Tea Time Tuesday: DIY All Natural Relaxation Tea
As much as I love me some good tea companies (Yogi, you saved my life for years!), I have great (and cost-effective) fun experimenting with my own herbal remedies. In an era when responsibilities and obligations far outnumber hours in the day, it’s no wonder so many diseases are linked to stress. If you haven’t gotten around to establishing a peaceful power meditation or mantra throughout your day, the next best thing is to put something in your body to help you relax that has no adverse side effects. This is where miracle herbs like chamomile & valerian come in!
Chilled or hot, tea has the potential to soothe the mind, body and soul, and taking a “tea break” to reduce stress can have tremendous health benefits.
Tea contains naturally occurring antioxidants, called flavonoids. These antioxidants help the body combat stress and contribute to tea’s long list of health benefits.
I drink tea absolutely all day long to detox and cleanse my body. I love experimenting with different herbs to see what affects that they have on my wellness! It’s remarkable that you can make a tea to cure a headache, or to clear your sinuses, or to put you to sleep when nothing else will! Here is my recipe for a fast, home made, herbal DIY tea to help you relax! My suggestion is to try this one before bed time first, to see how it affects you. Most herbal teas that I’ve seen only have about a quarter of these ingredients, but I pretty much go big or go home. 🙂
Herbal Ingredients:
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Elderflower: Elderflower is an overall anti-inflammatory, working not only on the muscles, but on the sinuses, reducing risk of cold & bronchitis.
Boldo Leaves: Boldo leaves are used to treat bladder and urinary tract infections, gallbladder discomfort, gallstones, heartburn and indigestion, and stomach cramps. The herb works by encouraging the release of bile and dissolving fats and also by increasing intestinal transit time, giving the digestive tract more time to digest food. The ascaridole in boldo attacks intestinal worms.
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Chamomile: Chamomile’s popularity grew throughout the Middle Ages, when people turned to it as a remedy for numerous medical complaints including asthma, colic, fevers, inflammations, nausea, nervous complaints, children’s ailments, skin diseases and cancer. As a popular remedy, it may be thought of as the European counterpart of ginseng. Chamomile has been used for centuries in teas as a mild, relaxing sleep aid, treatment for fevers, colds, stomach ailments, and as an anti-inflammatory, to name only a few therapeutic uses. Extensive scientific research over the past 20 years has confirmed many of the traditional uses for the plant and established pharmacological mechanisms for the plant’s therapeutic activity, including antipeptic, antispasmodic, antipyretic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiallergenic activity.
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Passionflower: Passionflower has been used to treat anxiety for decades, and recently scientists have used it to help treat narcotic withdrawal. An extract of passion flower and hawthorn shows potential for treating shortness of breath and difficulty exercising in people with congestive heart failure.
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Anise: I happen to personally love the taste of Anise, and put it in a good deal of my teas. Anise is used for upset stomach, intestinal gas, “runny nose,” and as an expectorant to increase productive cough, as a diuretic to increase urine flow, and as an appetite stimulant. Women use anise to increase milk flow when nursing, start menstruation, treat menstrual discomfort or pain, ease childbirth, and increase sex drive. Men use anise to treat symptoms of “male menopause.” Other uses include treatment of seizures, nicotine dependence, trouble sleeping (insomnia), asthma, and constipation.
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Valerian: I have a whole post dedicated to Valerian here, but it’s my go-to herb for relaxation!
(Home Grown) Lavender: Lavender is one of my favorite things I have in the garden! I can’t get enough of the smell and I could drink Lavender tea all day long (and often do!) Lavender has been proven to help insomnia, anxiety, to ease stress, & uplift spirits. It’s used to treat depression, headaches, & upset stomach.
^^Scoop it all into a tea strainer.^^
^^Let it seep for 10 minutes while you find a good book. ^^
^^Enjoy yourself! ^^
Happy relaxing, everyone!
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