Dandelion jam: useful properties and contraindications

The bright yellow dandelion, like a little sun, is associated with spring, childhood, wreath weaving. But this little miracle of nature is an unusual flower. Our ancestors knew about its benefits. They revered the plant, and this is quite understandable.

The name "dandelion" in Russian has similar roots with the verbs "to blow" and "to blow". It has many names, among which are thrushay, bald and parashutik. Researchers, however, believe that the roots of the word are of Arabic origin.

Dandelion is a perennial of the aster family. Today there are about two thousand known species of the plant, and only 70 of them have been scientifically studied. The leaves of the flower form a rosette with a coarse-toothed edge. The flower itself is yellow or white in color.

Its beneficial properties can cure constipation, eliminate metabolism, remove cholesterol, maintain liver health, improve gastrointestinal function and much more. It is worth noting that all parts of this plant are used in medicine. For example, from the roots prepare decoctions and healing tinctures, and the leaves are used for infusions. From the juice of the dandelion or its milk produce a large number of cosmetic products that can rejuvenate and smooth the skin. And of course, its bright and fluffy inflorescences can also do wonders with its unique composition. To this day, there is a lot of information about where they are used as the main component - these are medicines, cosmetic products, and, of course, dishes from this plant.

One of the most popular recipes is considered dandelion jam, which many housewives make at home, not only to treat the family with a delicious treat, but also to maintain the health of loved ones.

Composition and calories

Since the dandelion itself is very useful thanks to the healing elements in its composition, then the jam made from it has similar qualities. In its composition can be found:

• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• iron;
• potassium;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• selenium;
• copper;
• iodine;
• tocopherol;
• vitamins B, C, K, PP;
• choline;
• beta-carotene;
• dietary fiber;
• pectin.

The caloric value of 100 grams of jam is 192 kcal, protein - 1 g, and fat and carbohydrates - 0.15 g and 49 g, respectively.

Due to such a unique composition, dandelion jam is not only an excellent dessert, but also a tool that helps with gastrointestinal diseases, calms the nervous system and stimulates brain activity.

Useful properties of dandelion jam

General usefulness

The scientific community has seriously embarked on a study of this plant and established its unambiguous benefits to the human body. But it did not stop there, and also studied almost all the products that are made from dandelion. The jam was no exception, the more so, it was possible to enjoy a tasty "guinea pig". As a result, the following properties of the sweet dessert were established:

• restoration of liver cells, prevention and treatment of diseases of this organ;
• reduction of the acidity of the stomach;
• choleretic property;
• treatment and prevention of bladder and urinary tract diseases;
• slowing the aging process;
• treatment of intestinal infections;
• cancer prevention;
• Slowing the aging process;
• Improvement of skin state;
• immunity improvement;
• treatment and prevention of seasonal viral infections;
• Bronchitis prevention and treatment;
• strengthening of the bone skeleton;
• treatment of arthritis and gout;
• normalization of sleep and the nervous system;
• improvement of general tonus;
• excretion of toxins;
• increase metabolism;
• prevention of anemia;
• improving memory.

Such a rich list indicates the uniqueness of the product. But on some diseases and the use of jam in their treatment should be considered in more detail.

For women

For women, dandelion honey will be very useful. As is known, the weaker sex is more susceptible to depression and stress, and jam can restore harmony and calm the nervous system, returning peace and eliminating problems with sleep. In addition, this product is also able to maintain the health of the skin and improve its appearance by slowing down aging. In addition to its general beneficial effects, the product is able to normalize the menstrual cycle and solve problems with ovulation. Therefore, women can and should eat this sweet and healthy medicine!

For men

For men, this amazing product will help increase stamina, normalize the hormonal background, eliminate bone problems, as well as increase potency, which is a very important aspect for the stronger sex. Thus, the jam is also able to cope with problems of a purely male nature.

When pregnant.

Pregnancy is an expectation of a miracle. Every expectant mother is very responsible for her health and the health of her baby. The unique jam will be a good helper in the period of waiting for the baby. It will eliminate skin problems, which often occur in pregnant women, such as hyperpigmentation. It will also cleanse the body of harmful substances, improve digestion, remove excess fluid, eliminate edema, cope with insomnia, anemia and improve mood. Doctors recommend eating 2-3 teaspoons of this dish per day, and then the harm will be excluded, and the body of the mother and baby will be saturated with useful vitamins and minerals.

When breastfeeding

Breastfeeding mothers will also be useful to consume dandelion honey, but not in the first month after the birth of a baby. Jam wonderfully increases lactation. At the same time, you should introduce it into the diet gradually, starting with very small doses, to avoid allergic reactions and intestinal problems with the baby. The norm is 1 or 2 tablespoons per day. The treat will saturate the mother and child with all the useful substances, which he was so generously rewarded with the magic woman-nature.

