Sleepy Time Tea and Tincture Recipe
Sleepy Time Tea and Tincture
Let’s face it, some times you need a little help winding down enough to get that much needed sleep. If you’re like me, you’re leery of using synthetic or pharmaceuticals in order to achieve it! That’s why I prefer to use my homemade sleepy time tea or tincture to help me relax and sleep like a baby.
On a quick note, this post may contain affiliate links from which I may receive a small percentage from any sales associated with them)
Why I like it
Homemade sleep aides are non-addictive (unless you make it so), free of synthetic additives, and, saves you money! But most importantly, they’re often more effective with non of the harsh side effects as their pharmaceutical counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, these homemade remedies sometimes take a bit longer to kick in or may require a little more time in order to maximize its effectiveness.
Also, while I love my sleepy tea for those times when sleep is a challenge, sometimes the tincture is a better choice. Just note that for the he tincture, the individual benefits of each ingredient are increased because they’ve been concentrated in the form of a tincture rather than a tea, for example.
Health benefits of each ingredient
Ginger root
Ginger is antibacterial, an antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. It also supports the immune system, helps reduce blood sugar, heart healthy, and aides digestion and soothes nausea and indigestion.
Valerian root
Valerian is anti-inflammatory, improves the mood, insomnia, lowers blood pressure and acts as a muscle relaxant. It also helps with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders.
Lemon balm
It helps relieve stress boosts your mood and helps you relax. This lemon-scented herb also helps reduce anxiety, boost cognitive function and helps relieve insomnia. Also, for those days when you over indulge in certain foods, lemon balm helps soothe indigestion and nausea.
Lavender Flower
Lavender helps to reduce tension, improves skin health, helps with mood and boost sleep. It’s believed to soothe digestive issues like nausea, cramps and diarrhea. Lavender is also anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic.
Making your own home remedies (tincture)
Making my own sleepy time tea and tincture, is pretty simple and the only thing that takes time is the “curing” / infusing process. This is usually 4-6 weeks for the tincture or 5-10 mins for the tea. For my tinctures, I like to let mine macerate (soak) for 8 weeks rather than the standard 4-6 week period. I will admit that I pay a bit more, since i source organic and wild foraged herbs. But i also save a lot of money even in that plus, no nasty side effects! You can check out some of my wellness tea recipes here right here!
Sleepy time tea
I use the folk method for measuring out my tea and tincture ingredients. This means that there is no precise measuring involved which makes the process a lot easier. For my tea, I use 2 parts lemon balm to 1 part valerian root and 1 part ginger root. For extra aromatics and soothing, I also add 1 part lavender flowers to the mixture as well. Brewing your tea is easy. Simply combine your ingredients (dried or fresh) in a tea ball or sachet in 10 oz of hot water and allow to steep for 5 mins. Since I often use dry ingredients, I steep my teas for at least 10 minutes to extract the max benefits of the tea.
While this is an awesome tea to help you relax, most of these ingredients have many more benefits aside from it’s ability to help you relax and sleep well. Also, if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking any medications/ medical condition, have any allergies etc, be sure to check with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe for you to take.
