Modern life seems to surge forward at a pace that can be, unfortunately, anything but health-friendly. Between work, hobbies, and social commitments, the act of scheduling to meet the demands of daily life requires some serious creativity—and we haven’t even mentioned our demanding online lives!
Inundated with all that pressure to perform, one of the easiest things to forget is to stop, just for a few minutes, and take some valuable stress-free ‘me’ time. This week’s chamomile & lavender tisane is the perfect beverage to take that necessary time-out for the benefit of total health and well-being.
Chamomile and Lavender Tisane
The blend of tisane pictured on top is called “Zzz” and it is made by SerendipiTea, an online tea merchant that specializes in organic and fair trade teas—so you can enjoy some good consumer karma as you sip this brew. A simple online search will return many other chamomile and lavender tisanes available for purchase online as well.
Chamomile and lavender are two unique flowers, both valued for their calming and relaxing effects on the human body and mind. Lavender tends to reach the mind/body channel through the olfactories, while chamomile is less pungent and is typically ingested or used topically. However, both flowers are used in a variety of different ways: tisanes, creams, oils, perfumes, and in cooking.
Chamomile Properties
Chamomile has been used since ancient times, first gaining reverence with the early Egyptians and eventually spreading throughout the Greek and Roman empires. This delicate plant, related to the daisy, has anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, and sedative properties that have been used to relieve a variety of conditions: arthritis, stomach ailments, anxiety, insomnia, and various skin conditions like eczema. Pregnant women and those with allergies to similar plants—asters, daisies, chrysanthemums, or ragweed—should not ingest chamomile or use it topically.
Lavender Properties
Lavender, like chamomile, boasts roots of ancient medicinal uses and has grown into a modern household fixture in many homes in the United State and across Europe. The oil extracted from the flowers is used in a variety of cosmetic, culinary, and natural cleaning products. Medicinally, the plant has been proven to have calming, soothing, and sedative effects. It is commonly used to treat insomnia, anxiety, and depressive ailments and rubbing the oil directly on the temples is an ancient remedy of calming a variety of headaches.
Simple, Sensory Delight
For me, the benefits of drinking this tisane are numerous and understated. It allows me to take a break from the hustle and bustle of my busy life and supplies me with a few moments of simple, sensory delight. The subtle floral blend is exquisite on the taste buds—slightly sweet with a cool roundness—and the smell has a lovely bouquet of chamomile high notes and luscious lavender undertones.
This tisane helps me train myself to not lose focus of the value of 15 minutes of peace and reminds me that those moments are always within reach. Relax, brew, and drink to your overall well-being!
Jocelyn Eide is a writer-researcher from Montana, USA, and writes on a variety of insightful topics, including natural health. When she is not working, she is likely doing Yoga.
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