Dandelion root for weight loss - how to take it correctly

What is dandelion?

Taraxacum or dandelion is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. Although most people consider it a weed, this plant has enormous benefits for human health. In alternative medicine it is used as a medicinal plant to treat a number of diseases and complications. The plant's homeland is considered to be North America, Asia and Europe. Now you can find it in almost any part of the world.

Dandelion is rich in nutrients. It is a good source of all vitamins except vitamin D. It also contains:

• sodium;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• manganese;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• zinc.

This plant is also rich in proteins and carbohydrates. The high fiber content contributes to the laxative and detoxifying properties of dandelion.

Salads for weight loss from dandelion leaves

Fresh leaves of the medicinal plant are an ideal base for making various salads. It is recommended to soak them in a liter of cool water first. In this case, the dandelion leaves will lose their characteristic bitterness. In the process of losing weight, you can add dandelion flowers to salads.

To prepare the “Vitamin” salad, cut about 50 grams of dandelion leaves. Then add a small amount of green onions to the dish. At the same time, cut the cucumber, bell pepper and radish into neat slices. These ingredients are added to the salad. After this, 10 grams of chopped tarragon are placed in the dish. Mix the finished dish thoroughly.

Important! It is recommended to season the salad with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, taken in a 1:1 ratio.

When losing weight, you can also prepare the “Flower” salad based on dandelion. First, boil one medium-sized beet. It is cooled and cut into small strips.

A handful of dandelion flowers should be washed, dried and finely chopped. Then you need to chop three garlic cloves using a press. All ingredients are combined. The finished dish is mixed and salted. Natural yogurt is used to dress the salad.

The “Flower” salad not only helps you get rid of unwanted pounds. The dish helps cleanse the bile ducts and reduce appetite.

Other popular salads that speed up the weight loss process are presented in the table below.

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Dandelion Tea Benefits

Dandelion has a high potassium content, which gives it diuretic properties that help remove water from the body. Thanks to this, you can easily lose up to two kilograms of weight per week by drinking 2 to 3 cups of this tea per day. Research shows that dandelion extract can increase urination within 5 hours of consumption.

In addition to its diuretic effect, it has other positive effects on weight loss:

• removes toxins from the body;
• reduces bloating;
• inhibits adipogenesis;
• improves digestion.

Dandelion tea is low in calories. One cup contains only 2-3 calories. So, if you're used to drinking a high-calorie drink like soda, which contains 150 calories per cup, by switching to dandelion tea, you'll consume 145 fewer calories per day.

Another positive effect of dandelion tea for weight loss is that it improves digestion by stimulating gastric secretion, and also accelerates the breakdown of fats and cholesterol in the body. If your digestion is sluggish, your body will accumulate waste, retain water, and store calories as fat rather than using them as energy. Thus, this drink can help you lose weight and improve digestion.

Drinking this drink regularly can improve your stamina levels. This can help when you exercise because the more you exercise, the more calories you will burn.

Contraindications

It is undesirable to use dandelion roots and flowers for the following diseases:

• the presence of large stones in the gallbladder or bladder;
• peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
• acute gastritis;
• tendency to diarrhea or dysentery.

Although dandelion is a safe food, you should consult your doctor before giving it to your child as a supplement.

Consumption should be avoided by people allergic to related plants such as ragweed, yarrow, chrysanthemum, calendula and daisies.

The plant should not be taken simultaneously with certain medications. Medicines that are not compatible with dandelion include antacids (the plant increases stomach acid levels), anticoagulants (dandelion increases the risk of bleeding), lithium (the plant increases the side effects of lithium), ciprofloxacin (dandelion reduces drug absorption) and antidiabetic drugs (the plant also reduces blood sugar and may increase the risk of hypoglycemia).

Because dandelion is a diuretic, it can shorten the time a drug remains in the body by speeding up its elimination from the body through urine. Therefore, people taking other medications should consult their doctor before starting to take dandelions.

How to drink to lose weight

Dandelion infusion can be prepared from both roots and leaves. Tea made from dandelion roots is well known for its health benefits, and from the leaves as a diuretic.

To lose weight, drink tea from dandelion leaves or roots, 3 cups a day. It is recommended to drink it in combination with a healthy low-calorie diet, and consider it as a supplement, and not as a magic weight loss drink.

It is recommended to drink tea immediately before meals. Get good results of rapid weight loss in just a few days. The first thing you will immediately notice is that your face will become slimmer and swelling will go away, and the slimmer you are, the more noticeable the result will be.

Recipe

1. Place 1 to 2.5 teaspoons (4 to 10 grams) of dried dandelion leaves or 0.5 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 8 grams) of dandelion roots in a cup.
2. Pour one glass of boiling water.
3. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Strain and drink this tea up to 3 times a day.

Second recipe

1. Pour one cup of boiling water over a small amount of fresh, washed roots or leaves.
2. Let it brew for at least 10-15 minutes.
3. Strain the tea and take it three times a day.

You can also use ready-made dandelion tea bags for preparation.

Infusion for weight loss from the leaves of the plant

The leaves of the plant are actively used to prepare infusions that help get rid of unwanted pounds. The collection of raw materials is carried out in the summer. For preparing an infusion for weight loss, only those plants that grow away from industrial facilities are suitable.

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The drink contains the following components:

• 20 grams of pre-dried plant leaves;
• 30 grams of freshly picked dandelion leaves;
• 0.2 liters of boiling water.

The process of preparing the drink is quite simple:

1. Fresh and dried dandelion leaves are placed in a convenient container with a deep bottom;
2. The plant material is poured with the required amount of boiling water;
3. The drink is infused for 10 hours;
4. After this time, it is filtered. The resulting infusion is consumed in small sips throughout the day.

Possible side effects

Although dandelion tea is generally considered safe, there are a number of possible side effects in rare cases:

• frequent urination;
• diarrhea;
• dizziness;
• allergy;
• heartburn;
• thirst;
• muscle spasms;
• nausea;
• headache;
• severe fatigue.

The biggest problem with using dandelion tea for weight loss is that it only leads to water loss and not fat loss. Therefore, as soon as your body stores water again, you are likely to gain weight again.

Precautionary measures

Like any natural remedy that has medicinal properties, dandelion should be used carefully, without overdoing it. Contraindications are:

• Chronic ailments and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, as it has a stimulating effect.
• Individual intolerance and allergy to iodine. You should also avoid ragweed, yarrow, marigold, chrysanthemums and chamomile.
• Predisposition to diarrhea.
• Problems with the biliary tract.
• The period of pregnancy and lactation.

Expert opinion

Yulia Mikhailova

Nutrition expert

You cannot combine the use of dandelion decoctions and dishes with diuretics, drugs that increase the production of gastric juice, thin the blood, lower sugar levels, as well as lithium and ciprofloxacin.

Groups of herbs for weight loss

All plants used to get rid of fat can be roughly divided according to the principle of their therapeutic effect:

As can be seen from the table, almost all herbs simultaneously have a multifaceted effect on the body. Therefore, to get rid of excess weight, we will consider the most effective ones from the list.