Calming Herbs

Which tea is the most relaxing?

Two lineages meet in this family: the great plants of Ayurveda, taken over several weeks, and Europe's evening flowers, drunk in the hour before night.

• Tulsi: the holy basil India prays to every morning before drinking it. One to two teaspoons of leaves, 5 to 10 minutes in water just off the boil, morning or evening.
• Noble Chamomile: the Humble Sovereign, “a fragment of the sun fallen to Earth to soothe human turmoil”. Three to five flowers, seven minutes covered.
• Lavender: one of the plants of sacred rest. European folk traditions slipped it under the pillow or steeped it in the evening.
• Passionflower: the Aztecs already knew it in Mexico. An always welcome infusion for a relaxed evening.
• Rose: the flower of divine love, a few buds in hot water, never boiling.
• Ashwagandha and Brahmi: two rasayana of Ayurveda, taken over time. Ashwagandha, the “strength of the horse”, is drunk in the evening in warm milk; Brahmi carries the name of Brahma the creator.
• Reishi: the lingzhi of the Taoist monks, as a decoction, over several weeks.

For the night itself: plants for sleep and herbal tea for sleep; the evening ritual has its own page, bedtime tea.

How to brew a calming tea

Water just off the boil, between 80 and 90 °C, and a lid, so the oils of the flowers stay in the cup. Chamomile, lavender and rose flowers steep 5 to 10 minutes; tulsi and passionflower leaves, 10 minutes. Ashwagandha, Brahmi and Reishi are taken as a powder or a decoction: each product page gives its amount.