Angela Underwood's extensive local, state, and federal healthcare and environmental news coverage includes 911 first-responder compensation policy to the Ciba-Geigy water contamination case in Toms River, NJ. Her additional health-related coverage includes death and dying, skin care, and autism spectrum disorder.

This story is part of a series where Verywell Health editors try different health trends and report what they find. For this edition, editor Dana Ingemann tried finding an alternative to caffeine.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the bitter, caffeinated nectar that is my morning cup of joe. I love it so much, that sometimes I lie in bed at night looking forward to it. (Yes, my life is very exciting.)

Unfortunately, coffee does have a few downsides. Over the past five years, coffee has become part of my regular morning routine—I normally drink two cups a day. In that time I’ve noticed unsightly stains on my teeth, felt anxious jitters after consuming an extra cup, and, to be honest, I’ve been a little extra sweaty. I’ve also heard many of my friends complain that coffee makes them run to the bathroom (personally, I find this to be a bonus).

So, I wasn't opposed to finding an equally satisfying morning beverage that doesn’t carry caffeine’s negative side effects.

Enter: Dandelion root tea. This concoction is one of the latest health trends taking the internet by storm—even Tiktokers are giving it a go. But it's not a new practice. The use of the dandelion plant for medicinal purposes can be traced back over a thousand years in traditional Chinese medicine.

Dandelion root contains a multitude of different necessary vitamins, including A, C, E, K, folate, iron, magnesium, and more. Preliminary studies suggest that consuming dandelions can help with health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as improve liver and pancreatic health. It has also been found that dandelion has antioxidant properties and can help with digestion and immune function.

Given this promising research, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go.

Dandelion root tea is made from the dandelion plant. The roots are pulled from the ground, cut into smaller pieces, and cooked until dried. The roots can be added to hot water like this or ground into a powder to be mixed in.

Before starting this journey, I tried to figure out if I needed to swap coffee for tea for a certain amount of time to see results. I found that the jury is still out on that one, so I opted to give it a solid week, starting on a Thursday through the following Wednesday. As you may be able to imagine, a week of no coffee is easier said than done. I hid my French press, stashed my pour-over, and concealed my beans in the far reaches of the freezer. 

I opted to purchase loose-leaf dandelion root tea and use a classic stainless steel tea infuser ball. I had never tried dandelion root tea before, so I figured I’d go for the good stuff and hope for the best, taste-wise. A colleague previously told me that she thought dandelion tea tasted like garbage, so I was nervous about committing to a full week of it right off the bat.

In case you’re wondering, I ordered from Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea in Pittsburgh, as I’m a fan of their coffee and have developed some brand allegiance toward them. They advertise their dandelion root tea as bitter and earthy.

Thursday morning came around and I brewed my tea. As I nervously took my first sip, I was met with a bitter but balanced taste—not unlike coffee. I’m not going to lie to you and say it tasted like coffee, but it certainly tasted pleasant. I added a dash of honey for sweetness and happily drank my entire cup.

Did I notice the lack of caffeine? Unfortunately, yes. That afternoon I experienced a caffeine withdrawal headache. I ended up taking ibuprofen to help me deal with the symptoms and drank plenty of water.

Day two was similar. I drank my tasty tea, lamented over the slight headache I developed and went on with my day. By day three, my headache was completely gone. I was surprised to only experience short-lived withdrawals from such a long-term vice.

I also decided to experiment with my tea. After perusing the internet for dandelion tea tips, I found that some people enjoy a bit of steamed milk in their tea and others enjoy cream. I decided to add a splash of oat milk to mine and was pleasantly surprised at how it improved the flavor.

I happily drank my tea for another four days, although I will admit that by day five I was strongly craving coffee. Although, I found that my craving was for the taste, rather than its effects. I genuinely enjoy coffee and its robust, roasty flavor. While dandelion tea tasted good, I didn’t find myself looking forward to it in the same way.

Physiologically, I noticed a few surprising differences:

These findings made me realize a few things:

While I won’t be swapping out my coffee for tea on a permanent basis, I appreciate that this challenge made me question my motives for consuming coffee (and other beverages) in the first place. It made me ask myself, “Does this genuinely add value to my life?”

I challenge you to think about if your consumption feels balanced to you. Are you drinking three cups of coffee a day and getting heart palpitations at your desk? Maybe swap out cup three for tea and see if it helps. Are you having one too many alcoholic drinks while sitting on your patio? Maybe a warm cup of tea can keep you cozy while avoiding the hangover. Listen to your body and serve it well.

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González-Castejón M, Visioli F, Rodriguez-Casado A. Diverse biological activities of dandelion. Nutr Rev. 2012;70(9):534-547. 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00509.x

Wirngo FE, Lambert MN, Jeppesen PB. The physiological effects of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in type 2 diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud. 2016;13(2-3):113-131. doi:10.1900/RDS.2016.13.113

Nguyen C, Mehaidli A, Baskaran K, et al. Dandelion root and lemongrass extracts induce apoptosis, enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy, and reduce tumour xenograft growth in vivo in prostate cancer. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:2951428. doi:10.1155/2019/2951428

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