Guide
Does dandelion root have zinc?
USDA composition data for raw dandelion greens shows a small amount of zinc — about 0.4 mg per 100 g, a few percent of a day's target. No separate USDA data exists for dried dandelion root, which is the part sold as tea, capsules, and extract.
Yes, in a small amount — USDA composition data for raw dandelion greens lists about 0.4 mg of zinc per 100 g, roughly 4% of a typical daily target. That figure is for the leafy green, though; there's no separate USDA entry for the dried root that's actually sold as tea, capsules, and extract.
What the data actually covers
USDA FoodData Central has a "dandelion greens, raw" entry with detailed nutrient values, including zinc. It doesn't have a comparable entry for dandelion root — the part used in the tea, roasted "coffee," capsules and tinctures most people buy. Greens and root come from the same plant but aren't the same food, and mineral content can differ between plant parts. So the 0.4 mg per 100 g figure describes the vegetable, not the supplement.
Does drying or extracting change it?
Drying concentrates most minerals by weight, since water is removed and the dry matter that remains — including zinc — makes up a larger share of each gram. But nobody has published a mineral analysis of dried, roasted, or extracted dandelion root specifically, so there's no number to convert the fresh-greens figure into an actual root-product amount. Any estimate would be a guess dressed up as a fact.
Is dandelion a meaningful zinc source?
Based on the data that exists, no. Even at 100 g of fresh greens — far more than a typical tea or capsule serving of dried root — the zinc contribution is a few percent of a daily target. Foods with a meaningfully higher zinc density (like oysters, beef, or pumpkin seeds), or a dedicated zinc supplement, are the more reliable ways to target zinc intake if that's the goal.
Questions people ask
How much zinc is in dandelion root tea?
There's no published mineral analysis of dandelion root tea specifically. The closest available figure — fresh dandelion greens — shows a small amount of zinc, and tea extracts only part of whatever is in the dried root used to brew it.
Is dandelion root a good source of zinc?
Not based on the data available. The fresh-greens figure is a small fraction of a daily zinc target, and root-specific data doesn't exist to say otherwise.
More on dandelion root's other nutrients: dandelion root and potassium, dandelion root and magnesium, and dandelion root and vitamin C.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.