Out of Love for You
Have you ever walked outside of your home in the late spring and looked a the lawn filled with yellow weeds called Dandelions? What was your reaction to them? I personally, would be upset and think, I need to use fertilizer this weekend and eradicate these weeds. I want a clear and lush green lawn with no imperfections screwing it up. How misguided I was.
When my daughter was born, I was more aware of toxins than ever before. I read all the labels I found on our food, drinks, and household cleaners. I wanted to make sure she wasn't exposed to any unnecessary chemicals.
Did You Read the Fine Print?
Above all, I was surprised by what I read on my favorite lawn fertilizer package too. Subsequently I have written down what it says exactly:
Caution, Keep out of reach of children. Hazard to humans and animals. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Harmful if inhaled. Causes moderate eye irritation. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, or clothing. Avoid breathing dust. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shoes and socks, and chemical-resistant gloves made of waterproof material.
You Can Relax
How many times have you gone out to fertilize wearing your hazmat suit and rubber gloves to treat your lawn? I knew I had violated the caution information many times, Moreover, I had to consider my little girl. If that warning label wasn't enough, I had to also think about my neighbor's dogs, the water runoff into the local drinking supply, and the rivers that go to our local aquifers. All these hazards, so I could have a lawn free of weeds.
I wasn't trying to save the world, however, I wanted to protect my family. I immediately stopped using the fertilizer, and I changed the height of my mower to cut at 4", not 2". The height difference, lets the grass grow taller and develop deeper roots. This intern makes the grass thicker and stays greener through droughts. This thicker grass also makes it harder for weeds to grow. Funny how nature can take care of itself.
Is it a Weed, or a Plant?
As the years passed, I noticed that each spring I had a bunch of dandelions grouped in patches, throughout my lawn. I would take a shovel and dig them out by the root and throw them away. After all, they were just invasive weeds. Right? Not so fast.
It turns out that the dandelion has been a versatile plant for millennia and is one of the world’s most common and recognizable herbs in the world. For instance they have high levels of antioxidants (especially polyphenols and beta-carotene) that help neutralize or prevent the negative effects of free radicals in our bodies.
Furthermore, the various parts of the plant, from the roots to the flower, can be harvested to produce cleansing teas, soups, coffee, and other brews. Drinking these mixtures gives our health a boost and helps treat a myriad of physical ailments, including cancer, acne, liver disease, and digestive disorders.
Judging doesn't Help
Most people take the dandelion in the form of tea. It is made from the roots and the leaves of the herbal plant. If you want to focus on liver health, dandelion roots are the most beneficial. The root is where the plant contains compounds that cause an increase in bile production, thereby helping improve digestion. In addition to this, the increase in bile production also assists the liver in digesting foods and removing toxins quickly and efficiently cleaning the liver. The sooner your body can process fat and remove toxins, the better you will feel.
If you feel you need a deep liver cleanse, dandelion root tea is the best option. For this, you need to heat eight ounces of water and add in an organic dandelion root tea bag. Let that sit for at least 10 minutes and drink it three to four times a day. Dandelion tea is viewed as a “liver tonic,” because it helps detoxify the liver as well as improving the flow of bile.
Investigation is Required
Please do your research before using dandelion tea as a cleanse. For those suffering from gastric ulcer or gastritis, the herb should be used with caution, as it may potentially cause hyperacidity. Also, dandelion may cause allergic contact dermatitis due to the presence of certain components such as terpenes.
You might be asking how a "weed" can cure the incurable. Why would there be a public push to sell a chemical that destroys such a wonder drug plant like the dandelion. Why wasn't I informed about this growing up? Take a step back and review all the things you have been taught were either good or bad, and see why that was. Remember, these are all good questions. Now go out and seek the answers.
New Math
Here is the math portion of my blog: Fertilizer sales in the U.S. are around $18.6 Billion a year. The largest company, CF Industries Holdings (see the use of the word holdings again, check out my blog on this), Inc. happens to be about 5 miles from my home in Deerfield, IL. CF was established in 1946 as the Central Farmers Fertilizer Company. For its first 56 years, it was a cooperative company, and in 2002 it demutualized (fancy word for becoming a company that can issue stock) and made an initial public offering of shares of equity stock in 2005. Interestingly enough, since 2008, the shares of CF Industries have been included in the S&P 500 index of large-cap stock prices. In translation, CF Inc. is worth a lot of money and is one of the best investments in the S&P 500.
Meanwhile, there is no market evaluation for dandelion root that I can find, but I can tell you the current market will yield $3.80 a pound, and consider that coffee is at $8.50 per pound, that seems like a good deal. Moreover, I could not find dandelion root futures at the CME, but I did see fertilizer on the board.
Once again, you can take this information and chose what makes sense for you. You can blindly follow the yellow brick road or just know that you have always had the power to go home.
I gathered the data on the packages I purchased and decided to let nature, not perception rule my yard, or me for that matter. Years later, I discovered I could harvest what had grown in my back yard and drink it to aid my digestion, remove toxins, and clean my liver. Who knew? Now you do too.
Your perception is indeed your reality. Don't let someone say something is useless or bad, when in fact, it is everything you need.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and go, be a dandy lion!
