Distributed practically throughout the entire territory of our country and so often irritating gardeners, the dandelion field is a typical representative of the native flora.
Who is not familiar with the grassy perennial,coloring life-affirming golden stars of flowers forest glades, roadside curbs and even favorite beds of gardeners from early spring to the end of the summer season? Enviable survivability of the plant allows it to germinate on any soil, including on rocky and foothill meager grounds, in forest and steppe zones. Dandelion field easily adapts to any environmental conditions and successfully survives even in pastures, bearing trampling. It is not capable of drowning out or displacing other plants.
And the names of the dandelion set, he was awardeddifferent epithets - medicinal, pharmacy, ordinary, field. The name of this grassy brave person is even more - a void, a puff, a milkman, a baldwort, a milking, a sorignon, a spurge, a cow flower, a milky color, etc. All of them wonderfully accurately convey the qualities and characteristics of the plant.
Dandelion field (family of astroves) is equipped witha large root, rod and branching, leaving deep into the earth sometimes up to 0,3-0,5 m. The root rosette combines elongated, crenate, pinnately-dissected leaves, the size of which depends on the habitat. On dry soils and sunshine they are no longer than 15-20 cm, and in moist ditches, near river banks, in the shade and under bushes, the leaves grow to 40-60 cm. Nature is wise, it has an amazing device, it would seem, a simple sheet: its center is lined with a longitudinal groove that collects dew and rain water, and then feeds it to the root.
Flower stem, hollow stem, culminating in a baskettubular sun-yellow flowers, each of which has five narrow ligulate petals. Inflorescences-baskets are real barometers reacting to changing weather, as well as changing day and night.
All parts of the dandelion contain milky juice,extremely bitter taste. It is this circumstance - the presence of bitterness - that makes the plant medicinal and the main purpose of active bitter substances is an effect that improves appetite, digestion, and intensification of the secretion of gastric juice. The main part of useful substances is concentrated in the root of the plant.
Dandelion field contains compounds,normalizing metabolic processes in the body, increasing blood hemoglobin, neutralizing the effect of harmful cholesterol on blood vessels and contributing to a significant improvement in the person's psychophysical state. Preparations from dandelion have other properties: antiviral, antispasmodic, laxative, soothing, diaphoretic, anthelmintic, etc.
Useful properties of dandelion have long been used in the complex treatment of various diseases.
Inflorescences collected in spring in Russia have long beenwere used in cooking. From dandelion and today are prepared jam, reminiscent of fresh honey. The French and English pickled the buds, which successfully serve as a full-fledged replacement for capers in salads and soups. Use in salads and fresh leaves, past cooking. There is also a dandelion honey - a dense, viscous product of excellent golden color with a bright piquant smell and the same slightly harsh taste. Due to a significant amount of inulin in the roots of a dandelion, a surrogate coffee drink is prepared from them.
To harvest the roots of dandelion they start in the spring or autumn. It is at this time that they accumulate the maximum amount of useful substances.
