What is a Dandelion?

The common dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant with yellow flowers. Each yellow flower is called a floret and is arranged in a circular pattern to create the flower head. The dandelion is a member of the Asteraceae family and can be found growing all over the world.

What Are the Health Benefits of Dandelions?

Both the roots, flowers, and leaves of dandelions are wholly edible and loaded with nutrition. The young and tender, spiky green leaves of the dandelion plants are significantly more nutritious than lettuce. They can be either eaten raw in a salad or cooked as with a plate of collard greens. They are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K and contain trace amounts of vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other B vitamins.

The root of the dandelion plant can also be a source of food. Dandelion root has high amounts of the carbohydrate inulin. Inulin is a type of soluble fiber that plays an essential role in the growth and maintenance of healthy bacterial flora in your intestinal tract. Dandelion root can either be dried, boiled and drunk as tea or eaten as a potato substitute. You can also boil dandelion flowers can into tea or ferment them to make delicious wine.

In medicinal terms, all parts of the dandelion have high amounts of antioxidants. Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols in the plant can help reduce inflammation caused by various diseases. One recent peer-reviewed study found that long-term consumption of diets high in plant polyphenols offers protection against various illnesses, including the development of cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases.

What Are the Health Benefits of Purslane?

Among all the leafy green vegetables, purslane has the highest vitamin-A content. Nutritional studies have found that purslane's antioxidant value can play a role in vision health and that it can also protect from lung and oral cancer. A 3.5-ounce portion of purslane can also give you 35 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs. Purslane also has an abundance of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, which play an important role in maintaining optimal cholesterol levels.

What Are the Health Benefits of Nettle?

When nettle is boiled or steeped as tea, the bristles and stinging chemicals are deactivated. The remaining leaves are highly nutritious and also offer a host of medicinal benefits. Nettle plants can help flush harmful bacteria from the urinary tract, thus preventing infections. 

The stinging nettle plant is recommended by The Arthritis Foundation to help reduce the inflammation and pain associated with osteoarthritis. People who have diabetes or abnormal blood sugar levels might also benefit from letting a patch of nettle grow wild in the corner of your yard. A 2013 study found evidence that stinging nettle leaf extract lowered blood glucose HbA1c in a group of people with type 2 diabetes.