Dandelions ?

[Pebbles82]

I have a very good herbal book by Penelope Ody MNIMH. The two parts of dandelion that are used in herbal medicine are the leaves and the root. The leaves are a diuretic, but are also rich in potassium and are a tonic to the liver and digestive system. So for medicine they are used for fluid retention in heart problems and urinary disorders. I was once given the root by a herbalist who was also GP and it is described as a 'gentle cleansing tonic'. It's supposed to cleanse the liver so that the liver can deal with detoxifying the body well, but is also used for constipation. So I can see how maybe giving the root to a hamster could cause diarrhoea possibly (if they aren't constipated!) and if you have a healthy hamster they don't really need dandelion root. So it sounds like the leaves are ok in small quantities, as others say, and can be beneficial as well as a kind of detox with tonic benefits. So the leaves might make them wee more, but will also have some good effects. I don't think the flower heads are used in English herbal medicine, but I know you can use the flower heads to make dandelion wine! (Not for hamsters obviously) and it tastes a bit like champagne. I tried it once, but had picked wild dandelions and they were seething with tiny black bugs and I gave up on the wine because it was a nightmare getting all the little bugs out, plus you need an awful lot of them! So just the leaves really. Doesn't sound like the leaves would give diarrhoea if they are a digestive tonic, but of course hamster are all different like humans, and it may not suit some hamsters. Sounds like it would be ok to try the odd leaf.

[BrainGirl]

LOL love your dandelion wine story Slightly off-topic but on the topic of the flowers, we had a visit from a momma and baby black-tailed deer the other day. We have too many deer around here and my garden is constantly under siege, but I don't really mind. Anyway, watching the baby graze, first he nipped all the dandelion flowers off then he ambled over to my strip of garden and ate all the tomato flowers! It suddenly dawned on me why my tomatoes fruited beautifully on the inside of the plant, but not the outside. This little beastie loves to eat the flowers he can easily reach on the outside but won't dig into the middle. I laughed so hard I almost scared the deer from inside the house

[DrKMcK]

Hello Teddy. I use dandelions as I do any other green leafy vegetable. My hams get spinach, romaine, and dandelions. The dandelions come from my yard. I get them every spring and occasionally one or two will pop up in the summer if I miss them while mowing. I don't allow them any more of the dandelion leaf as I would do of spinach or romaine since all veggies should only be given in small amounts. But the dandelion itself is fine to give them. Oh, and in the spring I give them the yellow flowers. They love them.

[Teddy001]

Awesome information!!!! Thanks, everyone..! I may try to plant some seeds.

[Teddy001]

Originally Posted by BrainGirl

LOL love your dandelion wine story Slightly off-topic but on the topic of the flowers, we had a visit from a momma and baby black-tailed deer the other day. We have too many deer around here and my garden is constantly under siege, but I don't really mind. Anyway, watching the baby graze, first he nipped all the dandelion flowers off then he ambled over to my strip of garden and ate all the tomato flowers! It suddenly dawned on me why my tomatoes fruited beautifully on the inside of the plant, but not the outside. This little beastie loves to eat the flowers he can easily reach on the outside but won't dig into the middle. I laughed so hard I almost scared the deer from inside the house

Lol.. Braingirl, I think that's why there's no dandelions around where I live. There are deer, that graze in my neighborhood. I'm taken back, when I least expect a deer family, run across the road, in an housing development. Guess, they were here first, and there's wooded area that surround the homes, here, plus a large lake, which I see deer come out for drinks of water.
I enjoyed reading your deer story.

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by BrainGirl

LOL love your dandelion wine story Slightly off-topic but on the topic of the flowers, we had a visit from a momma and baby black-tailed deer the other day. We have too many deer around here and my garden is constantly under siege, but I don't really mind. Anyway, watching the baby graze, first he nipped all the dandelion flowers off then he ambled over to my strip of garden and ate all the tomato flowers! It suddenly dawned on me why my tomatoes fruited beautifully on the inside of the plant, but not the outside. This little beastie loves to eat the flowers he can easily reach on the outside but won't dig into the middle. I laughed so hard I almost scared the deer from inside the house

Ooh how wonderful having deer nearby! Also off topic a bit but I once lived next door to a smallholding that had a goat. The cottage we were renting had a huge, uncultivated garden and no lawnmower. The goat was on such a long rope it started wandering into our garden, so in the summer when the grass got waist high I thought, that's good, maybe it will eat all the grass. No chance. Came home from work one night and it had stripped every single leaf and flower off every bush and tree and not touched the grass!