Dandelion

4 April 2007

There's nothing like sunshine to highlight all that's beautiful and magical about spring. It makes me want to run around dusting and cleaning windows! The long awaited light highlights what's not so beautiful as well, and that includes our dark circles and bloated tummies. This is the best time of year to take a liver and kidney tonic, and the best one I know of is a combination of Milk Thistle and Dandelion. (Nutri Ltd. makes a capsule formula called Milk Thistle 200 - Tel: 0800 212 742). I've previously written a tip about Milk Thistle. Dandelion also protects the liver and stimulates bile production to help us metabolise our fats properly. It can help to treat eczema (because a healthy liver ensures healthy skin), and also supports the heart, pancreas, gall bladder, urinary tract, and bowels - by way of being a gentle laxative. Everyone who suspects they may have high cholesterol would benefit from taking Dandelion. You can take one capsule with each meal for a 6-week course. Do drink water as well - at least 6 glasses a day - that's roughly 250 mls. x 6. How much water to drink is a controversial subject but while you're flushing out your system, it is crucial to drink plenty of filtered or bottled water. I'll tell you some fascinating things about water next time!

Roberta Stimson, m.b.r.c.p., mach.rt

Practitioner of Holistic and Preventative Medicine