How to Harvest Dandelion Root

You decided to harvest dandelion root, but it seems like a challenge to retrieve the precious dandelion root from the hard ground. You don't need a shovel. Follow the steps below and you will have plenty of dandelion roots for making tea or coffee. Dandelion root coffee and tea have been used throughout history to treat health problems including detoxification of the kidneys, swelling, skin problems, digestive discomfort, fever, vision problems, and diabetes. Dandelion root is a natural diuretic.

Instructions

• 1

  The best time of the year to forage for dandelion root is in the spring on a wet soggy day. Any location where the soiled is loose or was tilled the prior year will work perfectly. I like to collect dandelion root from my vegetable garden each spring before tilling and planting. Gather all the dandelion leaves and stem in your hand. Hold these as closely to the ground as possible, then pull very slowly to prevent the roots from breaking. If the soil is wet and the ground is loose enough it will come up without any problem.

• 2

  After you have collected several dandelion roots, place them in a bucket and let them soak. This will make it easier to clean the roots later. Soak the roots 10 to 15 minutes. While your first batch is soaking, you can return to harvesting more dandelion root.

• 3

  After the dandelion roots have soaked, remove them from the water. Rinse them again under running water. The dandelion roots are now ready to be used, roasted or dried.

• 4

  The dried root can be ground in a coffee grinder and used to make dandelion root tea, sometimes called coffee. Dandelion root is useful in treating liver disorders. It is an excellent natural diuretic, because it is loaded with potassium, which is depleted with pharmaceutical diuretics. It also helps balance electrolytes, which is useful when someone suffers from flu symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea.