Dandelion root tea and coffee

Hedda

Member
Have you ever heard of dandelion root tea or dandelion root coffee? I know that dandelion root is very good for detoxifying the liver and purifying your system.
 

wanderingherb

Moderator
Dandelion is awesome. It doesn't so much detox. But it does help the blood system. The uses for dandelion are endless. In fact if you have a chance, pick some leaves this year and put them in your salads!

It is among many other things: diuretic, hepatic, cholagogue, antiheumatic, laxative, tonic and a bitter.

It is highly bitter. So if you give the coffee a go, make it very light. You can increase after you get used to the flavor. Watch it though, lol, I was trying to be the tough "Oh I like bitter stuff" and gave myself a case of the trots. I drank far too much. :rolleyes:

This is an herb that is so easy to harvest, cannot be over harvested, and both leaves and root serve as an excellent resource. Highly beneficial.

It is very nutritional also!

Wanderingherb
 

Heaven Scent

New Member
I've had Dandelion tea before - but not using the roots.

The only way I've seen it used in Detox's is as a diuretic as it helps eliminate any excess water build up.

In France it is known as "Pissenlit" or "wet-the-bed" due to this quality :)
 

SuzyQ

Member
When I was young we also called dandelions "pittley beds" which is slang for "wet the bed"! I have tasted dandelion coffee and found it's licorice flavour lovely but it's a bit too weak for me nowadays.
 

CrunchyMama

New Member
I can't figure out why so many people in the USA want to eliminate dandelions, since they ARE so good for people! So many don't realize that they have excellent, nutritional food growing WILD in their yards. I have a container of loose dandelion tea in my pantry right now!
 

wanderingherb

Moderator
Unfortunately, many herbs we use, because they are plants, are considered weeds. Sad isn't it.

I was offered to go get all the dandelions from a person's yard. I was at first very excited but then asked, have you used lawn fertilizers or weed killers ever?

Yes.

Well thank-you but now I cannot use them. So use caution when someone offers this. If chemicals have been used in the last 10 to 15 years, toxicity still remains active in the soils, thus being in the herb.

wanderingherb
 

wanderingherb

Moderator
When I was young we also called dandelions "pittley beds" which is slang for "wet the bed"! I have tasted dandelion coffee and found it's licorice flavour lovely but it's a bit too weak for me nowadays.
I've never had dandelion tasting like licorice. This is not one of the signs of dandelion root. Interesting. To identify it we depend on its incredibly bitter bite. The bitter is actually a medicinal quality used for many digestive disorders.

Was maybe the coffee blended with other herbs and not just dandelion roots?

Of course all our taste buds are different but...the bitter bite is what we use as a part of identification.

wanderingherb
 

Hedda

Member
Thank you so much for all the interesting background and "factoids". I have been thinking about trying it, but didn't want to make the investment if it was "hype.
 

Penny Royal

New Member
Apparently dandelion root and stems have been found so far to be great cancer fighters. There's an article about research done at the University of Windsor, in Canada but I am not allowed to post the url here because I do not have 15 posts yet. But if you google 'dandelion cancer' you find a lot of legitimate reports on it.

Other studies being done have shown positive effects on breast cancer and lung cancer.
 

xenon

Member
Making dandelion coffee is dead easy. You need to harvest as much of the root as you can. Cleaning it takes a while. An old tooth brush comes in handy. After you get most of the dirt off (there will always be stains or what appears to be dirt) you chop it up into smallish pieces say liked dice carrot. This is put onto a baking tray in a hot oven. You need experiment a little but keep an eye on it because it can burn fast. Once it has been browned caramelized it's taken out and cooled then can be stored in jars. You can then use a teaspoon for each person as a tea or grind it as you would coffee beans and make it the same way as you make coffee.
 
I've never had dandelion tea or coffee. I have made dandelion bread with the flowers, and cooked the leaves as greens. Fried dandelion blossoms are pretty good too. My mother used to make dandelion gravy every Spring.
 

aphil

Member
Every time I drink dandelion tea, I break out with pimples because it immediately goes to work cleansing the blood. Be sure to drink plenty of water around the time you drink it, to help it flush out what needs to go. It is quite bitter and you only need a small amount to brew a nice cup of tea. I have read that mixing it with licorice helps it to be more harmonizing in the system; and licorice is a natural sweetner too.
 
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