Dandelion Eating

Wiley · May 10, 2012

Is it only my birds who eat the heads of the dandelions?

frank-123 · May 10, 2012

1st 2nd 3rd last week is that how it's done

May 10, 2012

I've not noticed mine eating the heads, they seem to go for the younger leaves, apparently the older they are the more bitter they taste. Not seen that for a while though.

The whole plant is used in human cookery & herbal medicine.

May 10, 2012

apparently these little weeds are used in natural medicine.

Wiley · May 10, 2012

A fancier friend of mine used to buy dandelion tea from the chemist and used to give it weekly he was successful at the middle distance 5 times LNRC winner. My birds seem to go mad over them.

andy Burgess · May 10, 2012

thats another secret out the bag Wiley :emoticon-0136-giggle:

peter66 · May 10, 2012

We have hundreds on my Allotment, will start bag it and sell it. :emoticon-0127-lipssealed:

do just let them pick around or can you take the leafs of.

THE FIFER · May 10, 2012

the leaves are good for them,

peter66 · May 10, 2012

could you boil it first and make your own tea.just a thought

greenlands · May 10, 2012

could you boil it first and make your own tea.just a thought

Yes but just use the female leaves (round shape not spiky)male leaves are bitter.So my late gran-mother said.

peter66 · May 10, 2012

Thanks will try tomorrow, will have to nick 1 of her pots and take down with me.

will get about 10 leaves to 1 lt of water??

Wiley · May 10, 2012

We have hundreds on my Allotment, will start bag it and sell it.

do just let them pick around or can you take the leafs of.

To be fair Peter the way we exercise our birds we encourage them to land after a period of time in the loft and garden we call this play time, as I said in another post my widows go out once a day but they go out for a two hour period. My birds do not eat any of the green just the yellow head and they will fight over them.

peter66 · May 10, 2012

Hi Wiley I keep my youngster on a allotment,one of the blokes next to me is great, the other is total ass hole. They are on the foot paths,i let them walk a round but not on the foot path.i will will cut some in the morning and try.

May 10, 2012

I got this from a website in 2006, it may be of interest:-

Since the 7th century, the Chinese have known about the antibacterial properties of the juice of the dandelion. Researchers recently discovered that dandelion may protect against cirrhosis of the liver. In Europe, the dandelion first appears as being used medicinally in 1485. The name dandelion was invented by a 15th century surgeon, who compared the shape of the leaves to a lion's tooth, or dens leonis. Old timers called dandelion the "King of Weeds."

A French authority claimed that the flowers and stems of dandelion are "enormously rich in estrogen." Dandelion was brought to the New World by the early colonists. They used the whole plant. The flowers made wine, the leaves made salads, the stems and roots dried and used medicinally. According to stories, dandelion never grows where there are no human inhabitants. The early pioneers found no trace of them in western America. After a few years, up sprang a dandelion head and soon there were millions of them. Native Americans learned to love them and would walk miles to gather them if they could not be found locally.

The root, when dried, roasted and ground like coffee, is used to make a tea. This infusion will promote psychic powers. This same tea, steaming and placed beside the bed, will call spirits. To send a message to a loved one, blow at the seed head in his or her direction and visualize your message. Dandelion, buried in the northwest corner of the house, brings favourable winds.

Dandelion is truly one of nature's greatest healers: an excellent cleansing agent, being one of the most effective detoxifying herbs. It possesses a wide range of active constituents and is also rich in minerals and nutrients.

The Dandelion has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries, on many continents. Native Americans were using Dandelion long before the discovery of America for a wide variety of ailments. The plant was somewhat of a panacea (cure for everything). New scientific evidence exists to substantiate the use of Dandelion for just about everything. Research is revealing that the plants many constituents including Taraxacin, Taraxacoside, Inulin, Phenolic acids, Sesquiterpene lactones, Triterpenes, Coumarins, Catortenoids and Minerals, mainly Potassium and calcium, are very valuable in curing a number of disorders and illnesses. Traditionally used as a tonic and blood purifier, for constipation, inflammatory skin conditions, joint pain, rheumatism, eczema and liver dysfunction, including liver conditions such as hepatitis and jaundice. An infusion of the root encourages the steady elimination of toxins from the body. It is a powerful diuretic and has been favorably compared with a common diuretic drug, Frusemide. However, unlike conventional diuretics, dandelion does not leach potassium from the body; its rich potassium content replaces that which the body loses. The whole plant is used as a medicinal herb internally and externally. Having such medicinal qualities as aperient, cholagogue, depurative, diuretic, hepatic, laxative, stomachic, tonic. Being used for the treatment of gall bladder, kidney and urinary disorders, gallstones, jaundice, cirrhosis, hypoglysemia, dyspepsia with constipation, oedema associated with high blood pressure and heart weakness, chronic joint and skin complaints, gout, eczema and acne. As a tonic dandelion strengthens the kidneys. Applied externally the fresh juice is will fight bacteria and help heal wounds. The plant has an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Staphococcus aureus, pneumococci, meningococci, Bacillus dysenteriae, B. typhi, C. diphtheriae, proteus. The latex contained in the plant sap can be used to remove corns and warts.

Constituents

Biotin, calcium, choline, fats, gluten, gum, inositol, inulin, iron, lactupicrine, linolenic acid, magnesium, niacin, PABA, phosphorus, potash, proteins, resin, sulfur, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, E, and P, and zinc.

Leaves: bitter glycosides, carotenoids, terpenoids, choline, potassium salts, iron and other minerals, vitamins A, B, C, D, G. (contain 7,000 units of Vitamin A per oz.) (compared with lettuce, 1,200 units per oz. and carrot, 1275 per oz.)

Root: bitter glycosides, tannins, triterpenes, sterols, volatile oil, choline, asparagin, inulin. The chief constituents of Dandelion root are Taraxacin, a crystalline, bitter substance, of which the yield varies in roots collected at different seasons, and Taraxacerin, an acrid resin, with Inulin (a sort of sugar which replaces starch in many of the Dandelion family, Compositae), gluten, gum and potash. The root contains no starch, but early in the year contains much uncrystallizable sugar and laevulin, which differs from Inulin in being soluble in cold water. This diminishes in quantity during the summer and becomes Inulin in the autumn. The root may contain as much as 24 per cent. In the fresh root, the Inulin is present in the cell-sap, but in the dry root it occurs as an amorphodus, transparent solid, which is only slightly soluble in cold water, but soluble in hot water.

Wiley · May 11, 2012

"Biotin, calcium, choline, fats, gluten, gum, inositol, inulin, iron, lactupicrine, linolenic acid, magnesium, niacin, PABA, phosphorus, potash, proteins, resin, sulfur, vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, E, and P, and zinc. "

If that's true they won't be getting the matrix anymore lol