Suffering from anxiety? Mental health is just as important as physical health. While teas can be healthy for your physical body, they can also help your mental state of mind. Plus, they taste delicious! Here are three teas that can help soothe an anxious mind.
Lavender Tea
Lavender is known for its aromatherapy benefits (I mean, have you smelled that herb?), but you can also make it into a delicious, calming tea. Like all of the herbs I’ll be talking about today, it can seriously reduce your anxiety, even going so far as to help with headaches, muscle spasms, and depression. I won’t say it can cure all those things, but it can definitely help you manage them better—plus, unlike chamomile and passion flower, it won’t make you sleepy. It’s great to drink at any point in the day. That said, making the perfect cup of lavender tea is a bit tricky. If you steep it too long, it can wind up tasting a little weird. Focus on using the flowers and follow the steeping instructions below to really make an amazing cup of lavender tea that’ll soothe your nerves.
To prepare a cup of lavender tea, place 4 teaspoons of fresh lavender buds into a tea ball in 8 ounces of boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes (no more than that!).
Chamomile Tea
If you’re struggling with any anxiety or stress, you know how it can affect your sleep. A busy mind often leads to a lot of tossing and turning at night, making it hard to close your eyes and just fall asleep. That’s where chamomile tea comes in handy—chamomile tea not only reduces stress and anxiety, but also helps people who suffer from insomnia. It has amazing abilities to relax your muscles and greatly reduce irritability. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite teas to drink right before bed: No matter what kind of day I had, winding down with chamomile is a great way to end it. It ensures I get a decent night’s sleep, even when my mind is quite active beforehand. I buy mine from my health food store in bulk—bulk, dry, loose chamomile is more powerful and potent than the ones they sell in tea bags.
To prepare a cup of chamomile tea using dry chamomile, add 3 to 4 tablespoons to 8 ounces of boiling water. Allow it to steep for at least 5 minutes before drinking. If you have fresh chamomile (maybe you grew it, foraged it, or you got some fresh from the farmers market), add chamomile flowers into a pot of hot water to infuse for 3 minutes. Strain before drinking.
Passion Flower Tea
Passion flower is another great natural remedy for anxiety and stress. That’s because passion flower contains flavone chrysin, which has anti-anxiety benefits. Passion flower tea also helps induce a peaceful sleep, so it’s great before bed. Although passion flower tea is safe and doesn’t cause adverse effects when interacting with other sedatives, it's best to avoid it if you are on such medication. Check with your doctor first before consuming passion flower while on any sedative medications just to be sure. Also, children under 6 months should avoid this tea, along with pregnant and lactating women.
To prepare a cup of passion flower tea, add 1 tablespoon of dried passion flower to a cup of boiling water. Allow to steep for 5 to 10 minutes—the longer it steeps the more powerful it is. Drink and watch as the stress melts away.
Peppermint Tea
This aromatic tea works great to relieve you of anxiety and stress. The menthol contained in peppermint is a natural muscle relaxant. This tea is also great to drink when you have an upset stomach or gas. Drinking it will give you a nice, overall sense of calm since it doesn’t contain caffeine. You can drink this any time of day, but drinking it before bed helps promote a peaceful sleep. That said, pregnant women should avoid consuming peppermint tea altogether as it can increase the risk of miscarriage.
To prepare a cup of peppermint tea, add 1 tablespoon of dry leaves to about 8 ounces of boiling water. Steep for 3 to 4 minutes. If using fresh leaves, allow it to simmer for 2 minutes. Strain before drinking.
Rose Tea
This delightful, floral tea helps ease the mind and puts you in a gently tranquil state. It’s best to drink it before bed, since its calming effects help you sleep well too.
You can make rose tea out of dried or fresh rose petals. Just add about 1 tablespoon of them to 1 cup of boiling water. Let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes until the petals turn dark. Then strain before drinking. If you use fresh petals, make sure to wash them first.
Green Tea
Believe it or not, green tea is actually very good to drink when you have anxiety. It’s not just going to give you an energy boost, but also a sense of clarity and focus. That’s because the polyphenol in green tea helps combat stress and anxiety without making you feel drowsy. It’s a perfect way to start your day stress free! I always drink a cup of straight up green tea in the morning.
To make a cup of green tea using loose leaf tea, add half a tablespoon of leaves to 1 cup of water and let it steep for at least 5 minutes before straining and drinking.
Lemon Balm Tea
This calming herb belongs to the mint family (so no wonder it’s perfect for soothing an anxious mind). It has a slight minty flavor with a taste of lemon, making it quite unique. It relaxes the body without causing any drowsiness, making it ideal for drinking any time of day. It can even boost your mood, perfect for getting your day started.
To prepare lemon balm tea, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of leaves if using dried lemon balm. For fresh lemon balm, use 2 tablespoons. Let it steep for at least 5 minutes, then strain before drinking.
