Winter is peeping it’s head around the corner here in Australia, so I am back to preparing my favourite Dandelion herbal tea decoction… which tastes like coffee !

I know, sounds too good to be true right ?   But really, Dandelion Tea is a delicious coffee alternative, with healing medicinal qualities too.

Sharing a little about the Dandelion Plant & a simple Recipe: Dandelion {coffee} Tea to make at home.
 

Dandelion Plants

I have fond memories of  Dandelions carpeting the Earth in a blanket of yellow in the springtime….  and then in the months that follow, making wishes as you blow the Dandelion parachute seeds into the air.  Actually, I still do blow on Dandelion seeds… what can I say, I am still a child at Heart 🙂

Whilst many people may consider Dandelion a pesky garden weed, these beautiful plants have sublime medicinal properties… plus the entire Dandelion plant is edible.  If you are picking the plants from your garden (or even your friendly neighbours), be sure to check that they have not been sprayed with chemicals.

Dandelion flowers & leaves are great in salads.  Add leaves to green juices, toss into soups, make a delish pesto, or dry the leaves to make a tea.  The leaves are a little bitter (kinda like rocket/arugula), so are great for digestion.  I have even heard of people making Dandelion Wine (wow, now there’s an idea!).

The sap of the Dandelion (the white milky latex) when spread on warts, eczema & ringworm stimulates healing.  And if you are breastfeeding and having trouble with milk quantity & flow, add leaves/stem to your daily diet.

But for me, the real prize of this plant are its roots…

Dandelion Roots

Dandelion {coffee} Tea is made from the dried and roasted roots of the Dandelion. Freshly picked Dandelion roots are cut into small pieces, dried and then roasted in the oven.  I mention Dandelion Root {coffee} Tea in my book Shealla-Dreaming.

The pictures below show what the Dandelion Root pieces look like once roasted.   In my kitchen, I store all of my dried herbs with Quartz Crystals to raise the vibrational frequency & bio-availability of the medicinal qualities of the herbs. 

It is easy to cultivate & roast the Dandelion Roots yourself… though you do need an huge amount to make a jar full of dried & roasted roots.   So for ease, you may prefer to purchase them your local health market or online – I purchase from Austral Herbs here in Australia.

Medicinal

The roots of the Dandelion have a long history of medicinal use as a Laxative, Diuretic, Choleretic (increase volume of bile), Cholagogue (stimulates flow of bile), Antirheumatic (reduce muscle & joint pain), Bitter principles (stimulates digestion) & Tonic.

For me this herb is the go to for everything to do with the liver – bile flow, detox & waste removal.  I find this tea so very cleansing and a gentle stimulant to the liver to kickstart the bowels in the morning…  it really is just like a morning coffee!

The slight bitterness of the Tea stimulates digestive juices (including production & flow of bile), detoxification and soothes inflammation. If you experience chronic conditions such as eczema, acne, arthritis or even gastritis, this Tea is worth including in your daily diet.

Notably, this Dandelion Root Tea is a must for anyone with liver congestion experienced as a fiery, angry, hot-headed temperament.  It is cooling, soothing and calming of emotions.  It is also of benefit to help kick addictions (caffeine, alchohol, behaviours) as it calms the desire to find happiness outside of yourself.

Dandelion in French is Pissenlit – meaning bedwetting, referring to its its diuretic effects.   And in early French, the herb was called dent de lion – which means lions tooth, referring to the jagged tooth like ridges of the leaves.  Though I personally feel this relates to its plant spirit medicine.

Plant Spirit Medicine

Doctrine of Signatures – The yellow Dandelion flower combined with the sub-word lion, refers to Dandelion’s innate essence of tonifying the Solar Plexus.   Dandelion espouses courage, strength of will, freedom, fearlessness and a desire to follow through on your deepest heartfelt visions.

Considering the entire plant – deep roots into the Earth (that many gardeners curse), long & strong stem filled with sap, broad leaves and sunny flowers that point towards the sky that turn into mini-parachutes when they seed – this really is a holistic plant in every sense of the word.

