Chamomile blooms right around the height of the sun’s arc, beginning before the summer solstice in the Northeast
Thoughts of chamomile seem apropos of the moment. Calming and helpful with digestion and anxiety, chamomile is, in its small but lovely way, an antidote to the fever pitch of the news this summer.
It’s easy to grow, not picky, not overly flashy or showy; in fact its a bit ordinary. All it asks for is a sunny spot and a bit of water during a dry spell. In return it gives a profusion of cheerful blossoms all summer long that you can snip and dry for tea or put into alcohol to tincture for the same benefits. Simple, lovely.
chamomile grows alongside roses and peonies in my garden, giving me cheerful blooms all summer.
Wishing everyone a bit of sunny calm today on the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.
Recently my husband, who’s an ER doc, agreed to work an extra shift to help a colleague who needed the time off. It was a late night shift at a hospital over two hours from our house, which meant sleeping in the sleep room they reserve for doctors who are wiped out and need to rest. It also happened to be back-to-back with another late night shift, so it promised to be a tiring 48 hours.
Jon doesn’t sleep well at the hospital, though he’s done it many times in this situation. It’s a good idea because a long drive after a ten hour shift is sometimes not safe; that said, in general he gets a rotten night’s sleep because of traffic through or noise outside of the room.
This time I thought to send him with some Valerian tincture and some Passionflower capsules. The Passionflower is relaxing, quiets an overactive mind. Jon doesn’t have that problem but with all the commotion around him I thought it wasn’t a bad idea to have Passionflower on board to ease him back into a restful mental space. More valuable though in this setting was the Valerian. It’s a sedative herb – inducing sleep for most people who take it. I figured the herb would put him to sleep and help him stay asleep.
Every once in a while I’m told Valerian meets a person that it keeps awake – having the opposite effect it usually has. But I’ve never met a person that has had that experience, so I felt reasonably confident sending it with Jon to help him rest.
He came home the next day saying “wow! that’s some powerful sh*&#t!” It really helped; he’d been able to sleep, and had a better couple of days for having rested. In fact, he asked for more on a follow-on night when he was feeling wired at bedtime. In the second case I thought maybe a back rub would be better, and he settled for that and fell asleep.
All the same, Valerian has a new friend in Jon.
If you are interested in learning more about Valerian or other herbal remedies you can find me at bespoke-herbals.com. Wishing you a restful winter’s rest.
That may seem a little provocative but this is a concrete statement I’m prepared to stand behind. I’ve never met a plant that did more for people during the night than Passionflower.
Sure, Valerian helps you sleep… but Passionflower quiets the night-time ruminating, worrying, anxious, and repetitive thoughts that are so common for people. Categorized as sedative, nervine and anti-spasmodic, Passiflora incarnata is a perennial native to the southeastern US, and the flowers and fruits are the medicinal parts of this plant.
People for whom I’ve recommended it say things like “the best night’s sleep I’ve had in as long as I can remember,” and “wow the Passionflower is awesome!” For my part, I can say that when I take passionflower tincture or a capsule before bed I reliably sleep much more soundly than I do without it. My mind is calm. Also, I am prone to grinding my teeth at night and the passionflower eases that noticeably, too.
There’s more to passionflower than its bed-time virtues. Great for over-active and anxious minds it can be taken during the day, too, to help with anxiety. But I think that Passionflower’s super power is it’s ability to calm the mind for sleep.
I’ll leave it there for now, except to note that I’ve seen in some recent literature that Passionflower isn’t recommended for people who take beta-blockers, or for young children. On reviewing this in the American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook, though, no safety precautions are reported with the exception of some people reporting allergies to Passionflower.
Safe, effective, and sure to support a better night’s sleep – a pretty good bed partner, wouldn’t you agree?
The content presented here is for informational and educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice with healthcare professionals.
That last piece of leftover pie I had for breakfast this morning left me thinking “I need a cup of peppermint tea.” Too many sweets over the last few days has taken a toll.
I drink peppermint tea whenever my stomach’s unhappy. Peppermint, the binomial name is Mentha piperita, is known to have other health benefits but it’s enough for me that that it tastes great and soothes my stomach. It’s fabulous after dinner with honey (and maybe even a dollop of cream) for a sweet treat, too.
To make it:
Boil water
Pop a peppermint tea bag into a mug of the boiling water.
Cover the tea – this keeps those volatile oils in your teacup. You can use a little dessert plate over the cup if I don’t have a proper teacup.
Let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes (10-15 minutes is better).
Enjoy the mint on its own or add honey or milk if that appeals.
You can buy peppermint tea bags at the grocery. Or you can grow it! It’s easy… so easy, in fact, that it will spread if left alone.
The peppermint show above is in my garden. Peppermint is perennial. If you plant it in good soil it will grow in sun or part shade. It isn’t fussy and I’ve never needed to water it once it was established, though it thrives with periodic watering. But be careful! It will take over your garden if you let it!
To make tea just cut the stems and hang them up to dry or use a dehydrator.
Backyard Botanics 