Dancing with Dandelions
Thank you for taking some time out from your day to read about the incredible Dandelion. Seen by many as a weed, this plant is nothing short of majestic in my eyes and can be added to the list of under valued, under appreciated plants. Though many herbalists have gone a long way in extolling the virtues of this tenacious plant, I still feel it has some way to go before it can shake its image as an invasive weed and be fully appreciated for its medicinal and spiritual qualities..
Our dance with Dandelions as humans tells a great story around our relationship with nature in general. My own journey with this plant reflecting back at me my entitlement and self centredness. Years ago when living in the UK, after working with many plants, mainly Amazonian ones, I looked out the window and said: “Maybe it’s time I start dieting the plants that live around me.”
The first thing I saw when I looked out of the window was a swathe of Dandelions, much to the dismay of my neighbours. I decided I was going to diet Dandelion and it would be the first diet that I would hold for myself.
How to open a diet with respect and reciprocity for the plants
After harvesting my Dandelions I sat down that night to open the diet at my altar. I drank my first cup and began to sing to them, immediately feeling like something was off.
The Dandelions were not happy with me…
“This opening ceremony is very low grade compared to your other ones.”
“Look at your altar - you’ve thrown it together.”
“You’ve picked us far too early anyway, and you didn’t even ask.”
“We actually have a job to do right now you know, we’re feeding the bees and other insects as they come out of hibernation.”
“There are more important things at play than your spiritual and personal development.”
It was a very vocal start to the diet, that ended with me being told I had to wait for another month or two. At the time I was reading Robin Hall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass. It draws distinctions between the scientific approach towards plant life and a more holistic indigenous approach.
The book shares the teachings of the Potowotami Nation for an honourable harvest:
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimises harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
My next harvest of Dandelions adhered to these teachings and went very differently. It also reassured me that I could listen to the plants, even when they’re giving me a dressing down. I needed it.
This is also one of the beauties of dieting Dandelions when they’re in full bloom all around us. They speak to you wherever you go :)
Dandelions are pioneers in the Regeneration of the earth
As I found out about my own out of kilter relationship with nature it became apparent that our cultural stance on Dandelions is also a reflection of imbalance. Dandelions often grow where the soil needs to be regenerated. Their long tap roots will pull nutrients up from deeper down in the soil making them available for plants with a shallower reach.
Farmers who’ve repeatedly planted mono crops will find fields full of dandelions as soon as they leave them fallow. Disturbed earth and derelict places often find Dandelions are the first to bloom bringing nutrients back to the soil and aerating damaged compacted and scarred earth.
I truly believe those bright yellow heads take energy from the sun and put it into the soil too making the regeneration three fold. And yet we see them as a pest or a weed. They are nature’s response to the damage caused by humans yet we villainise that response and throw pesticides and further poisons at the earth. It’s deeply saddening and reflects this gross imbalance in our relationship with the planet.
Dandelions are without doubt willing teachers when it comes to helping us find that balance again. They have a a very straightforward no nonsense approach that is bursting with sunlight energy.
The potent Medicine of Dandelion
The practical medicine of this plant is nothing short of miraculous. Every part of the plant can be used. Flower, stem, leaf and root.
The leaves and root provide medicine for deeper down parts such as the liver, gall bladder and kidneys. The bitter leaves in particular help liver and gall bladder function.
It is said the majority of nutrition is in the flower head and I like to soak these over night to make a honeyed flavoured water.
Perhaps more than anything I feel the flower heads are a tonic for depression and dark thoughts. The sunshine contained in each one of those flowers brings forth a medicne of the mind that pulls good thoughts from inside us and invites us to dance and rejoice in them. To see the good even when times are hard. The resilience that is the trademark of Dandelions really comes through in mind medicine.
The masculine sunlight energy is an ever present force during dieta and is evident in the way the Dandelion spreads its seed. When the fluffy seed heads pop up in the most intricate sacred geometry inviting children to blow them and make a wish.
As a force for joy, abundance and deep healing, this plant really cleans out stagnant energy and feelings of resentment and anger. For many people who live in the northern hemisphere they are a gateway to connect deeply with the land and their own personal regeneration.
Our next diet with Dandelion is in May 2025, if you’re feeling interested please reach out, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have. This is a beautiful opportunity to harvest and make your own medicine, connecting with the land around you.