My family uses this herbal medicine recipe when we are under too much stress. I recall drinking a whole pitcher of chamomile tea when my dog Happy was throwing a huge tantrum for a whole day. I was grateful for the little chamomile flowers because I didn’t lose my patience and that night, I slept like a baby. People think of using it only at bedtime as a sleep aid. But it is also a nice calming cup of tea to drink during the day.
This little flower is mighty. You feel the calming effect even in great chaos. It’s like a big hug, from someone you love. You should try it, everyone loves the smell of a cup of chamomile tea. It smells sweet and tastes a little bit bitter. Personally, it tastes and smells like apple and comfort and it satisfies my taste buds. The cup of tea becomes a luxurious nighttime beverage with a hint of honey and milk. You can use your dry chamomile flowers to infuse the water if you grow them or I encourage you to buy them from your local store if you need them. There is an online store that I like that has all the natural herbal blends and spices you would want. If you need organic chamomile flowers they are a phenomenon source. Mountain Rose Herbs is a shopping place that I trust and use.
Chamomile tea for bedtime
Nice cup of tea for people who wants to calm down and enjoy the moment before going to bed. It is also a good remedy if you have dogs that are afraid of thunderstorms.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers
- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup of milk (you can use vegan option)
- 2 teaspoon of honey ( or more if you feel like it!)
Instructions
- Boil the water
- Add the dried flowers to a container ( I like to use a bodum)
- Pour the water in the container
- Add the milk and the honey
- Let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes
- To serve, pour into a teacup, using a fine mesh strainer as needed.
Notes
Enjoy a beautiful night and improve your sleep quality! For dogs, you give them 1-2 tbsp of the tea in their meal once or twice a day.
Remember that chamomile contains bitters, the longer it steeps, the stronger the bitters. If it is too much for your taste, you can use a chamomile extract diluted in orange juice instead.
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Chamomile tea’s health benefits
The flowers of the chamomile plant are a member of the Asteraceae family. Chamomile is renowned for its diverse medicinal properties – it’s used as a digestive aid, sleep aid, and an anti-inflammatory, to name a few. Taken during colds and flu, it can help ease symptoms encourage healing sleep, and reduce uncomfortable fever symptoms such as aches and restlessness.
Further studies from the National Library of Medicine on premenstrual syndrome tell the benefits of chamomile. These studies have also shown that chamomile tea eases anxiety and irritability that can be caused by PMS [24, 25]. Glycine, Apigenin, Luteolin, and Flavonoid as CNS stimulating molecules are nerve relaxants, which may explain why chamomile is also effective for stress and anxiety relief [30].
Chamomile tea as an herbal remedy has been used as a treatment for anxiety, and like every medicine, there are risks and benefits. The Mayo Clinic lists these properties for chamomile vs anxiety disorder.
- Chamomile. Limited data shows that short-term use of chamomile is generally considered safe and can be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety. However, chamomile can increase the risk of bleeding when used with blood-thinning drugs. The use of chamomile can cause allergic reactions in some people who are sensitive to the family of plants including chamomile. Other members of this family are ragweed, marigolds, daisies, and chrysanthemums.
There are multiple studies and no doubt in my mind that a cup of chamomile tea has a calming effect and potential health benefits that we don’t even know yet. I know that when I drink one cup I feel so much better.
Medicinal use for chamomile tea
In her book, Medicinal herbs a beginner’s guide, Rosemary Gladstar writes “In one clinical study, 10 out of 12 people who drank chamomile tea instead of taking their regular pain medication at bedtime (for relieving general aches and pain, headaches, or arthritic pain) went into a deep restful sleep within 10 minutes of retiring.” (2012, p.118)
I love her book and if you would like to buy it click on the link.
Chamomile tea and young children safety
As long as your child is not allergic to the daisy family of plants, chamomile tea is generally safe for babies that are at least 6 months old.
Allergic reactions
Another aster family member, chamomile can cause trouble. The plants are producers of pollen, and the flowers are used to make tea, which can still harbor some irritants even after brewing. Chamaemelum nobile is known as chamomile; Matricaria recutita is known as German chamomile; both are problems for allergy sufferers. 1
Sleep Quality
Flowers of the chamomile plant have been used for many years to treat a variety of issues, including poor sleep. Chamomile contains multiple active chemical compounds, including one called apigenin which has a mild tranquilizing effect once it binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain.
While research is limited, chamomile has been demonstrated to improve sleep quality2 3 A study of postpartum women found that participants who drank chamomile tea reported a reduction in sleep barriers and depressive symptoms.4 In another study of older adults, the group who received chamomile reported better quality sleep than the group who did not. 5
How much chamomile tea is too much?
It is safe to say that one cup a day, will work for everybody. I sometimes drink a whole pitcher of 4 cups of chamomile tea in a day with no problem. Depending on your health conditions. I read that if you are on blood thinners you should go easy and try it once a day only. In doubt, ask the advice of your family doctor.
Chamomile tea for your garden
You can brew a chamomile infusion to activate your compost. Bring to a boil around 20 ounces of water and add a handful of chamomile flowers. Let it sit for half a day. Add it to your compost pile. This beautiful daisy-like flower offers surprising benefits.
Tea bags vs loose-leaf tea
Loose-leaf tea is often more flavorful because there is room between the tea leaves and the water, which allows for a more in-depth infusion of tea flavors and aromas. With tea bags, the tea is confined to a smaller space and cannot move as freely, often resulting in a less infused flavor.6 I prefer a whole flowers infusion in my cup of chamomile tea.
German chamomile or Roman chamomile?
There are two common varieties of chamomile: Roman chamomile is sweet and mildly scented, while German chamomile has a more potent flavor and aroma. 7
This herbal medicine should not be complicated. You infuse the flowers for a couple of minutes and then you drink it. In our stressful life, I like using convenient and natural comfort drinks. Of all the nice cups of healthy herbal teas for people who want to calm down and enjoy the moment before going to bed, chamomile is my favorite. It is also a good natural medicine if you have dogs that are afraid of thunderstorms or are nervous dogs, like Happy and me!
Look for more Happy & Me recipes here!
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- https://www.thespruce.com/worst-plants-for-allergies-4144982 ↩︎
- Trusted Source National Library of Medicine, Biotech InformationThe National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. ↩︎
- View Source. ↩︎
- Trusted SourceNational Library of Medicine, Biotech InformationThe National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source ↩︎
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-aids/best-tea-for-sleep ↩︎
- https://artoftea.com/blogs/health-lifestyle/loose-leaf-tea-vs-tea-bags#:~:text=Loose%20leaf%20tea%20is%20often,in%20a%20less%20infused%20flavor. ↩︎
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/roman-chamomile-4571307#:~:text=Roman%20chamomile%20is%20sweet%20and,effective%20against%20inflammatory%20skin%20conditions.
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