Calm-Down Tea Recipe
Christopher Hobbs suggests this blend of herbs for anxiety or insomnia. All the ingredients are classic, good-tasting calmatives. If there’s one you don’t like, feel free to omit it.
To make tea blend:
- 1/4 cup dried chamomile flowers
- 1/4 cup dried linden flowers
- 1/4 cup dried catnip leaves
- 1/4 cup dried lemon balm leaves
- 1/4 cup dried skullcap leaves
1. Blend equal parts and store in a capped jar away from heat and light.
To brew tea:
- 2 cups of water
- About 2 tablespoons of tea blend
1. Boil the water. Remove it from the heat and add the tea blend. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a large mug and drink one cup three or four times a day or as needed. Hobbs says you can also take this blend of herbs as a tincture; just purchase the individual tinctures and blend them in a dark glass jar.
2. Take 40 drops, three or four times a day as needed.
Catnip leaves are part of this herbal tea recipe. Photo by PawPaw67/Courtesy of Flickr
By Linda B. White
Linda B. White, M.D. is the coauthor of Kids, Herbs, & Health (Interweave Press, 1999) and The Herbal Drugstore (Rodale, 2000). She tackles occasional bouts of anxiety with relaxation techniques and herbs.