These herbal tea blends are for those times when you need a little extra support, for when emotions are high and you can’t seem to catch your breath. Calming herbs like lemon balm, lavender, and chamomile are used to make these simple DIY anti-anxiety herbal tea blends. Nourish your way to better sleep, higher quality relaxation, and less stress and anxiety with a little everyday herbal wellness found in a simple cup of herbal tea.
HERE YOU’LL FIND:
Why Everyone Needs Calming Herbal Teas
The Magic in a Quiet Moment
The Best Herbs to Help Calm Your Nerves
About The Herbs Used
How to Make Anti-Anxiety Tea
4 Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea Recipes
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I never really noticed anxiety as part of my life until recent years, but when all is quiet at the end of the day and as soon as I lay my head down to sleep, oftentimes something awful slips in.
Out of nowhere and for no good reason, I’m replaying in my mind all the things I said and did throughout the day, replaying them through this horrible lens of self-doubt and impostor syndrome that makes me feel small and stupid and keeps me up half the night.
Can you relate?
Here’s Why Everyone Needs Calming Herbal Teas
Sip your way to calm. And do it with feeling.
If you’re anything like me, I find solace in the consistency of constant doing. There’s rarely a day that goes by that I don’t make a to-do list either before I go to bed or first thing when I wake up. But sometimes, crossing off to-do’s, one after the other, no matter how damn good it feels, doesn’t really get us anywhere. If being a badass at staying busy was enough to fuel our soul’s intent, none of us would know the meaning of burnout so up close and personal.
You might deal with times of instability and uncertainty differently. Instead of to-do lists, maybe old addictions, toxic behaviors or thought patterns resurface. We all have our own stories.
And fortunately, we have so many plant allies here to help!
One of the easiest ways to bring plant medicines into your every day is through herbal teas. Not only are they so incredibly easy (just add water!), but using the right herbs can help calm your nerves in the sweetest of ways.
The Magic in a Quite Moment
The trick is to find the quiet and allow ourselves these moments of calm. Doing so gives our minds and hearts time to catch up and process the things that are happening in this world and figure out what role we’re meant to play in it. These moments help us relax better, sleep more deeply, give our days more structure when we’re feeling chaotic, and enhance our overall resiliency.
The simple act of preparing a cup of hot tea and then taking a moment of calm to sit down to enjoy it is absolute magic.
Try having a tea date with yourself daily, especially when you’re experiencing a little more turbulence than usual. If you can, create intentional space in your day to do so. The simple act of preparing yourself a cup of tea is in and of itself time spent in self-care. Inviting ritual moments into your every day is to call a little bit of calm into the chaos.
Before bed is a great time to sip on a cup of calming herbal tea. Your moment of calm could last 5 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, or as long as it takes you to close your eyes and take a single deep breath. Done. The calm that comes with allowing ourselves to feel the freedom in just simply being, even if for a second, is medicine for your whole self.
The earth provides so much for us. Food to sate our hunger, water to quench our thirst, beauty & mystery for our unending pursuit of the divine, & medicine for all our hurts.
Stress & anxiety holding you back?
I hear ya. Stress & anxiety have become a normal part of life on planet Earth. Luckily, the plants can help. Here’s a FREE download for ya:
11 Herbs to Help You Better Cope with Anxiety
What Are The Best Herbs to Help Calm Nerves?
Calming herbs are particularly known for their actions on the nervous system. Too obvious? 😊 These medicinal actions can work in a few different ways, however, most calming herbs work in one or more of these three ways.
- Nerve tonics work to support our nerves by directly nourishing and strengthening the tissues that make up our nervous system. Oats are a great example of a nerve tonic as they may help to restore overall health to our nervous systems in the face of chronic stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and especially when associated with depression.
- Nerve relaxants have a soothing and quieting effect on our nerves, like a friendly hug. An example of a nerve relaxant is lavender. Lavender may help to relieve stress headaches and depression, as well as promote better sleep. However, nerve relaxants in high doses can be sedating or even hypnotic!
- Mild sedatives works to calm the nervous system by creating relaxation by reducing stress and nervousness throughout the body. Poppy is a great example of a sedative herb that helps to reduce pain and induce relaxation and sleepiness.
