This delightful sleepy tea recipe contains three sleep-promoting ingredients to help you relax. Lavender, tart cherry juice, and chamomile all work via different mechanisms to ease you into a nighttime of restful slumber.
Tart Cherry Juice: Tart cherries are a nutritionally dense type of cherry that is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants which help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition, tart cherries are rich in melatonin. A 2012 study showed that tart cherry juice concentrate can raise melatonin levels in the body, and thereby improve both the duration and quality of sleep in healthy adults. A 2018 study looked at insomniac patients older than 50 years and also found increased sleep time and quality when they drank tart cherry juice twice daily. In that study, the mechanism of action was determined to be less about melatonin, and more about tryptophan. Procyanidin B2, an anthocyanin precursor compound found in tart cherries, was found to inhibit the breakdown of tryptophan in the body, making it more available to produce melatonin and serotonin, which help regulate sleep.
Lavender: Lavender interacts with the GABA receptor in the brain to help decrease anxiety. The scent of lavender essential oil has been recommended for sleep. Most studies on lavender have used either aromatherapy or oral lavender oil; there are not a lot of specific studies on the use of lavender tea. However it’s calming scent and relaxing effects make it an important component of this combination.
Chamomile: Chamomile tea is one of the most popular herbal teas, with nearly a million cups consumed worldwide on a daily basis. It has a number of medicinal uses from treating wounds, pain, and rashes, to treating digestive issues, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Its sedative effects have been linked to the flavonoid, apigenin, and other compounds that bind to benzodiazepine and GABA receptors in the brain.
The combination of these three ingredients’ direct effects on the benzodiazepine and GABA receptors and indirect effects on melatonin production can help you unwind and transition from daytime to a nighttime of restful slumber.
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Sleepy-Time Tea with Tart Cherry, Lavender, and Chamomile
Serves 2-3
Ingredients (organic/biodynamic)
- 2 c. water
- 1 c. unsweetened tart cherry juice
- 1 Tbsp. food-grade dried lavender buds
- 1 Tbsp. loose-leaf chamomile tea
Instructions
- Combine the water and tart cherry juice in a small saucepan.
- Add the dried lavender buds.
- Heat over medium heat until steam rises from the surface and bubbles begin to appear.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and add the chamomile.
- Cover the saucepan and allow the tea to steep for 5-10 minutes.
- Strain the tea, removing the lavender buds and chamomile flowers.
- Serve the tea and enjoy before bedtime.