How to Make the Best Chamomile Tea for Improved Sleep and Health

Chamomile tea is the most popular herbal tea. Delicious iced or hot chamomile makes the perfect cup of tea for reducing stress with a calming effect. This golden herb is a favorite for promoting calm and relieving anxiety. 

Chamomile is one of the most widely consumed herbal teas in the world. Chamomile has been used for centuries dating back to the ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks. And for a good reason.

It is known for its ability to induce a feeling of relaxation and relieve stress. Because chamomile is stress-relieving, it also relieves muscle tension and anxiety.

What Is Chamomile?

Chamomile is a small flowering plant and annual herb in the daisy family with a lovely floral aroma. You can brew soothing herbal tea from fresh or dried flowers. It's gentle yet effective. Aside from having natural sedative effects, it is also antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial.

You might be thinking that you've had chamomile tea before and never experienced any of these things. If that's the case, there are reasons for this.

You probably didn't buy pure chamomile tea but a supermarket-brand tea in teabags.

Does Chamomile Tea Have Caffeine?

No. Chamomile tea does not have caffeine. Chamomile is an herb, and caffeine-free teas made from chamomile are called tisanes.

Technically speaking, all herbal teas are tisanes since they are not made from the Camellia sinensis plant. But they fit under the umbrella of tea as they are an infused beverage.

You can check out more iced tea recipes if you are looking for cold brew iced tea recipes here.

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• How Theanine Can Make You Calm and Happy

Chamomile Flower

Look for tea made from the whole flower. You can see the difference between a teabag with chamomile flower fannings and full chamomile flowers.

Pro Tips:

• There are different grades of chamomile. All store-bought chamomile is not the same. The flowers don't fit nicely into chamomile tea bags, so buying loose-leaf tea is better. If you purchase tea bags, you want more white petals than the sticks and stems. Open them up and take a look inside.
• If you open the bag, you may not even find a single chamomile flower. Most are dust and fannings sitting in a warehouse and store shelves for months or years.
• The key to getting the desired effects is to buy natural chamomile, including the whole flowers, and buy it fresh. I love the chamomile from Adagio Tea. Adagio sells high-quality herbal tea. Higher-grade chamomile will have a taste reminiscent of apple or honey.
• Chamomile tea blends don't always use the whole flower. Look for combinations using the full flower without artificial flavors.

How To Grow Chamomile

The chamomile plant is an annual that grows virtually anywhere. It is easy to grow from chamomile seeds. Chamomile plants also self-seed quite freely. It is a short-lived flower lasting about eight weeks in early spring. A cool-weather plant, chamomile does best in spring and early summer.

It is best to harvest chamomile during its peak blooming period. The late morning before the heat of the day is ideal. Select fully open flowers and pinch or clip the flower head at the top of the stalk. Dry for future use.

Two Types of Chamomile:

• German Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutitai) are the most commonly used herbal tea. Most commercially grown chamomile comes from Eastern Europe, Egypt, and Argentina.
• Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) has a more pronounced aroma. It is a perennial primarily grown in England. I want to try growing this in my garden next year. I'll have to find a sunny spot.

Adagio Tea sources chamomile from Egyptian chamomile and uses the whole flower.

How To Make Chamomile Tea

The best herbal tea is made fresh from whole chamomile flowers. The highest quality chamomile tea is very flowery and very golden. I like to sweeten it with honey, even though high-quality chamomile does not taste bitter.

You can leave out the honey if you want. It will still be delicious.

• Use 1 teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers and 1 cup of boiling water.
• Steep time - five to ten minutes.
• As a sedative, make a double-strength tea using 2 teaspoons of flowers.
• For infants, make an ordinary strength tea and give them 2 or 3 teaspoons to drink, either directly or with some pure fruit juice.

Tea lovers enjoy chamomile brewed at any water temperature. Chamomile infuses well in hot water, or it can be cold brewed. The Chamomile Tea with Honey recipe is easy to prepare.

Chamomile Tea Benefits

Best Sleep Aid for a Good Night's Sleep:

Bedtime rituals help prepare your body and mind for a good night's sleep.

• Chamomile has daisy-like flowers often used in herb infusions.
• Sometimes the stress and strain of daily life will cause insomnia.
• The calming effects of chamomile tea provide better sleep quality.

You've heard of the bedtime classic Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasonings. It's an herbal blend with calming chamomile, spearmint, and lemongrass. It not only relaxes you but smells fantastic. 

Hyperactivity:

• If you have a hyperactive child, you may want to try chamomile tea to calm them down and relax.
• Chamomile is safe for children if they don't suffer from hay fever allergies.
• People with specific allergies to ragweed, asters, and chrysanthemum may have rare side effects and suffer allergic reactions to chamomile.

Spearmint, chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm are all very effective in calming and relaxing the nervous system and brain—lavender baths before bedtime work.

You've heard of the bedtime classic Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasonings. It's an herbal blend with calming chamomile, spearmint, and lemongrass. It not only relaxes you but smells fantastic. 

Hyperactivity:

• If you have a hyperactive child, you may want to try chamomile tea to calm them down and relax.
• Chamomile is safe for children if they don't suffer from hay fever allergies. People with specific allergies to ragweed, asters, and chrysanthemum may also be allergic to chamomile.

Spearmint, chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm are all very effective in calming and relaxing the nervous system and brain—lavender baths before bedtime work.

Medicinal Properties of Chamomile Tea

• Sedative
• Calming and soothing
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Relaxes digestive muscles

Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea

• Mild sedative
• Pain Relieving
• Stress-reducing
• Moderately reduces inflammation
• Helps fight infections
• Bronchial relaxant
• Relieves nausea, colic, upset stomach, and heartburn
• Better sleep

Chamomile Oil

The essential oil in chamomile is called bisabolol. It has been used for hundreds of years for its skin-healing properties. Bisabolol is also known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

Where to Buy The Best Chamomile Tea Brands

Look for loose-leaf chamomile tea. I have purchased from the following merchants at an affordable price and can tell you they all sell superb herbal tea. All of their dried chamomile flowers come from Egypt.

Favorite Chamomile Teas:

• Adagio
• Rishi
• Mountain Rose Herbs

Mountain Rose Herbs grow its organic herbs. You can also purchase Roman and German chamomile seeds from them if you want to grow your herbs. They also sell essential chamomile oil.

Resources

Herbal medicines have been around for thousands of years.

The National Geographic Guide to Medicinal Herbs and the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies are excellent resource guides if you want to learn more about herbs, how to grow them, and their therapeutic uses.

Pharmaceuticals have their place in addressing acute or chronic disease states, but prevention with natural ingredients is a much more robust strategy for maintaining a wellness lifestyle. Medicinal herbs are a gentler and more practical option for daily use.

Chamomile Tea With Honey Recipe