About the Herbs Used in These Anti-Anxiety Tea Blends
These teas are blends of incredibly nourishing and calming plant medicines. Here’s an example of all the potential health benefits of some of the anti-anxiety herbs used in these herbal tea blends:
| Ingredient | Nutrition | Medicinal Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon Balm | Rich in flavonoids (antioxidant) Contains vitamin C & thiamin (a B vitamin) | Nervine Sedative Anti-viral Antioxidant Carminative Mild antidepressant Mild antispasmodic Vasodilating hypotensive (helpful in the treatment of hypertension) |
| Oatstraw | Incredibly high in magnesium! Rich in many other vitamins | Nervine Nutritive Heart Tonic Antispasmodic Anti-inflammatory Mild Antidepressant Moistening (demulcent) Gentle relaxant & stimulant |
| Rose Hip | Incredibly high in vitamin C (although the hot water will destroy much of it) | Tonic Nutritive Astringent Antioxidant Carminative Antibacterial Antispasmodic Anti-inflammatory |
| Lavender | Contains vitamin A, calcium, iron | Anti-fungal Antibacterial Antispasmodic Anti-inflammatory Helps to relieve pain Promotes wound healing Supports healthy digestion (carminative) Helps to calm the nerves (aromatherapeutic) Helps to remove excess mucus from the body |
| Chamomile | Contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, & folate | Antibacterial Antispasmodic Anti-inflammatory Helps to relieve pain Helps to calm the nerves Promotes wound healing Helps to remove excess mucus from the body Supports healthy digestion (carminative & bitter) |
More Herbal Teas You’ll Love
Rosebud Tea ✺ Calendula Tea
Chamomile Tea ✺ Cinnamon Tea
Lavender Tea ✺ Herbal Teas for Sleep
How to Make Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea
Herbal tea making is such an art. Luckily, it’s also incredibly simple and one of the easiest ways to get include more nutritive and medicinal plants into our every day.
The recipes for these calming tea blends as written make about 6 tablespoons of dried herbal tea for about 6 cups (8 fl. oz.) of prepared tea. I suggest making these smaller batches first to make sure you like the tea before making it in bulk. You can always tweak the tea by changing the ratios of herbs used or adding in different calming herbs to suit your taste.
Blending herbal teas is an opportunity to get creative, let your intuition take over, and get to know these herbs better. Once you know you’ve made a blend you really enjoy, larger batches stored in airtight glass jars are a huge timesaver.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to make these tea blends. If you’re ready for the full recipes, skip ahead to the bottom of this post.
Equipment You’ll Need:
- Measuring Spoons
- Storage Containers (My preferred storage containers for homemade herbal tea blends are glass jars. I’m really loving these glass display jars with bamboo lids, but you can also just use clean, recycled glass jars.)
- Small Saucepan or Tea Kettle(If you’re a tea lover like me, thiselectric tea kettleis my fave & allows you to control water temperature. Different teas brew better at different temperatures…if you want to get real nerdy about it!)
- Tea Basket/Strainer/Infuser(I love thesemesh tea strainersthat rest on the edge of your mug and come with their own steeping lids that double as a place to put your stainer when you’re done steeping.)
- Your Favorite Mug!
Ingredients
Un-Nerve & Nourish Tea
Lemon Lavender Tea
- Oatstraw, dried
- Lavender Flowers, dried
- Lemon Peel, dried (or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice)
Field of Flowers Tea
Have a Good Night’s Sleep Tea
- Stinging Nettle, dried, cut & sifted
- Chamomile Flowers, dried
- Peppermint Leaves, dried, cut & sifted
- Rose Petals, dried
Method:
- Make the herbal tea blend of your choice. Combine all dried herbs together in small bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Boil water. Use a tea kettle or small saucepan to bring water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat.
- Steep herbs. Using approximately 1 Tablespoon of an anti-anxiety tea blend per 8 fl oz. of water, add your herbs to a tea ball, reusable tea bag, small French press, or other tea strainer. Then add ~8 fl. oz. water just under boiling to your cup.
Cover your cup (a small plate works!) and let steep for 8-10 minutes. The longer you allow the herbs to steep, the stronger your tea will be.
