The Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea: 6 Reasons to Try This Wellness Trend

Dandelions are a nasty weed that many desperate housewives try to remove from their immaculate lawns by all means. I don’t know about your imagination, but mine immediately pictures Bree Van de Kamp in elbow-length yellow rubber gloves, armed with a shovel and a sprayer with a chemical not to give the weeds even a chance.

But I wonder what Marcia Cross’s character would say if she found out that dandelion tea benefits are numerous and worth trying at least once. I think she would have gathered all her friends from Wisteria Lane and, over a cup of freshly brewed drink, they would have gossiped about their new neighbors.

Stop! This scene was not in the series after all. Can you really expect any benefits from these plants? They are just small yellow flowers, which are hardly considered beautiful. And when each individual flower turns into a sphere of seeds, ready to fly into the air at any blow of the breeze, that’s a whole disaster for those who suffer from allergies. Nevertheless, the answer to the question I have just asked is yes. And I want to share with you my thoughts on this matter.

Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale – has been cultivated for its culinary and medicinal properties for centuries, and modern science has even begun corroborating some of these traditional claims.

In the future, dandelion extracts or tablets based on the components that make it up may be even used in the fight against certain types of cancer. The 2011 and 2012 studies in several countries showed that dandelion root extract induces cell death in melanoma and pancreatic cancer without impacting non-cancerous ones. 

Another study from Oncotarget –  a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal – says that dandelion root extract can kill 95% of colon cancer cells within two days! And this is science, not science fiction.

In an animal experiment 2010, rabbits were fed a diet high in cholesterol but supplemented with dandelion roots. As a result, this plant helped reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol, while the level of good cholesterol increased.

A study conducted in Korea in 2008 suggests that Taraxacum officinale has potential to be used as an anti-obesity agent as it can inhibit pancreatic lipase, an enzyme released during digestion to break down fat.

The other benefits of dandelion include:

• promoting liver health
• preventing urinary tract infections
• promoting gallbladder health by being a choleretic agent
• soothing digestive ailments

If you are going to drink dandelion tea on an ongoing basis, it is important to consider medical contraindications, including:

• hypersensitivity to the plant
• peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum
• gastritis in the acute stage 
• acute pancreatitis
• cholelithiasis 
• hypersecretion of gastric juice
• pregnancy 
• breastfeeding 
• children under 12 years of age

The scientific facts we have put together here are nothing short of inspiring.

And, besides, it really sounds so simple and encouraging – you can pick dandelions, dry them, and then brew herbal tea to become healthier and slimmer. Nevertheless, in reality this is not quite the case. 

Although dandelions grow everywhere – European cities and Chinese villages are undoubtedly familiar with them – we can’t pick the plants along the roads or in the places with busy traffic. It’s important to consider that all these roadside plants are full of chemicals and heavy metals. It’s better to order an organic dandelion root extract from Amazon to avoid poisoning. Heavy metals, as we know, can lead to very sad consequences, and these are not just horror stories from children’s books. But if you want to feel like a herb hunter, go to the forests and explore the virgin meadows pollinated by wild bees. 

It is better to dry dandelion leaves in the spring, while the plant is still young and hasn’t begun to bloom. On the one hand, at this time the leaves accumulate the greatest amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all the useful things we strive for. On the other hand, tea made from such leaves will taste less bitter.

As for the roots, it is better to plant them in the fall. During the spring and autumn, they manage to accumulate more nutrients, which will make your tea much healthier.

1. First one is known as dandelion coffee: you can make it by roasting dandelion roots, steeping them in hot water for about 10 minutes, and straining – just a few simple manipulations that not only Bree Van de Kamp can do, but also less talented ones. Keep in mind that the root pieces should be roughly the same size as coffee beans. Roasting is not a difficult task either. Spread the roots out in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes. 
2. Making dandelion leaf tea takes about 10 minutes. You will need 6 to 8 dandelion leaves, clean enough not to cause an attack of disgust. Gently muddle them until fragrant and add directly to the cup or place them inside a tea infuser. Steep in a cup of boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes.