Tisane of the week

A Tisane is a herbal tea that utilises any part of the plant including leaf, bark, root, berry, fruit, flower, or seed.

These are either steeped or placed in boiling water for a period of time.

Every week I will talk about a different tisane that I'm enjoying lately. For this week, I'm all about the roasted dandelion root tea.

This uses the ground up root of the taraxacum (dandelion) plant and after it's roasted, it is either brewed like ground coffee beans or can be boiled or steeped like tea.

It is commonly sold as a coffee replacement for its lack of caffeine and a similarly bitter taste.

The roasted dandelion root is often sold as a blend or mixed with roasted chicory root.

The flavour is versatile enough to be sold as a coffee replacement as well as mixed with tea spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, star anise and cloves to make a spicy chai blend.

The dandelion plant is considered a weed, which basically means it grows where you don't want it to grow, probably because it is quite adapted to a vast range of conditions.

Strengthened with a tap root, it can easily grow up to a foot high above the ground while the root can grow even longer below the ground.

Its nutritional content adds another benefit as it's packed with an array of vitamins and minerals and has edible flowers, leaves and of course, root.

This whole plant, including the use of its roots is known to have beneficial effects on human health for many years.

The raw leaves of the dandelion plant contain the vitamins A and C which play a role in not only immunity but also in protection and maintaining those barriers that keep the body safe.

In addition, it also contains a fair amount of iron which is a trace mineral assisting with the process of blood and oxygen circulation throughout the body.

Along with a few more vitamins and minerals, this amazing plant is a great source of nourishment from root to tip.

The flowers are less bitter than the leaves, with soft texture and excellent for garnishing. What tea are you enjoying lately? Let me know in the comments below.

Be well, Zahra

More reading: https://www.ediblewildfood.com/dandelion.aspx https://www.nutritionix.com/food/raw-dandelion-greens https://www.flowerglossary.com/dandelions/ https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-a

Tisane of the week

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