Dandelion

Remember these weeds we played with as children?

Unfortunately I had the bad luck of spending my Monday in the ER for unbearable upper abdomen pain which turned out to be gallstones or in this case a gallbladder attack. The pain lasted about 48 hours and my diet during that time included nothing but saltines and water. I did some research and found some natural methods to help me cope and prevent another attack until I can get surgery to have my gallbladder removed.

Dandelion has long been known as support for the liver and can stimulate a sluggish gallbladder. Dandelion contains a compound known as taraxacum which helps with bile excretion from the liver, which helps detoxify and metabolize the liver and when the liver is functioning properly it aids in gallbladder function.

I personally like to drink pre-packaged dandelion teas, but you can make your own teas with dried dandelions leaves, or even eat the dandelion greens with your salad.

Other reasons to use dandelion:

Bone health; dandelions are rich in calcium

Diabetes; dandelion can stimulate the production of insulin from the pancreas

Urinary disorders; dandelions are highly diuretic, they are known to eliminate deposits of toxic substances in the kidneys and urinary track.