Spring has sprung, and with it has come many dandelion plants poking their yellow flowers through blades of grass. Perhaps surprisingly, there鈥檚 much more to these plants beyond being pesky weeds. For one, the French word for dandelion is聽pissenlit, which literally translates in English to 鈥減ee in bed鈥�.聽聽Where did this name even come from?聽聽It stems from the fact that not only is the dandelion plant edible; its leaves can produce quite a strong diuretic effect.聽聽Dandelion has been used throughout history in Native American, Chinese, and Arabic traditional medicines to treat a multitude of conditions such as fever, joint pain, and digestive problems although evidence of efficacy is limited.聽
And what about the English name,聽dandelion? This actually comes from a French phrase, 鈥渄ents de lion鈥�, meaning 鈥渢ooth of the lion鈥�, due to the jagged appearance of the plant鈥檚 leaves. And as far as those leaves go, you can eat them! Put them in a salad or sautee them like spinach. They are nutritious, providing a healthy dose of beta-carotene along with vitamins C and K. The roots contain the prebiotic fibre inulin that feeds 鈥済ood鈥� bacteria in the gut. They can be roasted to make a caffeine-free coffee alternative. Maybe you want to spare that weed-killer! Instead, rid your lawn of dandelions by bending down and harvesting them. Good exercise! These weeds deserve more respect than they get.
Caitlin Bard is completing her Bachelor of Science with a major in聽neuroscience聽at 平特五不中.
