Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Dandelions The Safety Factor
Dandelion may cause skin rash in sensitive individuals.
Dandelion is included in the Food and Drug Administration’s list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who are not taking other diuretics, dandelion is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.
Dandelion should be used only in consultation with your doctor. If dandelion causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.
Don’t Tell Your Neighbors
If you cultivate dandelions, be careful whom you tell. You might end up with some unhappy neighbors.
As every gardener knows, dandelions grow like weeds.
Dandelion is a low-growing perennial with deep taproot, a rosette of jaggedly toothed leaves that radiate from its base, and a smooth, hollow, 6- to 12-inch stem capped by a single yellow flower, which gives rise to hundreds of tufted single-seed fruits. The root, leaves, and stem contain a milky fluid. Harvest young leaves as they develop. As the leaves mature, they become unpleasantly bitter. Herbalists generally recommend harvesting the root at the end of the second growing season. To prevent spreading, clip the flowers before seed tufts form.
Dandelion seeds may not be readily available, but check seed catalogs. Better yet, check nearby lawns or vacant lots. It’s unlikely that anyone will mind if you take a few. Plant seeds in early spring. They grow in almost any soil but prefer moist, well-drained loam