Contents
Most gardeners know the dandelion as a pesky weed that can be found everywhere. But this unpretentious and affordable plant carries great value for humans. Information about the benefits and harms of tea from dandelion root, flowers or greens will help you understand how to apply for various diseases.
Benefits of dandelion tea
Dandelion has a wide range of medicinal properties. It is almost impossible to list all of his therapeutic abilities. Here are just the main properties:
- choleretic;
- diuretic;
- laxative;
- sugar-reducing;
- stimulating the activity of the pancreas;
- diaphoretic;
- antipyretic;
- anti-inflammatory;
- soothing;
- antihistamine;
- antiviral;
- expectorant;
- anti-tuberculosis;
- cleansing;
- anthelmintic;
- tonic.
The pharmacological characteristics of a plant are dictated by its chemical composition. The roots contain a high concentration of bitterness, so dandelion tea is used to normalize digestion, increase appetite, secretory and motor functions of the gastrointestinal tract. Substances contained in tea irritate the receptors of the mucous membrane of the mouth, tongue, excite the work of the food center, increase the secretion of the digestive glands.
Dandelion tea well cleanses the body of toxins, removes poisons and toxins. The drink is very useful for the hematopoietic system. Its use leads to a decrease in the concentration of bad cholesterol, and in case of anemia, it restores a healthy balance of blood cells.
Dandelion roots are part of the diuretic, choleretic and laxative herbal preparations. They are used both independently and in complex treatment for cholecystitis, gastritis, complicated by regular constipation, gallbladder dysfunction. As evidenced by numerous reviews of dandelion root tea, the healing potential of this plant is truly limitless.
Is dandelion tea good for weight loss?
For overweight people, the benefits of dandelion leaf tea are manifested primarily in its diuretic properties. It helps to remove excess fluid from the body, which, accumulating in the cells, interferes with the normal course of metabolic processes.
The drink also has a positive effect on the condition and functioning of the liver, cleanses of accumulated toxins. As a result, the body functions more efficiently, fully breaks down fats, and prevents excess cholesterol from being deposited.
By positively influencing the digestive processes, dandelion tea improves the digestion and absorption of food.
Is it possible to drink dandelion during pregnancy
Dandelion is not forbidden to drink during pregnancy, but its amount should not exceed the therapeutic doses recommended by the doctor. The drink will help solve many of the problems that women tend to worry about during this difficult period for them. Dandelion tea can:
- eliminate constipation;
- strengthen immunity;
- protect against viral, colds;
- prevent the threat of miscarriage;
- replenish the body with valuable nutrients.
Boil a tablespoon of a mixture of dried leaves and root for several minutes over low heat. Insist and take three times a day on an empty stomach. This infusion will help reduce the risk of miscarriage. But for nursing mothers, another recipe is suitable.
To make more milk, you need to steam 1 tsp. dandelion root powder in a cup of boiling water, leave for an hour under the lid, it is better if this is done in a thermos. Take a spoon before each meal.
What is dandelion tea made from?
Dandelion is completely healing. Not only the roots, but also the flowers and leaves of the plant will help to cure the most serious diseases. For the preparation of the drink, dry raw materials are used. Fresh greens are more suitable for creating vitamin salads, cocktails, juice.
Dandelion tea may also contain additional ingredients. They are included in the recipe for different purposes:
- Improve the taste of the drink. Dandelion has a lot of bitterness, specific notes. To slightly correct the taste range, additional components, herbs are introduced.
- Give the drink a rich vitamin or medicinal content, make it more active in influencing the body and its problem areas.
In addition, in order for the drink to be sweet and tasty, it necessarily contains all kinds of sweeteners. According to reviews, not only the usual sugar can be added to dandelion tea, but also honey, sweeteners (sucralose, stevioside), cane sugar, molasses and others.
What is dandelion combined with when brewing tea
It is good to add lemon, cranberries, kiwi, and some other sour fruits or berries to dandelion tea to give it the sourness it needs. If honey is also added to such a drink, then you get a real cure for colds, to raise immunity, strengthen strength and prevent hypovitaminosis.
Procurement of raw materials
It is necessary to harvest dandelion correctly in order to preserve its useful properties as much as possible. For different parts of the plant, there are different rules for collecting drying.
Root
Most medicinal substances are concentrated in dandelion roots. They are harvested either in early spring, when the plant is just beginning to gain strength, but has not yet bloomed, there are no leaves, or in autumn, during the withering period.
It is better to extract the root from the ground with a shovel. Then shake off and wash in running cold water. Dry and dry for several days in the open air in the shade until the milky juice ceases to appear on the sections.
Dry for a week in a room with a low percentage of humidity, well ventilated. You can do all this in a dryer, and so that the raw materials do not lose their useful properties, set the temperature to 40-50 degrees.
