When dandelions are harvested for treatment: harvesting roots, leaves, flowers

It is necessary to collect dandelion root for medicinal purposes, as well as leaves with flowers, taking into account the maturation of the plant. In folk medicine, all parts of the dandelion are used, however, they all have a different peak of usefulness – the time period when they accumulate the maximum possible amount of useful micro and macro elements. For example, it is better to collect the leaves before flowering, until the flowers have drawn the vitality of the plant onto themselves, and the roots after. Of course, you can neglect these rules, there will be no harm to health from this. However, the benefits of the raw materials collected for harvesting will be much lower than the original ones.

When to collect dandelions for medicine

Regardless of which part of dandelions is harvested for drying or freezing, there are several rules that apply in all cases:

1. The collection of raw materials from the same place can be carried out only 1 time every 3 years, not more often. Otherwise, there is a high risk of depleting the flora in the area.
2. Dandelions are recommended to be collected as far as possible from the roadway. Urban plants, in general, are not very suitable for collection for medicinal purposes – they quickly accumulate toxic substances and are more likely to harm health than benefit. It is best to harvest plants growing in the forest or at their summer cottage.
3. No need to rush to prepare material for the winter. If you collect dandelions ahead of time, the raw materials will turn out to be scarce in vitamins and nutrients.

When to Harvest Dandelion Root for Treatment

At the roots of dandelion, two time intervals can be distinguished for collection, when the concentration of nutrients in them is at its peak: spring before flowering (late April – early May) and autumn (September-October). Dandelion root is dried at the same time as it is harvested.

The collection is carried out as follows:

1. All leaves are collected in one bunch.
2. Holding them firmly together with the stem, grasping at the very base, the plant is slowly pulled out of the ground, trying not to break the root. Preliminary watering of the soil will facilitate the process – it will be easier to pull out the roots from the softened soil.
3. The lateral roots of the medicinal dandelion are cut off.
4. After that, the plant is soaked in any suitable container. This is necessary in order to finally soften the remaining clods of earth, so that the roots are easier to clean later. After 10-15 minutes, the collected material is removed from the water.

Dandelion leaf harvest time

Dandelion leaves are harvested and dried in the spring – during this period, the concentration of nutrients in them is especially high. Young leaves of those plants that have not yet had time to bloom are most suitable for harvesting – they have not yet transferred their strength to flowers. They are carefully cut with scissors and put on a tray or in a basket. It is important to ensure that the leaves do not crumple. Also, immediately discard all damaged, yellow and diseased specimens. In addition, the raw materials must be cleaned of insects and undesirable impurities in the form of dry leaves of other plants, etc. It is impossible to harvest the faded leaves, therefore it is better not to delay the drying of the material.

It is recommended to collect this part of the plant in dry weather or in the afternoon, when the remnants of dew are completely dry.

Timing of the collection of medicinal dandelion flowers

The collection of dandelion flowers usually falls on the period from April to October, and especially high-quality blanks are obtained from samples collected during active flowering – in May.

It is recommended to collect flowers in sunny weather during the day or in the late afternoon. It is desirable that the dew has already disappeared from the plants by this time. The flowers should not have visible damage in the form of spots, plaque, debris, specimens with signs of wilting are also not suitable for harvesting. As a rule, only the head of the flower (or basket) is cut off, the pedicel is usually not touched. It is better not to pick flowers with your hands – the risk of shaking off pollen from the petals, which contains a large amount of useful macro- and microelements, is so great. It is she who determines the main healing qualities of the flowers of the plant. Without it, the heads become practically useless, although some benefit still remains.

Before proceeding to drying, the collected flowers are inspected for foreign debris, insects and other grasses.

How to harvest dandelions for treatment

The biological activity of plants grown on an industrial scale is steadily declining, so people are increasingly collecting herbs on their own, including dandelion: its roots, leaves and flowers. The process of harvesting raw materials occurs in two main directions: the collected material is either dried or frozen. Separately, the manufacture of all kinds of decoctions, infusions and jams from dandelions is distinguished.

How to prepare dandelion roots for medicinal purposes

Harvesting the dandelion root begins with its cleaning. The raw materials are thoroughly washed, getting rid of the remnants of the soil, and dried for some time in the fresh air. After that, the root is removed in the freezer with dry freezing. When kept at low temperatures, the collected material retains its useful qualities for several years.

An alternative way to harvest the roots of a plant is to dry it.

How to dry dandelion roots

By drying, dandelion roots are harvested in the attic or under a canopy – high-quality raw materials can be obtained only on the condition that a sufficient amount of oxygen is supplied to it. In this case, it is important to place the roots in the shade or partial shade, since under the influence of direct sunlight they lose most of the nutrients.

You can speed up the process by drying in the oven, however, you cannot set the temperature too high. The recommended limit is 50°.

Small roots dry out faster than large ones, so quite often the collected raw materials are passed through a meat grinder. Shredded dandelion roots are laid out in a thin layer on a flat surface, after spreading fabric or burlap on it. From time to time, the roots are gently mixed.

You can determine the readiness of the dried root by the following signs:

• if the material for harvesting was collected on time and dried in accordance with all the rules, then the roots will be dense and slightly wrinkled;
• when pressed, the root breaks easily and with a bang;
• dried dandelion root is dark brown on the outside, almost white on the inside;
• the smell is weak or absent at all;
• the taste of a properly harvested root is slightly bitter.

If, as a result of drying, the roots are soft and light, it means that poor-quality material was collected or mistakes were made during the harvesting process. For medicinal purposes, such raw materials cannot be used.

How to prepare dandelion leaves

Dandelion leaves are harvested in the shade, in a well-ventilated cool room. The recommended temperature is 25-40°. It is important to prevent the leaves from caking – for this they are regularly turned over.

How to prepare dandelion flowers

The most important rule for harvesting dandelion flowers is that they should never be washed. Water will inevitably wash away pollen from the petals, which means that a significant proportion of useful substances will be lost forever.

The flowers collected for drying are transferred to the shade and laid out on a spread cloth in a thin layer. After 10 hours they are cleaned in a dry and well-ventilated room with a temperature of 25 °. In order to prepare flowers faster, you can put them in a drying chamber and set the temperature to 50 °.

Is it possible to freeze dandelion flowers

Freezing dandelion flowers is very easy. The procedure for freezing raw materials is as follows:

1. The collected flowers are slightly dried.
2. After that, the green receptacles are removed.
3. Yellow petals are placed in a plastic bag and frozen like regular greens.

Storage rules and periods

Subject to all the general rules for collecting herbs, dandelion retains its beneficial properties on average from 2 to 5 years. Depending on which part of the plant is harvested, these parameters may differ slightly.

The dried roots of the plant are stored for the longest time – if you keep them in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight, then the shelf life of the raw materials will be 4-7 years. The best container for storing roots, both chopped and whole, is cardboard boxes or wooden boxes.

Dried leaves are stored in a dry room, in bags of sufficiently dense material or cardboard boxes. The shelf life of raw materials does not exceed 1-2 years.

Flowers are stored in fabric or paper bags, glass containers are also suitable. In the room where raw materials are stored, it is necessary to maintain room temperature and good air ventilation. Under such conditions, dandelion flowers retain their medicinal properties for 1 year.

Conclusion

Collecting dandelion root for medicinal purposes is best when they accumulate a maximum of useful substances. The same rule applies to other parts of the plant: leaves and flowers. At the same time, it is important to remember that in some cases, dandelion-based drugs can be harmful to human health, despite the obvious benefits for the body as a whole. This happens most often with allergies to the plant, but also infusions, decoctions and other products from dandelions are contraindicated in case of blockage of the biliary tract, peptic ulcer and gastritis.

You can learn more about the features of using various parts of dandelion for medicinal purposes from the video below: