A few years back I was trying to find solutions for an ongoing stomach ailment and began experimenting with tea. We had just started a small tea garden in our backyard, consisting of Lavender, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Spearmint, and a twelve pack starter of teas we found online. Since I knew that various herbs and teas have been known to help with a wide assortment of ailments historically and we were now growing some, looked into what benefits ours might have.
One great resource in my research was the book Homegrown Tea by Cassie Liversidge. There’s a wealth of information in this book, and if you’re interested in concocting your own teas and tinctures, I highly recommend it.
Here’s some of what I found:
Chamomile ~ Known antispasmodic causing it to help with indigestion, stomach pain, upset stomachs, and painful gas. Known for calming and is a light sedative. Reduces stress and anxiety symptoms. Also helps with hay fever.
Lavender ~ Known for calming and relaxing properties, making it good for dealing with insomnia. Reduces stress and anxiety symptoms. Known to help with coughing, colds, and stomach problems. Also used as an antiseptic.
Lemon Balm ~ Helps with indigestion and bloating. Believed to help memory, uplift spirits, and combat symptoms of depression. It’s an antiviral and antibacterial. Contains vitamin C.
Mint ~ Good for mild fevers. Especially good with digestion. Good for headaches and relaxation.
You’ll note that all four of these ingredients are good for digestion and most are calming. I set to work to create a tasty tea with these ingredients and found that no matter how little lavender I put in the tea, I didn’t like it. So that ingredient was dropped pretty quickly. A few more tests and I created a tea that had a pretty immediate calming effect and instantly helped reduce/eliminated my stomach pain. The effects of this do not last as long as probiotics pills, but are much quicker to act. Additionally, regularly drinking it does have more long lasting effects than doing it as a one time cure.
Bonus: this tea tastes delicious!
I’ve made this herbal tea for quite a few people now, and the general consensus is that it’s quite good. My wife and I are big fans of it and have been known to drink a mug before bed several nights in a row. This is a great bedtime tea as most of the ingredients are calming and help prepare your body and mind for sleep.
Chamobalm Tea
1 Mint leaf
2 Chamomile flowers (with stem)*
4 Lemon Balm leaves
Put the ingredients into a tea bag and pour boiling water over as per normal. Steep for at least 1 minute to release flavors, but tea bag can be left in water indefinitely as it cannot be over-steeped.
*I’ve found that commercially available chamomile does not come with the stem. But when you grow it at home, it’s super easy to keep. The stem adds a nice earthy flavor that really grounds the whole combination together. It’s still good without it, but definitely improved with it.
This Sporadic Life 