Flowers
Yellow heads of dandelions must be harvested at the beginning of their flowering. The weather should be dry for at least a few days. The collection should be carried out in the afternoon, so that traces of dew have disappeared on the flowers by this time.
Spread the collected raw materials in one layer on a moisture-absorbing surface, for example, on burlap, paper. Direct sunlight should be avoided, under the influence of which the plant will lose most of its beneficial properties. Flower heads should be turned as often as possible to avoid rotting.
Leaves
Collection is carried out during the flowering period. Dry, like any other grass, in the shade, under a canopy or in a room with good air circulation. Periodically, you should turn the leaves over so that they are evenly weathered on all sides.
How to make dandelion tea
The technology of making tea from dandelions is not much different from the method of preparing similar hot drinks from herbs or traditional tea brewing. You will need 2 main components: vegetable raw materials and boiling water.
How to make tea from dandelion flowers
Yellow dandelion heads can be used to make a concentrate that will serve as the basis for making tea. It only needs to be diluted with a cup of warm boiled water and the drink is ready. Do it like this.
In a 3 liter jar, layer the flower heads and granulated sugar, which will need about 1,5 kg in total. Then tamp, add a little water (<100 ml). Soon the juice will begin to stand out, this is the basis for making tea.
How to make dandelion root tea
Grind the dried roots of the plant into powder. Steam a teaspoon of the obtained raw material with a cup of boiling water and leave for 10-20 minutes. Drink the entire volume during the day before meals, divided into 4 doses. Dandelion root tea will benefit digestion, urinary and bile ducts, as well as diabetes, atherosclerosis and many other diseases.
How to make tea from dandelion leaves
It is worth considering the recipe for dandelion green tea. Pour dry leaves of the plant into a cup (2 tsp), add a slice of lemon and pour boiling water over it. Infuse for 10-15 minutes, sweeten. The benefits and harms of dandelion leaf tea are taken into account in the medical practice of traditional healers and herbalists. The plant helps to maintain the state of the nervous, cardiovascular, biliary, urinary and other body systems.
How to make dandelion root tea with honey
Pour boiling water over 2 tsp. crushed roots. Cover the container with a lid, insist until the drink has cooled to a maximum temperature of +40 degrees. Only after that add 1 tsp. natural honey, a little lemon juice. Mix the drink until the additional ingredients are completely dissolved.
How to make dandelion root tea in a thermos
The most rich and healthy tea from dandelions is obtained according to the recipe for cooking in a thermos. To get the usual concentration of the drink, in this case, you can use more than 2 tsp. tea leaves from the roots of the plant, and one for the same amount of water (cup).
Reception Features
Dandelion tea will maximize its beneficial properties if you drink it on an empty stomach. It is necessary to give the body enough time for the full assimilation of the biologically active substances contained in the drink, as well as for them to be able to carry out the healing process of one or another problem point in the human body.
Therefore, to get the most beneficial effect, dandelion tea should be drunk regularly throughout the day, preferably on an empty stomach half an hour or an hour before a meal. It is advisable to stop eating meat, especially fatty, smoked, for the duration of treatment, switch to a vegetarian or dairy-vegetarian diet. This will help improve the absorption of the beneficial substances of the drink.
Also, while taking dandelion, you do not need to eat fried foods, coffee, a lot of sweets, so as not to complicate the situation. Dandelion in combination with these products can show completely opposite properties and increase the disease process, so you need to be very careful.
In order for dandelion root tea to fully show its beneficial properties, it should be prepared without adding sugar. If it is difficult to do without a sweetener, you can add stevia (herb) or honey when brewing when the drink is already cooled down.
Limitations and contraindications
Dandelion tea can bring not only benefits, but also harm. Its use is contraindicated in gastritis, which occurs against the background of increased acidity, as well as in ulcerative lesions of the digestive tract (stomach, duodenum).
Caution should be taken with medicinal tea in acute inflammatory diseases of the biliary tract. Increased bile secretion can complicate the situation with health and intestinal disorders, as it will contribute to the development of a laxative effect.
Dandelion should not be combined with the following medications:
- antacids (anti-acid);
- anticoagulants (thinning the blood);
- diuretics (diuretics);
- hypoglycemic, enhances, which can lead to an attack of hypoglycemia;
- lithium – weakens the action;
- ciprofloxacin – hinders absorption.
It is necessary to start introducing dandelion into the diet carefully, with small doses. Otherwise, the development of an unpredictable reaction of the body is possible. This is especially true for children.
Conclusion
The benefits and harms of dandelion root tea or other parts of the plant have long been known to people and used in medicine. This is a very effective and at the same time affordable remedy for many diseases. With it, you can improve your health for free, strengthen your body, get rid of worms, prevent viral, colds, and prevent the development of complex pathologies, such as cancer.