After so many winter months in which we longed for fresh vegetables, here the first spring greens began to appear on the stalls in the markets.
Whether you consume them fresh or cook them in soups, broths, salads, stews, and other foods, or the form of tea or juice, these 8 spring greens will only benefit your health.
These 8 spring greens are full of vitamins and minerals and contribute to the natural detoxification of the body, to it’s toning, remineralization, and red blood cell remodeling.
1. The Wild Garlic
Wild garlic, also called the bear’s garlic, which appears in forests at the beginning of March, has leaves like lily-of-the-valley with which it is often confused and smells like garlic. Wild garlic elongated, tasty, and healthy leaves are used in food, soups, broths, and salads.
It is rich in vitamins A and C, sulfur, ethereal oil, mineral salts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, copper, and adenosine, a substance that lowers cholesterol. It helps cleanse the blood, liver, stomach, and intestines of toxins.
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Benefits
• It has an anti-cancer effect. Sodium selenium and compounds of sulfur from wild garlic have a very strong antitumor action, especially in the case of the colon, thyroid, testicular, female genital, lung, and urinary cancers.
• It has an anti-inflammatory effect, contributing to the healing of the sequelae after strokes, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids.
• It has an anti-aging effect, the substances in the wild garlic neutralizing the free radicals due to which the aging process takes place.
• Keeps your heart healthy. The wild garlic is a good vasodilator, regulates the heartbeat, tones the heart muscle maintains the elasticity of the blood vessels, and prevents the formation of blood clots.
• It treats asthma, thanks to the substances with, expectorant, and antiseptic effects, and the antiviral and antibiotic substances of wild garlic help to treat bronchitis, viruses, flues, and pneumonia.
• It is a powerful detoxifier and blood purifier, prevents vascular accidents if consumed in the salad, regularly.
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2. The Dill
Used by most housewives in the kitchen, the dill also has important health benefits. Maybe few may know, but the dill calms the cough, stimulates the digestive system, removes the headache, and diminishes intestinal cramps.
The dill contains vitamins A, C, and group B (B1, B2, B5, B6, B9) and minerals such as calcium, potassium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and sodium. A teaspoon of dill seeds contains more calcium than a cup of milk.
The dill can be consumed entirely (leaves, seeds, and strain) in the form of powder, tincture, tea, or infusion.
From the dill seeds are prepared infusions, tablets, tinctures, and powders, but, at the same time, an essential oil is extracted.
Benefits
• It helps you lose weight, and softens cellulite. Not only does it have the ability to flatten the abdomen, but the dill has diuretic properties that prevent fluid retention in the body; therefore cellulite will no longer be visible.
• Prevents osteoporosis and strengthens bones, due to high calcium concentration. A teaspoon of dill seeds contains more calcium than a cup of milk!
• Relieves abdominal pain and reduces gas accumulation.
• Fights depression! The dill consumption fortifies the nervous system, more so even massage with dill oil is a beneficial remedy for mental endurance during difficult times of life.
• Stimulates the good functioning of the kidneys! The dill has diuretic properties, so a diet rich in fresh juices from greens and lemon helps to eliminate colic and kidney stones. Cleaning with dill tea or fresh dill juice daily for two weeks prevents urinary tract infections.
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3. The Nettles
Nettles are some of the richest plants in substances with amazing beneficial effects on the human body. Helps detoxify the body, fight anemia, increase energy, have analgesic properties, they are rich in iron and magnesium, fight against bacteria.
The common nettle, a plant that is easily found in spring, has been used for hundreds of years as a medicinal plant, having multiple beneficial effects for the body. As far as the nettle is accessible, it is also rich in minerals and vitamins.
The benefits are multiple, whether the plant is consumed as an ingredient for food, or consumed in the form of tea or tincture. They are called the “Healing Fire” because it stings and gives the sensation of burning in contact with the skin.
It is good to be consumed at the beginning of spring when they are very young. They are rich in vitamins: A, C, B2, K, and mineral salts, such as calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Benefits
• They regulate the fluidity of the blood
• Relieves rheumatic pain
• Fight allergies
• Treats kidney disease
• Cure anemia
• Adjusts the blood pressure
• Restore the red blood cells and rejuvenate the cells
• Detoxifies and tones the body
They can be used in the form of tea, tincture, juiced, or cooked. If you cook them, do not throw the juice in the boil! It can be drunk instead of tea, being rich in vitamin C.
You can cook them in the form of mashed potatoes, with garlic and polenta. Treatment with tea of fresh nettles, 3-4 weeks (3 cups a day), helps to revive the body. Fresh juice from the leaves (100 ml per day) is indicated in obesity and diabetes.
4. The Parsley
Parsley is one of the most popular culinary herbs in the world. Parsley is one of the seven spices that fight against many diseases, along with ginger, oregano, cinnamon, saffron, sage, and red pepper.
Often, parsley is undervalued, although it has important nutritional and palliative qualities. Most people do not know its benefits and often use it strictly to decorate various types of food.
It contains more vitamin C than citrus or cabbage, but also significant amounts of beta carotene, folic acid, vitamin B12, proteins, minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron), volatile oil and flavonoids.
Benefits
• Strengthens the immune system due to its high content of vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids. Also vitamin C from parsley, as well as high iron content, helps prevent anemia.
• It is antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiarrheal, also, it inhibits the formation of tumors (especially those existing in the lungs).
• Helps the proper functioning of the kidneys by dissolving the kidney stones
• It helps digestion and facilitates the removal of the stool due to its high enzyme content.
• Parsley can fight jaundice, is effective in blockages that can occur in the liver, lungs, and kidneys.
• The leaves can cure deep cuts, bruises and can be used in the oncology patient’s nutrition
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5. Stevia
Although it is a miraculous plant, encountered in most households in the spring, few of us know the benefits of the stevia.
It is rich in nutrients and should not be bypassed, especially now, in spring. It has a sour taste, close to spinach, with properties similar to it. The best are the young, green, small leaves, but also the big leaves are used.
It is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and potassium. It can be consumed in soups, salads, or as a side dish. Use it as soon as you buy it because it is perishable. It’s perfect in detox cures. It has a low calorific value and at the same time is very nutritious.
Benefits
• It has an anti-cancer effect. Kaempferol from Stevia is an antioxidant that can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by 23%!
• Fight diabetes and obesity. It regulates the level of sugar in the blood while stimulating insulin production, and pigments in the Stevia have a role in regulating body weight. Also, it is an excellent substitute for Sugar.
• Rejuvenates the body, detoxifies the blood and fights oxidative stress due to its high content of vitamins and minerals
• Treats indigestion and stomach burns, hypertension (because it lowers blood pressure and stabilizes blood circulation), and hyperglycemia (inhibits appetite for sweets and fatty foods).
• Prevents and treats skin problems such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, dandruff, eczema, and dermatitis, due to its antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties.
6. The Lovage
Customary in the Romanian cuisine, the Lovage (Levisticum officinale) has not only a pleasant taste, which gives flavor to the broth soups and other foods but also many properties, which help to prevent, even cure certain conditions.
Strengthening the immune system, protecting the kidneys or alleviating the side effects of menstruation are just a few of the wonders this aromatic plant has on health
The aromatic lovage contains starch, sugar, volatile oil, fats, mineral salts, and coumarin, a substance with positive effects on tumors, asthma, inflammation, hypertension, and osteoporosis.
Benefits
• It is an excellent diuretic. It helps the body eliminate excess water and improves kidney activity, which makes it a reliable ally in weight loss cures.
• Keeps hair healthy, due to its high content of vitamins A, C, and zinc, which strengthens the hairs, reduces their loss, and maintains the secretion of the natural oil of the scalp.
• It helps in the digestive process. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, the lovage relieves stomach aches and helps the colon health. Besides reducing bloating, eating this plant reduces intestinal irritation.
• The lovage tea is good against gas, eliminates bloating, normalizes the stools.
7. The Dandelion
“The yellow weed” which appears everywhere since the first warm rays of the sun and which upset the gardeners, stimulates the detoxification of the liver. It contains substances that give a slightly bitter taste and is very rich in vegetable fibers.
The dandelion is a rich source of A, C, D, B vitamins as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc.
Dandelion leaves are used in salads, sandwiches, and teas to provide their aroma
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Benefits
• The dandelion is a wonderful diuretic. It helps to eliminate the surplus of water from the body, especially from the abdomen area. Dandelion tea increases the amount of urine produced by the kidneys. It also has a detoxifying effect, because along with the surplus of water are eliminated also the toxins accumulated in the kidneys.
• Dandelion flowers have detoxifying and antioxidant effects on the body. – prevent cell aging and also help purify the blood.
• The dandelion has vitaminic and remineralizing effects. Rich in vitamins and minerals the plant is indicated in cases of weakness and convalescence. Good quality nutrients are easily absorbed by the body, which is energized and revitalized. Dandelion cures have miraculous effects in early spring when the human body suffers from a deficiency of minerals and vitamins.
• Dandelion cures keep in control bad cholesterol – natural preparations with dandelion prevent fat to deposit on the blood vessels, they thin the blood, so the body is properly oxygenated.
• The dandelion improves digestion and prevents bloating – tea with dandelion prevents constipation and intestinal fermentation.
It can be consumed in salads, along with lettuce, wild garlic, nettles, green onions, radishes. In the form of macerate, it prevents anorexia and constipation, and in the form of decoction, it is used to treat cataracts.
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8. The Spinach
From childhood, we know that spinach is healthy and that it makes us stronger, thanks to Popeye the Sailor. Now that spinach has already appeared on the market stalls, it would not hurt to remember what its benefits are!
According to the popular tradition, spinach is a food rich in iron, which protects us from anemia. In spinach, we find large quantities of vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate (vitamin B9).
Vitamin A is important for night vision, but also for cell growth and development, regulating immune system functions and reproduction. Several substances are combined under the name of vitamin K similar properties, involved in the coagulation process. Folate (Vitamin B9) is involved in DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism, cell division, and red blood cell maturation.
Benefits
• Spinach is an excellent source of many phytonutrients, which have excellent properties of disease prevention and maintaining the body in perfect health.
• Spinach has a very low calorie and fat content, so 100 g of raw leaves offers only 23 calories. It contains a significant amount of soluble dietary fiber, so it’s no wonder that green spinach is one of the most recommended vegetables for cholesterol control and weight reduction programs!
• It is also a rich source of omega-3s and essential fatty acids
• Improves vision – being rich in beta-carotene and lutein, spinach improves vision. It would be ideal to consume it cooked because, after cooking, beta carotene becomes easier to absorb
• Beneficial for gastric disorders – starting with common gastritis and until the ulcer, spinach can help the body heal quickly. Spinach substances act like a gastric bandage, which reduces inflammation
• Purifies the body – The fibers contained help to purify the digestive system, blood, and liver. Also, calcium and spinach iron remineralize the body and help it fight against seasonal anemia and asthenia.
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Last Thoughts:
Considering the growing interest in naturally-based diet choices, I thought it would be a good time to explore the benefits of spring greens detox.
Green leafy vegetables aren’t just essential for our growth, they’re important for weight loss and overall detoxification of the body.
Include these nutrient-dense leafy spring greens in your diet with a variety of colorful dishes such as salads, smoothies, and juices, sautéed with vegetables or tofu.
These ingredients will keep you feeling fresh and free from toxins all year long.
Feel free to check out the detox subsection of my blog, more precisely the Detox Smoothies section, you’ll find a lot of green smoothies, also with herbs from the ones in this article.
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