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There are multiple health benefits to dandelion, and these benefits are easy to access by drinking dandelion tea. Dandelion tea can be made from the root or the leaves of a dandelion plant.
Dandelion, considered a weed that you may see growing in your yard, actually has some important vitamins and minerals that you should take advantage of. Dandelions are “loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, B, C, D, and K, as well as minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.”[1] Given this list of vitamins and minerals, it is clear to see how beneficial dandelions can be to one’s health. To further emphasize the health benefits of dandelion, it might help to explain what some of these vitamins and minerals do for your body. Vitamin A is extremely important in helping major organs, like the heart, lungs and kidneys, function as they should. Vitamin C helps to boost and strengthen your immune system, and it also helps your body absorb iron more easily. To add to that, iron is also important for your immune system, and it’s important in making sure your energy levels aren’t low. Vitamin D, commonly absorbed through sunlight, is important for immune function, but it also helps your body absorb calcium. Calcium is important in maintaining strong bones as you progress through life, and it is important to how your entire body functions, as a lack of calcium could lead to fatigue and muscle cramps.
Even by just going over a few of the benefits of dandelions, we can see how consuming the tea brewed from them can help with improving and maintaining our health. So, the next time you see those little, yellow weeds growing in your yard, you might want to think twice before plucking them and throwing them out. Instead, you should try brewing a nice, comforting cup of dandelion root or leaf tea and sit back and relax knowing your body is being nourished. It is, however, extremely important to only use dandelions that have not been treated with pesticides, so if you aren’t sure, it would be better to just buy some pf this nutritious tea from the store.
References:
1. Zafar, J. (2016, September 19). Health benefits of dandelion. Home Remedies Web. https://www.homeremediesweb.com/supplements/dandelion-health-benefits.
Contributors:
Author: Lauryn Agron
Editor: Anum Khan
Health scientist: Ariqa Everett