This plant helps to keep us grounded & connected to Earth, whilst held in humble awe at the magnificence of creation in every day life.   The strong tap root of Dandelion grounds us, its milky sap resembles the flow of chi akin to the flow of energy through our Milky Way Galaxy.  The golden flower resembles the Sun and when the flower seeds it scatters it’s little parachute Sun-Seeds just like the billions of stars throughout our Milky Way.  Dandelion brings us into the now, so see time eternal in the present moment.

Solar & Lunar Flower – The bright Golden-Yellow spread of the petals expresses your I AM presence, Yang, masculine, expansive energy of the Sun.  Whilst the soft & spherical community of seeds, who’s parachutes glisten silver under the light of the Sun represents the Moon or Lunar energy – Yin, Intuitive, Creative, Feminine, inward energy.   It makes sense that children intuitively run, play & wildly frolick in a field of yellow Dandelions (masculine energy) and then blow on the Dandelion Seeds to send their wishes out to the universe (feminine creative).

Parachute {crystal} Seeds – The fine little canopy – the parachute – the extends off each seed is made of organic silica… yes you guessed it, the seeds hold crystalline wisdom!   No wonder we are drawn to blow the seeds on the wind, to imprint our wishes within the aethers… as the seeds are mini-crystals.

1 tablespoon of Roasted Dandelion Roots
2 cups of structured Spring Water
¹⁄₂ cup of Milk
2 teaspoons of Raw Honey
Loving Intentions

1. In a medium sized pot add the Roasted Dandelion & Spring Water.
2. Bring the Dandelion/Water mix to the boil and then reduce heat & simmer for 5-10 mins.
3. Whilst your Tea is simmering, hold loving intentions for your day & dream this into your Tea.
4. Just before serving, add the Milk to the Dandelion/Water mix to warm through.
5. With a fine strainer placed over your favourite cup, pour half of the Tea.  Then repeat in your other favourite cup.
6. Add Raw Honey to taste.
7. Sit back, savour the goodness & enjoy your cup of Dandelion Tea {coffee} with a friend.

Variations

Dairy Free – Substitute the Milk for any Nut Milk (eg almond, hazelnut).  Coconut Cream also works well, as well as Ghee (a bit of a paleo hack!).  Alternatively you can go milk free… though the tea will be a little bitter as a result!

Sweetener – If you are sweet enough, then leave this ingredient out!  Alternatively you could use Maple Syrup, Agave or Rapadura sugar.

Additions – You could use half-n-half Roasted Dandelion Root, with Roasted Chicory Root for an even closer coffee taste + more medicinal benefits – Chicory is full of antioxidants & supports digestion too.  Powdered Turmeric could also be added to the Tea before serving for an extra blast of zing and is a brilliant anti-inflammatory & powerful antioxidant.

Caffeine – If breaking your morning caffeine hit is out of the question, they you could always have half caffeine Coffee/half Dandelion coffee.  Great way to slowly break your caffeine habit AND will be helpful on the liver to detox the caffeine too!

Boil Time – The longer you boil the Dandelion Roots, the stronger/more bitter will be the Tea.  5 mins will create a mild tea, 10 mins will be a stronger tea that tastes like coffee + has greater medicinal benefits.

Hints

Structured Water  or Liquid Crystal Water – In nature, water molecules naturally cluster together in hexagonal formations, mimicking the structure of Quartz Crystal.  Structured Water accelerates cellular function, waste removal & improves sleep quality.   Learn how to make Structured Water in Essence of Angels®.

Raw Honey – I use raw, unprocessed, non-heat treated.  Honey is packed with amino acids, antioxidants, minerals, and enzymes.  Processing/heating honey destroys the both the natural enzymes & antioxidants within honey, as well as making it an acidic food source.

Crystals – When storing your dried herbs, I prefer to use glass and I place a piece of quartz crystal inside the glass jar.  Quartz helps to flourish the Lightrition of the herbs – it’s energetic profile and hence plant spirit medicine.  This gives rise to enhancing the medicinal qualities of the herbs including their bio-availability and holistic assimilation.