Check Out These Delicious Dandelion Juice Recipes

Dandelion greens are one of the best greens to add into juice recipes. They're a bit sharper, a tad more bitter than some greens, but their 'bite' is totally worth it when it comes to the range of health and nutrition benefits they provide.

After all, there's good reason these bitter greens have been used as medicine for ages. Archaeological digs in and around the Middle East uncovered stone tablets from the 11th century that recommended drinking tea made from dandelion greens and roots to prevent bouts of indigestion and colic.

Welsh herbalists infused traditional tonics with dandelion flowers and leaves. Many cultures around the world use the white sap that comes out of dandelion roots to treat skin problems like rashes and warts. This is one seriously multi-purpose plant that most of us modern humans unfortunately still think of only as a weed.

On that note – while dandelions are commonly seen as unwelcome visitors in lawns nowadays, these plants were once considered garden essentials as late as the 17th century along with chamomile, malva and chickweed.

And now, we'd like to proclaim them as juicing essentials 'cause they come packing a whole lot of goodness…

Unique Dandelion Juice Benefits
Dandelion is that yellow flower you see everywhere. You know, the one you used to streak your friends' arms with in elementary school and sometimes blow the petals off when you wanted to make a wish.

Well, this little plant has other uses too – i.e. you can eat the whole thing. It's surprisingly nutritious, being a good source of all the vitamins (except vitamin D, but you can easily get that from the sun), as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Oh, and the bulk of the dandelion's carbohydrate content is dietary fiber.

Plus, it's full of unique health benefits that totally make its greens juice-able…

Aids detox and weight loss
One of the best – and underrated – dandelion juice benefits is its helpful role in boosting weight loss, thanks to its role as a potent diuretic, natural laxative, and excellent liver detoxifier. For those with edema or those looking to shed water weight quickly, dandelion is a go-to choice since it's known to increase the volume and frequency of urination to help you get rid of unwanted water retention in a short amount of time.

Its plant roots can also be used as a gentle laxative, which works by improving digestion, as well as the functioning of the gallbladder. There have also been some animal studies that show that the phytosterols found in dandelion can also improve the body's lipid (fat) profile by reducing the levels of bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol. And of course, thanks to the lecithin found in both the dandelion flower and root, this plant is well-known as a gentle liver detoxifier – and the liver plays a crucial part in weight loss.

Boosts bone health
Dandelion greens are one of the richest sources of vitamin K in nature, with just 100 grams providing a whopping 973% of an average person's daily recommended dietary allowance. This is great news since vitamin K maintains the resilience of bones against osteoporosis and similar diseases that significantly reduce bone stability and strength.

Protects against brain degeneration
Dandelion greens contain various flavonoids that are found to inhibit the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease by warding off free radicals and toxins that can trigger neuron damage in brain cells.

Improves eye health
Every 100 grams of dandelion greens contain as much as 10,161 units of vitamin A, an essential nutrient that helps keep vision ideal and skin in excellent shape. Remarkably, dandelion greens are considered by plant scientists as the richest sources of vitamin A among all leafy vegetables and culinary herbs.

Protects against cancer
Dandelions are loaded with a number of antioxidants that have been shown to be effective against cancer. One study found that orally taking dandelion extract slowed the growth of human colon cancer cells by more than 90%.

Another study found that dandelion root extract had the potential to cause death in human pancreatic cancer cells while leaving noncancerous cells intact. Dandelions have even been shown to be effective in treating leukemia.

Maintains ideal blood pressure levels
Dandelion greens are loaded with potassium that plays a significant role in keeping blood pressure levels up to par and preventing abnormal heartbeat patterns. Apart from potassium, they also contain other essential minerals like magnesium, iron and manganese, which help prevent blood and heart-related health issues like anemia and myocardial ischemia.

5 Delish Dandelion Juice Recipes
To be totally honest with you, dandelion juice recipes are not the tastiest, especially if you're first starting with green juicing. That being said, dandelion juice is one of the most beneficial ingredients to include if you're juicing for liver and gallbladder health.

Plus, there are many ways of making dandelion juice taste a whole lot better. Here are a few juice recipes that are pretty darn good!

Dandy Dandelion Juice
Here's a straight-up cleansing, low-sugar dandelion juice recipe:

1 large handful dandelion leaves
2 celery sticks
1 lemon
2 green apples
1 cucumber
This is an intense juice recipe so you may want to add water or another cucumber to water it down further if you need to. And yes, it is a bit bitter and sour, thanks to the presence of both dandelion and lemon but keep in mind that those are the very qualities that are doing your organs a whole lot of good!

Great Liver Tonic Recipe
Here's another fantastic dandelion juice recipe that's perfect for you liver (and eyes):

2 hands of dandelion leaves
3 carrots
1 green cucumber
½ lemon (or grapefruit)
The carrots add a taste of welcome sweetness as well as whopping load of vitamin A, which is crucial not only for eye health but also for your bones, reproductive system and overall immunity.

Wild Dandelion Berry Bliss
Here's a delicious, slightly spicy and very one-of-a-kind dandelion juice recipe:

2 cups strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup dandelion leaves
1 small green chile, ribs and seeds removed
This one's a must-try – you get a complex array of tastes, from sweet berries to the bitter bite of the dandelion greens to the spicy hotness of the green chile, as well as all the antioxidant-rich, liver-detoxing, metabolism-boosting benefits the ingredients offer. Just remember to put gloves on as you remove the ribs and seeds from the green chile!

Dandelion Green Juice
Here's the dandelion juice recipe to go for when you need a load of greens to set your system straight:

2 cucumbers, peeled
2 pink lady apples, chopped
1 lemon, peeled
1/2 bunch of dandelion greens
2 romaine hearts
1 large handful of parsley
And it's not as intense as you'd imagine, thanks to the variety of water-y greens like cucumbers and romaine hearts, which prove very useful in watering down the bitterness of dandelion greens. And of course, the sweetness of the apples definitely help!

Spring Dandelion Juice
Last but not least, here's a brilliant digestion-boosting dandelion juice concoction:

2 medium bulbs fennel with stalks and fronds
1/4 bunch dandelion greens
1 medium head romaine lettuce
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 lemon
The result is a delicious juice recipe that's low in bitterness and big on benefits, from the liver and gallbladder supporting dandelion greens to the energy-boosting parsley to digestion-helping fennel.