A cup of dandelion leaf tea a day can keep your doctor far away. The dandelion plant boasts of holding many vitamins including Vitamin K, Iron, Calcium and more!! So listen up gardeners, tea lovers, and everyone who can spot a dandelion plant – basically everyone because this plant grow like a weed everywhere in North America – do not pull and toss your dandelion weeds this year! I’m going to tell you why you should love this plant. Hint: it’s not only because it makes for a healthy tea… although that is a very good reason.
Why should we not throw out dandelions?
There are many reasons to love dandelions! I’ll list a couple below.
Gardeners should appreciate dandelions
Most gardeners detest weeds including dandelions, but did you know that they are actually good for your garden? If you are surprised, don’t feel alone! I was also very surprised by this given that my entire life I was taught to hate weeds. However, dandelions in particular are a special kind of weed.
- Their roots can break up bad soil
- Their leaves grow and die and provide food for the surrounding soil and plants
- They give life to vegetation in that they are the first to grow after a fire has swept through an area
Read more about dandelions in gardens from the Toronto Gardens.
Salad munchers should eat dandelions
Salads are a wonderful way to consume the nutrients in salad leaves like kale, Swiss chard, and spinach. If you love salads, you should add dandelion leaves to your leaf list! Studies have shown that eating dandelion leaves can be healthier than eating broccoli or spinach. See the full benefits of the dandelion leaves are described later on in this post.
Beekeepers should thank dandelions
Dandelions are among the first flowers to appear in springtime. When the bees emerge from their winter frames in search of their very first pollen, dandelion flowers are among their first flowers to collect pollen from.
Tea lovers should enjoy dandelions
A good tasting tea warms my heart on any day, and all the more if I know that it is soothing my body at the same time. In this post, I will show share with you my dandelion tea mix with lemon balm, rooibos and rose.
Every person should love dandelions
Since dandelions are nearly everywhere in North America, it is high time that we begin to cherish these plants in our gardens, salads, and just because they look plain beautiful!
What does dandelion tea taste like?
The first time I tried dandelion leaf tea, it tasted like eating grass. Not too bad, if you ask me. There are worse tasting things out there. Now you might ask “why would anyone eat anything that does not taste really good?” My answer is, because when I’m doing something specifically for the health benefits (like drinking dandelion tea), the taste for me is secondary to the benefits. Furthermore, I have noted over time that my taste buds become acustom very quickly to food that initially tasted bland. And the best part is that those foods (or drinks) start tasting good! If you haven’t had an experience like this, try something you don’t like for a period of time and watch how our body adjusts to liking it.
In any case, I did find a way to make the dandelion tea into a delicious tea by pairing it with lemon balm (a cognitive booster), rooibos (anti-inflammatory), and rose (a calm soother).
It’s important for you to know that I’m not a medical specialist and I do not intend to give medical advice. If you are hesitant to trying natural remedies and plants for a wholesome health, you should consult your doctor’s advice. I’m just a lady on the internet 🙂
How to make dandelion leaf tea
To make any tea, start by adding a teaspoon of the ingredient to a tea bag or sift. Steep if in about a cup of water, and taste it. This is what I did to create my dandelion leaf tea recipe mix:
Boil a kettle for hot water (or bring water to boil on a stovetop).
Mix the tea ingredients in a sift or tea bag.
Steep the tea ingredients in hot water for 3-5 minutes (depending on how strong you prefer your teas).
Pour into a cup, and enjoy!
How does a dandelion look?
Look at this beautiful flowers plant. And the dandelion plant is completely edible! This includes the root, leaves and flowers.
Benefits of dandelion tea
Experts say that the dandelion plant is very nutritious. It contains vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and potassium. Each part of the plant contains different benefits, so I recommend consuming the root, leaf, and flower!
Dandelion leaf and root tea benefits
Researchers say that the dandelion leaf is most beneficial to the kidneys and that the dandelion root benefits the liver more.
Although, if you consume the dandelion flower, leaf and root, you can take care of everything! Stay tuned for “wholesome dandelion tea” that will include all 3 parts of the plant.
Dandelion leaf tea recipe
Because dandelion tea is such a nutritious boost, I felt it worth finding a recipe that tasted really good that I would want to drink every day. I experimented with dandelion tea for a while to create a tea that would taste delicious.
Tasty Dandelion Tea Mix
Ingredients
- 2 parts Dandelion Leaf
- 1 part Rooibos Leaf
- 1 part Lemon Balm Leaf
- 1 part Rose
- 2 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Boil kettle or pot on the stove for boiling water
- Add tea ingredients together into a sift or tea bag
- Pour boiling water into tea pot
- Steep tea ingredients for approximately 5 minutes
- Pour into cup and enjoy! 🙂
Video
Notes
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
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