Homemade (and Home Grown) Moon Tea

Today I'm feeling pretty exhausted. Yesterday, I felt exhausted. A lot of changes are happening right now energetically that have me wiped out. Sleep isn't helping me rejuvenate which means this requires waking rest and relaxation.

One of the ways I like to do that is to make myself some herbal tea. I want to share my recipe for Moon Tea.

"Moon Tea" is just something I call this because it's perfect for taking during my monthly cycle. It will work for anyone, man or woman, however because of the nature of the herbs in general.

What's great about this particular tea is I grow the ingredients right in my garden. I have a container of chamomile I planted this spring, and it has given me about a cup's worth of flowers. Same with the lavender plant that I put in a pot last year. It's true what they say about these plants: the more you harvest them, the more they give you. Every time I harvest some flowers, the plants immediately grow more flowers in their place. The raspberry bush also is growing on the side of a hill in the backyard, and though it's stingy about giving us berries, it still has incredibly useful leaves.

So what do all of these ingredients do?

Chamomile is famous for calming down the nervous system and relaxing you. This flower is like valium, only not addictive and it doesn't mess around with your liver. It's also gentler in its application, but its relaxant effect is just as powerful. If you're plain old stressed out or you can't sleep, this is the herb you should go to, not the pill bottle.

Lavender is similarly a relaxant, however it has an added effect of refreshing you at the same time. It's a nice pick-me-up all by itself. Use it when you're anxious to the point that your stomach hurts as lavender has an added benefit of calming an upset stomach.

Raspberry leaf is an anti-inflammatory agent in this tea. I bet you didn't know the humble raspberry leaf could do that. Specifically it assists the uterus in women due to its high magnesium and iron content (hence "Moon Tea"). However, its astringent and detoxifying properties assist in cleaning the body of unwanted inflammation on the whole.

Ingredients:

1 tsp dried chamomile flowers
1 tsp dried lavender flowers
1 tbsp fresh raspberry leaves

Directions:

​Steep in 8-12 ounces of hot water for 6-8 minutes.

The flavor will be gentle, sweet, and floral. I think you'll enjoy it for any self care routine.