Dandelion for Your Womb
When I was a child, I was so in love with the abundance of dandelions in our backyard. As much as my father tried to get rid of them, they continued to multiply. Little did I know that my love for dandelion would only grow with the knowledge of their deep medicine, especially for my PMS!
Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) may be my favorite “weed,” because of their versatility and support for our hormonal health.
Dandelion leaves are a diuretic, making them wonderful for your premenstrual bloating (and edema (swelling) of the ankles in pregnancy)!
Dandelion root is also liver protective, and if you know me, you know how much I talk about the liver when it comes to addressing the root causes of period pain and hormonal dysregulation!
Our liver is responsible for processing our internal hormones, external toxins we come in contact with, AND our emotional stress. Most of us are experiencing some state of chronic stress (has anyone else had worse periods since quarantine?), and our liver can’t keep up!
If you experience heavy PMS symptoms like bloating, cramping, mood swings, digestive upset and fatigue, this can be a sign of “estrogen dominance,” a type of hormone imbalance that is SO common because of the internal and external stressors are bodies are under.
Dandelion supports hormonal balance by caring for the liver so that it can continue to do its job by effectively processing the excess estrogen that can build up in our body, so it can be removed through our waste. 💩
Here’s a recipe for one of my favorite ways to incorporate some liver love into my day – Dandelion Chai!
Dandelion Chai:
Ingredients (serves 4):
1/4 cup dandelion root (can combine with burdock root, too)
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp cinnamon (or 1 broken cinnamon stick)
1/2 tsp crushed cloves
6-8 cardamom pods, crushed -3 cups filtered water
1/2- 1 cup of milk of your choice
sweetener of choice (honey, coconut sugar, etc)
optional: 1 tbsp rose petals, 1-3 tsp herbal powder of choice (reishi, ashwagandha, cacao, etc)
Directions: - roast dandelion/burdock root in a pan on low heat for 6-10 minutes (longer cook makes a darker roast)
add ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and roast 3 extra minutes -add herbs to a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, the. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 min
Remove from heat and strain -Add herbal powder if desired (I used cacao) -mix and add desired sweetener (I used 1.5 tbsp of coconut sugar)
garnish with rose petals if desired and enjoy!
I love the resilience of this herbal ally— it can literally grow anywhere and its seeds travel far, reminding us that growth is always happening, even when our surroundings aren’t ideal.
Have you experienced PMS symptoms? Have they changed since quarantine?
If you’re ready to get to the root of these issues, go sign up for our free mini course, the PMS Reset Challenge! You’ll get a short, actionable audio lesson in your inbox everyday for two weeks, with TONS of info and strategies on how to address PMS and find the power in your cycles.
And if you’re ready to take a sovereign approach to your female health in body and spirit, and unwind the patterns of fear and avoidance that keep you from living as your most embodied self, apply to work with me in The Womb Room, my foundational program for women’s sovereignty.