Dandelion Tea

Do you remember the flowers you would hold as a child and blow the petals off? If so, then you'll probably be familiar with the flower known as the Dandelion. The truth is, there's a range of purposes; this flower serves other than just a weed, one of which is tea! Dandelion root tea has been providing medicinal benefits to people around the world for centuries.

A Few Facts About Dandelion Tea

Dandelion tea was a popular drink amongst the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians! Back then, Dandelion roots were commonly used as a tonic to help remove toxins from the bloodstream and help aid their digestive systems. During those eras, physicians didn't have equipment or tests to diagnose people, but they found that Dandelion's pretty much treated everything!
If you're interested in knowing why dandelion tea is so popular, check out our table of top picks.

What Is Dandelion Tea?

Dandelion tea is a drink made from the roots of a Dandelion being roasted and steeped in water. The tea can be made with the soft yellow buds of the Dandelion or without them.
Alongside this, people can brew just the roots, leaves, or stems to make the tea. It's also commonly available in local health stores, and sometimes in these incidents, manufacturers may add other ingredients.

Benefits Of Dandelion Tea

Dandelion tea still has a lot of scientific research to confirm the benefits for everyone. However, the commonly reported Dandelion tea benefits are:

• Detoxifies the liver: It's believed that dandelion tea can increase liver health, which stems back to folk medicine days. In those times, it was commonly used as a liver tonic. Today, a few preliminary studies support this, showing that it can trigger the increase of polysaccharides, which helps more bile flow in your body and reduces the stress on your liver. Because of this, it can make the filtration process your liver does more efficient.
• It's a great coffee substitute: If you don't like coffee or have an intolerance to it, dandelion tea is a fantastic alternative. The reason for this is that the roots of the dandelion plant produce a dark brown color when roasted and steeped in water can be a fantastic coffee substitute. It also contains a lot less caffeine than a cup of coffee would!
• Support your immune system: Dandelion tea can provide you with extra protection like viruses and illnesses such as the common cold. This is because it contains vitamin C, which helps protect your immune system and supports you against common colds.
• Decreases water retention: There are quite a few studies that demonstrate that dandelion tea can act as a natural diuretic. This means that it can encourage more frequent urination and less water retention in the body. As a result, it can trigger your kidneys to release more water lowering the likelihood of bloat and discomfort. However, there's more scientific research needed to be done to support this.
• Lower blood pressure: Vitamin C is not the only nutrient or mineral Dandelion tea has to offer. This tea contains lots of potassium, both a mineral and electrolyte, which helps encourage your heart to beat more. Plus, potassium helps your kidneys filter out toxins and effectively increase blood flow.
• Anti-inflammatory properties: Dandelions have a compound known as taraxasterol in tea, which has many antioxidant properties that fight inflammation. In addition to this, taraxasterol helps regulate your white blood cells and helps reduce inflammation.

Origin, Regions of Growing

Today, dandelion tea can be pretty much grown everywhere, from forests, fields, lawns, gardens, and wastelands. Dandelions are often extracted from one place and roasted in another. The common parts of the world manufacturers pick dandelions from are:

• China: Many manufacturers pick their dandelions from China. This country has lots growing in their Qilian Mountain Range and Cixian county. In addition to being used as a medicine in China, they're also used as a food for many natives. Plus, dandelions grown in China vary between a pink and white color.
• New Zealand: Dandelions are found across many grasslands in New Zealand. They're grown naturally in both its subtropical and cold climates.
• Bulgaria: The dandelions that grow in Bulgaria tend to be yellow and are most commonly grown in springtime. They're grown widely across Bulgaria in meadows, pastures, and sandy areas.
• Poland: Dandelions are so popular in Poland that you can even find them growing on the roadside in addition to meadows and forests. Plus, on Poland's Baltic coast, there's believed to be 27 different dandelion microspecies.
• India: You can find Dandelions in India's Himalayas. They are incredibly popular in India; they're used in ayurvedic medicine frequently to treat liver problems.

Types Of Every Kind of Tea

If you're looking to purchase Dandelion tea, there are quite a few varieties to select. The main differences are based on not based on the country of origin but the texture of the tea which are:

Dandelion tea bags

Dandelion tea bags tend to contain an infusion of Dandelions and not the whole Dandelion in itself. Most of the time, these teas are natural but contain a low concentration of Dandelion compared to other teas.

Dandelion loose leaf tea

Dandelion instant tea

There is instant Dandelion tea which is similar to instant coffee. This type of tea is not a power or liquid base; instead, it comes in granules. These types of tea contain additional extracts like beetroot, rye, barley, and more. Due to the additives in them, these teas tend to be a lot stronger in taste.

What To Look for In A Dandelion Tea

If you're looking to buy dandelion tea, there are a few factors you should consider which are:

Vitamins they contain

Dandelion tea has been used for centuries now for its medicinal properties. Ideally, you will want to buy one that has a lot of vitamins and minerals in it. A good dandelion tea will contain the following beta-carotene, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K. Therefore, always read the labels to know what nutrients you're getting in the tea.

Side effects

Most of the time, dandelion tea is safe to drink. However, the tea can affect different people providing some side effects. It's always good to look at the instruction leaflet that comes with the tea to know which effects it gives and its interactions with medications.

Best Dandelion Tea for You

Overall, Dandelion can be grown in pretty much every environment. It's a flower that's not subject to specific weather conditions or continents. When buying dandelion tea, you should consider the type, vitamins, and minerals and the potential side effects you may experience. However, it's not a tea that should be ignored as there's an extensive list of health benefits that could change the way you live.

FAQ

What is dandelion tea good for?

There's a lot of advantages to drinking dandelion tea. In particular, this tea helps with liver function, encourages lower blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, has anti-inflammatory properties, and maybe a cancer fighting agent. There's also a range of perceived benefits that's yet to be confirmed in scientific research.

Where to buy dandelion tea?

Dandelion tea is really easy to make, but you can buy it from your local health store or online retailer if you want to save time. Make sure when you're buying, you read its ingredients to know if it will suit your lifestyle or not.

Does dandelion tea have caffeine?

Most of the time, dandelion tea will not have caffeine in it. On the cases it does have caffeine will be when the tea is served as a blend. These teas contain other extracts in them and also other tea leaves in them, making them caffeinated.

What does dandelion tea taste like?

Dandelion tea often has a delicate and sweet taste that's very easy on the mouth. However, if the Dandelion has been roasted for a long period of time, it can often have a bold or earthy based flavor.

Can I drink dandelion tea every day?

Yes, you can drink dandelion tea every day! Many people all over the world drink it every day and some as much as four times a day. Plus, if it does not contain caffeine, you can drink it at any time of the day; it's a pretty versatile drink!

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