For babies

Children, unfortunately, use honey from dandelions is undesirable. Doctors do not recommend introducing the product into the menu of babies under five years of age at all, because. It can cause the strongest allergy to the flowers of the plant. In addition, up to 18 years of age to treat a child with jam should be extremely careful and very rarely, because it is up to this age the formation of the skeleton, and jam can interfere with its proper formation. In any case, before taking it, it is necessary to consult with the attending pediatrician to establish all the possible risks for the child.

When losing weight

Sitting on a diet, people are forced to give up their favorite foods and sweets. As a result, there are nutritional breakdowns and nervous breakdowns, and there is a lack of nutrients in the body. Dandelion jam can make up for the lack of micronutrients, improve digestion, increase the metabolic rate, remove excess fluid, get rid of toxins, as well as normalize the nervous system, improve overall tone, help maintain a healthy skin. In addition, jam is an excellent substitute for sweets and will eliminate cravings for them. But still, you should not pounce on the healing product and eat it by the jars. It is enough to eat a tablespoon thirty minutes before the meal, and the figure and health will be in perfect order.

Jam (honey) from dandelions in medicine

For Diabetes Mellitus

Dandelion honey is really useful for most diseases, but the benefits of it for patients with diabetes is quite controversial. The fact that the plant itself is able to reduce glucose levels, but in the process of making dandelion honey uses sugar, which is dangerous for patients with this diagnosis. However, doctors do not rule out the use of the product, but recommend replacing sugar with fructose. In this case, the daily rate should not exceed 2-4 teaspoons of delicacy. In any case, before consuming jam, you should consult a specialist and do not set limits and indulgences yourself!

Gastritis

Gastritis is a serious obstacle to the consumption of familiar and favorite foods. Folk medicine has provided many sweets, which can be eaten by patients without much harm to health. But dandelion jam in the period of exacerbation is under a ban. Patients in deep remission with high acidity of the stomach can consume jam no more than 3 times a week for 2 tablespoons per day.

For the liver

Separately, it is worth noting the benefits of dandelion honey for such a vital organ of the human body as the liver. The fact is that the dandelion itself is considered a natural hepatoprotector. Its properties are similar to the properties of drugs that are on the shelves of pharmacy chains. In the process of cooking jam this miraculous effect does not disappear anywhere, so the jam also carries invaluable benefits for the health of the liver. In addition, it is able to stop the development of some severe diseases of this human organ. Its effects are as follows:

1. Restoration of the liver at the cellular level. Thanks to this property, the jam prevents the emergence and development of such a dangerous disease as cirrhosis.
2. Honey from dandelion flowers cleanses the liver from toxins, slags and radionuclides. In this regard, the work of the organ improves, and unpleasant symptoms disappear.
3. Daily intake of jam as a medicine improves the metabolism, increases the rate of metabolic processes and naturally replenishes the lack of useful micronutrients in the human body.

The product should be consumed no more than five times a day by 1 teaspoon. Honey should be dissolved in a glass of green tea or milk thistle, which together with dandelion have excellent anti-inflammatory, choleretic and tonic effects.

But experts remind you that jam is not a panacea. Therefore, even using a magic remedy, you can not abandon the methods of traditional medicine, you must necessarily take medications prescribed by the doctor. Only their joint "work" with jam is able to save a person from liver disease and maintain health.

Harm and contraindications

Despite the extensive list of vitamins and trace elements that help maintain health, as well as a beneficial effect on the body as a whole, dandelion jam can bring some harm, so you should know the contraindications to the use of this product to exclude all the possible unpleasant consequences.

The contraindications are as follows:

• sensitivity to iodine;
• allergic reaction to honey;
• exacerbation of gastritis;
• cholelithiasis;
• diarrhea and nausea;
• diabetes mellitus;
• Peptic ulcer and duodenal ulcer;
• children under 5 years of age.

It is also worth noting that in any case, jam should be consumed with caution, and not eat it by spoonfuls for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

When and how to harvest dandelions for jam

For dandelion jam to bring the greatest healing effect and to manifest all its positive properties, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules of collecting raw materials, as well as knowing the time and place of its extraction.

1. So, the most important rule is to gather the flowers in places remote from populated areas and highways. The fact is that the dandelion, like a sponge, absorbs all the harmful substances that are in the atmosphere around it. When cooking jam, all these microbes will get into the final product, and then the body will not benefit!
2. Next, you should decide on the size of the plant. For jam, suit those that have reached the age of two years, as their composition is more saturated with microelements than that of young representatives. Those that grow more than two years old are usually larger in size.
3. The inflorescences should be open at the time of picking and should be free of darkening and insects. In addition, the leaves of the plant should be spread out and not have any damage or twists. It is from such flowers that the famous honey or dandelion jam is made.
4. Next, you should cut off or tear off the cap of the flower under the very head.
5. It should also be noted that the composition of the finished dish should include 98% of the inflorescences, and 2% can be left for the stems and leaves. Their presence will only enrich the jam with useful components.
6. It is best to pick the flowers at the end of April or in May on a dry day at lunchtime. It is at this point that the flowers gather a large amount of nectar and stand with their heads wide open.

Knowing these uncomplicated intricacies of harvesting the plant, you can make real healing honey that can cope with many ailments.

How to make dandelion jam: recipes

There are many recipes for making amber jam. Everyone makes it depending on their taste preferences. Here are just a few of them:

Classic

Ingredients:

• Dandelion flowers - 400 g.
• Boiled water - 2 cups.
• Sugar - 7 cups.

Preparation:

1. Inflorescences pour boiling water and put to boil on the fire.
2. Once the water boils, boil for another two minutes and remove from the stove.
3. Then filter the liquid through a layer of gauze, add granulated sugar to the broth, and again put on the stove.
4. After boiling, cook the jam for 7-8 minutes.

Popular with lemon.

Ingredients:

• Dandelion inflorescences - 400 g.
• Sugar - 1,5 kg.
• Water - 2 cups.
• Lemon - 1 pc.

Preparation:

1. Pour the flowers with water and put on the fire. After boiling, boil for 10 minutes.
2. Then add the lemon cut into slices, along with the skin. Boil for another 5 minutes and remove from the stove.
3. After that, wrap the pot with a warm plaid and put it in a warm place for one day.
4. At the end of the specified time, strain the broth with gauze, add granulated sugar and boil for 5 minutes. This process should be repeated until the liquid acquires a characteristic viscosity. Usually it is two or three times.

Flower jam with orange

Ingredients:

• 100 pieces of dandelion inflorescences.
• 320g granulated sugar.
• 1 cup water.
• Half a lemon.
• Half an orange.
• In this recipe, the volume of a glass is 250 g.

Preparation:

1. Soak the flowers of the plant overnight in water.
2. Strain and disassemble the inflorescences, ie, separate the petals from the cup.
3. Pour a glass of water, the resulting petals and put to boil. Once the water boils, continue boiling for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from the stove, filter and squeeze with gauze.
5. Wash the orange and lemon and cut into small slices. Add to the strained dandelion liquid.
6. Add the sugar.
7. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes from the moment of boiling. At the same time the jam should be stirred to avoid sticking.
8. Pour the finished product into a sterile container and store in a cool place.

Jam without boiling

Ingredients:

• Dandelion flowers - 400 g.
• Sugar - 800 gr.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a clean jar, where on the bottom lay the flowers of the plant.
2. Next, take the sugar and pour it on top. The ratio of inflorescences and sugar should be 1:2. Repeat until the vessel is completely filled with ingredients. The last layer goes sugar.
3. After that, close the jar tightly with a lid and put it in a sunny place, where it will stand for two weeks.
4. At the end of the period, remove the jam in the refrigerator.

Dandelion honey with rhubarb

Ingredients:

• 180 g dandelion flowers.
• 950 ml of water.
• 400g sugar.
• 300 g rhubarb.
• One lemon.
• 70 g cherry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Wash the rhubarb and dandelions thoroughly.
2. Peel the rhubarb from the skin and cut into small cubes.
3. Add granulated sugar to the water and boil until it dissolves.
4. Put rhubarb, dandelions and cherry leaves in the syrup.
5. Boil the mass on low heat for 20 minutes.
6. The resulting product strain with gauze.
7. Select pieces of rhubarb and put them into a pan with strained liquid.
8. Put the pot on the fire and continue the boiling process for one hour.
9. The resulting jam spread in the prepared dishes and cover with lids.

Dandelion jam with mint, lemon and tangerine

Ingredients:

• Dandelion - 450 g.
• Mandarin - 3 pcs.
• Lemon - 1 pc.
• Sugar - 250 gr.
• Mint - 50 gr.
• Boiled water - 2 liters.

Preparation:

1. Squeeze the juice from the tangerines.
2. Combine all ingredients except sugar, and put to boil for 20 minutes from the boiling point of the product.
3. Strain with gauze or a fine sieve and add sugar and put back on the stove.
4. Boil the jam on low heat for two hours, stirring regularly.

The finished product is stored in a cold place in rolled jars.

Dandelion jam with melon

Ingredients:

• Dandelion - 400 g.
• Melon flesh - 150 gr.
• Sugar - 2,5 kg.
• Water - 2 liters.

