Tea Time for Rest and Relaxation

Perfect Tea Time Recipe for Rest and Relaxation

When wanting to unwind after a long day, brew a nice hot cup of tea to rest and relax. Herbal teas offer the drinker a wide variety of benefits for reducing stress. Even though herbal teas are not technically teas because they don't come from the Camellia sinensis plant, which produces black, green, and oolong teas, they still offer the same great taste. These teas are infused with herbs, flowers, fruits, or spices.

Healing Properties of Herbal Teas

There is a wide variety of herbal teas. Teas such as lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, and peppermint have incredible naturally stress-reducing properties. Lavender acts as a natural sedative, slowly relaxing the body and soothing any thoughts of worry or anxiety. Seeking to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, lemon balm tea is a natural way to manage stress, blood pressure, and immune functions. Chamomile has a slightly sweet flavor and works wonders in providing a path to clearing the mind of any stressful thoughts or feelings. Peppermint tea not only helps reduce stress it also aids digestion, can calm headaches, and may relieve menstrual cramps. Below is a recipe for brewing the perfect cup of tea to help find a peaceful environment for rest and relaxation. 

Peppermint Tea

Ingredients

• Fresh mint (2 sprigs or 10-15 mint leaves) or a peppermint tea bag*

• 3 Cups of water

Instructions

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil* in a tea kettle or electronic teapot.

2. If the fresh mint was picked directly from the plant, wash the leaves before putting them into your favorite teacup. Place the peppermint tea bag into your favorite teacup if using a tea bag.

3. Pour the boiling water into the teacup with the fresh mint or tea bag. 

4. Allow the tea to steep for approximately 7 minutes or longer, depending on the desired peppermint flavor. At this stage, add any sweeteners, such as sugar, honey, or stevia. 

5. Lastly, enjoy the soothing effects of peppermint and feel the stress melting away as you sip. 

*Traditional Medicinals: Organic Peppermint tea has a delicious and soothing pepperminty taste, and it can be bought in almost all grocery stores, online, or in health food stores.

*Typically, herbal teas such as peppermint and chamomile are brewed in water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. You will want to follow the directions on the tea box for the correct brewing time. This is to provide the best taste, so you do not get a weak flavor or an unpleasantly robust and bitter cup. Some electric teapots have different temperature settings. Before adding any sweetener, taste your cup of tea, as many herbal teas have a naturally sweet taste, thus not requiring additional sweeteners.

So, take some time and enjoy a cup of herbal tea to promote rest and relaxation. Let us know what your favorite herbal tea is and the health benefits it provides.

Reference

Penn Medicine. (2022). The hidden health benefits of tea. https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2019/december/health-benefits-of-tea

Serafini, M., Del Rio, D., N'Dri Yao, D. Bettuzzi, S., & Peluso, L. (2011). Herbal medicine: Biomolecular and clinical aspects (2nd ed., Chapter 12). National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92768/