Dandelion Chai Tea Latte

Happy November! Halloween is officially over, so it might as well just be Christmas, am I right? As we head into the last few months of year, which are often some of the busiest times of the year with all the holiday festivities, it’s a great time to check in with your health and do small things to help and to appreciate your body. Don’t let all the holiday festivities side track you from your goals or wait for the New Year to do whatever is you want to do now. One small thing done consistently adds up over time and will contribute to bigger change and ultimately greater success. There’s never a perfect time to start “getting healthy.” The key to success is being consistent with small, attainable habits that then just become apart of your daily living.

Now, let me spill the tea on this dandelion chai tea! Dandelion tea is an ancient herbal medicine made from, you guessed it, dandelion root. While there are many benefits of dandelion tea, it is most notably known as a liver detoxifier in traditional herbal practice. For me, I’m using this tea to support my liver so that it can support me by metabolizing my hormones, particularly estrogen. The liver plays an important role in estrogen hormone metabolism and I need my liver to be functioning at its best right now to support that metabolic pathway.

Other benefits of dandelion tea include:

Regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin tolerance
Rich in antioxidants
Anti-inflammatory
Natural diuretic - the more you pee, the more you rid your liver and kidneys of toxins. It may also help prevent urinary tract infections!
Lowers cholesterol and blood pressure
Boosts the immune system
Contributes to good gut health

Combine this tea and all its benefits with warming chai spices like cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, gives you the perfect hot beverage to sip on as the weather cools down and the seasons change. This dandelion chai tea makes a great alternative to your $7 latte you’d get at any coffee shop these days not only to your wallet, but to your health as well.

Serves: 1

Time to Prepare: 10 mins

Ingredients

1.5 cups filtered water

1 - 2 Roasted Dandelion tea bags (I used Yogi tea)

3 cardamom pods

5 cloves

5 black peppercorns

1 star anise

Small piece of fresh ginger

Cinnamon

Milk of choice

Honey (optional)

Directions

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, put water, spices, and tea bags in and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, turn heat to low, and let simmer for 5 - 10 mins. Meanwhile, warm up milk of choice, using a milk frother if desired. Once tea is done simmering, remove tea bags and strain to remove spices. Pour into your favorite mug and add milk. Sip while warm.

Notes:

This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled if you want to make it a bigger batch to have on hand to use throughout the week. If you do, once tea has simmered, pour in a glass storage jar to cool. Once cooled, cover and store in refrigerator for 3 - 5 days. When you want to make a cup of tea, warm tea in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Heat up your milk. Pour warm milk over tea. This can also be enjoyed over ice if you prefer.

Dandelion Chai Tea Latte