the blood of harmful substances, toxins, and also restores its normal composition;
- It is recommended to drink decoctions from it for gallstone disease. When consuming the decoction, stones and stagnant bile are removed from the liver and gallbladder;
- has a stimulating effect on the formation and excretion of gastric juice, and also improves digestion;
- normalizes metabolism and stabilizes the activity of the digestive system;
- The inulin it contains normalizes blood sugar levels. Thus, the root is an excellent dietary supplement for patients with diabetes;
- organic acids included in the composition maintain the acid-base balance in the body;
- vitamins B and C are necessary aids in the fight against colds;
- improves the functioning of the endocrine and immune systems;
- has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, removes acne, freckles, age spots;
- removes helminths and other parasitic organisms from the intestines;
- It is recommended to take decoctions for nursing mothers. The components that make up the root cause a large amount of milk to flow in and improve its quality.
Dandelion is rich in nutrients. It is a good source of all vitamins except vitamin D. It contains sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron and zinc. The plant contains proteins and carbohydrates. The main part of the carbohydrates contained in it is dietary fiber. Thanks to such a high dietary fiber content, dandelion has acquired laxative and detoxifying properties.
Using medicinal herbs for weight loss
To lose weight, tinctures and decoctions of dandelion are prepared. There are many recipes that include its root. Let's look at some of them:
- Take 10 g of dried dandelion root, pour boiling water and let it brew for 3 hours. Then strain and take the drink 1 tbsp. l. before eating.
- You will need 1 glass of boiled water, chopped root. Boil everything over the fire for a few minutes. Take the infusion three times a day, three-quarters of a glass, 20 minutes before meals.
- You need to take buckthorn root, mint leaves, fennel, parsley. The raw materials are placed in boiling water and infused for about 30 minutes. Drink only in the morning on an empty stomach.
- The root of the plant and herbs are poured into 200 ml. boiling water Set aside, strain and consume a few sips after meals.
- Leaf decoction. You will need dry leaves and hot water to prepare it. Pour water over the leaves and leave for a day in a special (sealed) container. The decoction can be drunk throughout the day in small portions.
- Flower salad. Cut fresh leaves of the bush, wash and chop them. Add green onions, chopped parsley and dill to them. Season the greens with sunflower oil or lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt or other seasoning to taste. This salad normalizes metabolism.
- Dandelion salad with vegetables. To prepare this spring salad you need: young fresh herb leaves, garlic, green onions, herbs, radishes, cucumber, pepper. Finely chop the leaves and greens, add diced cucumber, radishes, pepper strips and season with lemon juice or olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper.
All of the above recipes for using weed will help you get rid of excess weight. The main thing is to take it regularly and not to overdo it with doses to avoid diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. People with chronic illnesses should not use dandelion in their diet. It is better to drink your favorite tea with the addition of honey, ginger, lemon, cinnamon. And if you have a desire to try a healing decoction, you should consult a doctor.
Disadvantages and advantages of dandelion
- You need to take this remedy carefully and always adhere to the measure. It should not be used by people who suffer from peptic ulcers.
- Weight loss occurs due to laxative and diuretic effects. Please note that long-term use of the drug may cause deterioration in the functioning of the stomach. At the same time, the activity of processing the food consumed decreases. The process of emptying will be difficult and he will need additional stimulation.
- Dandelion is a strong appetite stimulant. For example, if you are on a diet with a herbal root supplement, then follow a few simple rules. The first rule is not to take too much dandelion root. Second, prepare dishes not only from one root, but also add other healthy herbs, greens, and vegetables. They will saturate the body with necessary substances.
- You can make weight loss cocktails from this medicinal plant. Since dandelion turns out to be a source of minerals and salts. It has useful characteristics that help a person in treatment, and even with obesity.
Contraindications
Despite the huge number of beneficial properties, dandelion can play a bad joke on people suffering from certain diseases, including:
- gastrointestinal ulcer;
- allergy to any component of this plant;
- tendency to disorders and disorders of the stomach;
- blockage of the biliary tract;
- acute or chronic form of gastritis.
Also, do not forget that weight loss during active consumption of dandelion-based products occurs partly due to the pronounced diuretic and laxative effect provided by this plant. Such a “shake-up” will undoubtedly help start the process of losing weight, but you should not abuse it too often. Chronic use of dandelion for weight loss can lead to the so-called “lazy bowel” syndrome, which makes it difficult to have a natural bowel movement.
Moreover, we should also not forget that dandelion still partly helps stimulate appetite. So don't overdo it - consuming too many dandelions can have the opposite effect. Also try to add more other ingredients to all kinds of dishes containing dandelions.
Harvesting Dandelion Root
The root of the plant is mainly collected in the autumn or spring seasons. Because at this time it is saturated with a large number of biologically active substances. Carefully dig up the bush with a shovel, cut off the root, and shake it. Then they are washed with water and dried for a week in an open space, then in a special oven at a temperature of 60 degrees. The product can be stored for no more than five years. Remember, the collection of raw materials should be carried out in a less polluted area, away from the city and highways.
Reviews from experts about dandelion
The medical encyclopedia says that dandelion is used to increase appetite. Due to its own bitterness, it is considered the most powerful appetite stimulant. You might wonder how you can lose weight if you increase your appetite? Let's discuss this:
- As we already learned from the article, the plant has a strong laxative and diuretic effect. When using it, you will go to the toilet very often, so to speak, get rid of unnecessary liquid.
- Thanks to its choleretic properties, the plant prevents the deposition of fatty deposits. Bile crushes them, they begin to be processed better.
Whether you take dandelion for weight loss or not is up to you.
But weight loss will not happen by drinking just one herbal infusion. At the same time, you need to exclude unhealthy high-calorie foods and especially sweets. Also, eat a healthy diet, start going to the gym or doing physical exercise. Then there will be not only benefits, but results. Recipe for imperial, vitamin, spring dandelion salad for cleansing the body and losing weight in this video:
Possible side effects
Although dandelion tea is generally considered safe, there are a number of possible side effects in rare cases:
- frequent urination;
- diarrhea;
- dizziness;
- allergy;
- heartburn;
- thirst;
- muscle spasms;
- nausea;
- headache;
- severe fatigue.
The biggest problem with using dandelion tea for weight loss is that it only leads to water loss and not fat loss. Therefore, as soon as your body stores water again, you are likely to gain weight again.