Preparation:

1. Put chopped dandelion inflorescences in a saucepan and pour them with water. The mixture is left for one day.
2. Then strain the settled product and add to it all the remaining ingredients.
3. Put on low heat and boil until the characteristic thickness appears.
4. Pour the finished product into the prepared dishes and roll up.

How to use dandelion jam

To achieve from dandelion jam the most useful result, you need to use it correctly, depending on the diagnosis and the general condition of the person. Also consider the individual characteristics of the body.

1. A healthy person who wants to maintain his health should not eat jam more than five times a week, and the rate of intake per day is not more than 2 tablespoons.
2. If you have liver disease, it is recommended to take it in the same way as a healthy person, i.e. 2 tablespoons a day no more than five times a week. It does not matter - before or after meals.
3. For the prevention and treatment of joint disease, the product is eaten in the morning on an empty stomach. The daily rate is 1 tablespoon. The course of treatment should be carried out one month.
4. For diseases of the cardiovascular system, the delicacy should be consumed by 1 teaspoon two hours before the first meal. The treatment lasts for two weeks.
5. With a severe cough and lung problems, the jam is supposed to eat every two or three hours. In this case, eat 1 dessert spoon, and then drink tea or milk. The remedy can be used until the symptoms completely disappear.
6. To relieve inflammation and increase the tone of the human body, the jam is combined with milk thistle solution and added to green tea with 1 tablespoon. You can also mix dandelion honey with boiled water in the same amount and consume in the morning on an empty stomach.
7. If you drink a couple of teaspoons with warm herbal tea or milk, this way you can calm the nervous system and avoid the consequences of nervous breakdowns.
8. The jam can help people who have frequent constipation. To get rid of this unpleasant situation, you should combine 50 grams of dandelion sweetness with half a glass of turnip juice and drink it in the morning on an empty stomach. If there are no turnips, you can dilute 15 g of dandelion honey with 250 ml of milk and drink before going to bed. The milk should be warm, but not hot.
9. People diagnosed with hepatitis can treat the disease with the following remedy of jam, beets, horseradish, carrots and vodka. It is necessary to mix one glass of vegetable juice with one glass of jam and 30 ml of vodka, and add the lemon juice squeezed from 2 fruits.
10. To normalize the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to use 2 teaspoons before each meal.

What is the best combination of dandelion jam

It is not necessary to eat jam as a separate product. It can be combined with other components, each time feeling the amazing taste and benefits. For example, you can spread it on baked goods or toast, and add it to baked goods, making it a sweet and healthy treat. You can also add it to tea and milk and enjoy your drink. The jam is also mixed with certain foods and beneficial herbs to enhance its healing power:

1. With lemon and honey - against colds and various viral infections.
2. With mint, chamomile, lemon balm or bergamot for a soothing effect.
3. With milk thistle - to enhance choleretic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Well, if a person prefers to drink green tea, then dandelion sweetness will shade the bright taste of the drink and give an unforgettable taste experience.

Interesting facts about dandelions

1. The root part of the dandelion contains rubber, and for a while it was extracted from there. Then the rubber tree was replaced, and the techniques for harvesting this component from the plant were forgotten, but today rubber extraction from the dandelion root is beginning to revive again.
2. Dandelion juice can reduce the pain of a bee sting.
3. One flower head contains approximately 200 seeds, and from a bush there are as many as seven thousand.
4. These amazing blossoms could serve for hours, as they open their inflorescences at about six in the morning and close at three in the afternoon, with only a slight difference.
5. Dandelions are not called flowers everywhere. For example, in China they are considered a vegetable and are used in the preparation of many treats.
6. An amazing variety of this plant grows in the Caucasus Mountains. The petals of the dandelion in that area are colored purple.
7. There is also a holiday dedicated to the dandelion. It is celebrated in the U.S. state of Ohio on the first Saturday in May, and they decorate their clothes and homes with flowers and make treats with this plant.
8. One of the varieties, namely the "White-tongued Dandelion" grows only on the Kola Peninsula and nowhere else. That is why this variety is included in the Red Book.
9. During World War II, German soldiers found a rather unusual use for the plant. They brewed coffee from the dandelion roots, which had been previously roasted. Its taste was similar to the traditional drink.
10. Dandelion seeds, before taking root in the ground, are able to travel more than a hundred kilometers.
11. In Belgium, the dandelion is treated with great reverence: not only is it used in medicine and cosmetics, but it is also used to make beer.

So, the small and fragile dandelion is not so powerless. It is endowed with great healing power and can cope with even the most serious diseases. This is why jam from its inflorescences is also considered a magic "potion", helping in the treatment of many diseases and strengthening the immune system. Amber in appearance, with honey notes, it will remind you of the sunny days of spring and give you the preserved rays of the summer sun. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of sure to try this wonderful product that can strengthen health and prolong youth!

Photo of dandelion jam