- Strain & enjoy.After 8-10 minutes either remove the herbs by either straining or removing the tea bag/ball.
✺ HERBALIST’S TIP ✺
For the most benefit from your herbal teas, be sure to cover them while steeping. You can use a small plate or something similar that will rest on top of your mug. Alternatively, steep your tea in a tumbler with a tea infuser insert that comes with its own lid. Covering your herbal teas while they steep helps to keep the good stuff (ie. a lot of the health benefits) from escaping with the steam.
Hey fellow tea lover!
Herbal teas are one of the oldest & most accessible herbal remedies on the planet. And it’s incredibly empowering (& easy!) to blend your own. Check out this step-by-step guide:
How to Blend Your Own Nourishing Herbal Teas
Herbal Tea Tips, Tricks, & FAQs
What’s the best tea for anxiety?
I wish there was an easy answer to this! The best herbs to help with stress and anxiety are the ones that work for you! Our bodies are all so different, and luckily there are so many herbs with long histories of use in easing stress and anxiety, as well as helping us sleep more deeply and soundly. Get creative with it and make your own herbal tea blends!
Aside from the herbs included in the blends above, here are some other great herbs to include in your calming, anti-anxiety, and/or bedtime herbal tea blends:
- Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
- Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
- Green tea (contains caffeine)
- Holy basil (Tulsi
- Gotu kola (Gotu kola)
- Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis)
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
- Kava kava (Piper methysticum)
- Hops (Humulus lupulus)
- Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
- Linden flower (Tilia spp.)
How much tea should I drink for anxiety?
Again, there’s no one right answer to this. And as much as the herbs can help, I think it’s equally about the external factors that are creating stress and anxiety in your life. Enjoying a cup of herbal tea can be as much about the herbs themselves as it can be about a ritual of creating a moment of quiet and calm in your day.
Give yourself 5, 10, or even 20 minutes to sit down, be silent, and enjoy your tea. Or maybe tea time is a time to enjoy reading a book or catch up with a sweet friend. Maybe you enjoy a cup of tea with lunch and then again as you’re settling down for bedtime.
Nurturing an association of enjoying a cup of anti-anxiety tea with a moment relatively free of stress and anxiety will only help to put your body into more of a rest-and-digest state. In this state, as opposed to a fight-or-flight state, you’ll be more receptive to the nourishing and calming qualities of the herbs.
Where can a purchase herbs for tea?
If you have local herbalists or herb shops, they may be able to supply you with many of these herbs. It’s always a good idea to support the locals when you can! Otherwise,Mountain Rose Herbsis an online retailer with an impressive variety of high quality, ethically grown and harvested medicinal and culinary herbs and spices. The quality of their products is consistently higher than other online retailers.
What’s the best way to store herbal tea?
The best way to store herbal tea is in an airtight container, in a cool and dry location, and of direct sunlight. Exposure to light will degrade the quality (flavor, aroma, and medicinal potency) of the herbs. While it’s nice to have beautiful glass jars of tea blends out on display, if you have a sunny kitchen, it may be best to keep them in the pantry or a cabinet.
If your herbal tea blends do lose their color or smell, that’s a sure sign that it’s time to compost them and start over. I try not to make batches so large that I can’t go through them in ~ 6 months.
What other ways can you use herbs for anxiety and sleep?
- Add this Ultra-Nourishing Herbal Body Oil made with calendula, lavender, and more to your bedtime rituals.
- Get cozy with this Chamomile Rose Bathtub Tea.
- Splash some of this Homemade Rose Water on your face!
- When all else fails, you can’t go wrong with a simple cup of Rosebud Tea.
For more plant magic & herbal wellness in your life, be sure to follow along on ➡️ Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, & snag my herbal 📚 eBooks Nourishing Herbal Gifts & Holiday Pies from the (Un)Bakery. 🌿 And please don’t forget to tag me in your snaps 📸 @_botanyculture_. I love to see all the plant magic you make happen!
Anti-Anxiety Herbal Teas
for Less Stress & Better Sleep
Course: Drinks, Herbal TeaCuisine: RemedyDifficulty: Easy
Servings
6
cups
Prep time
10
minutes
These herbal tea blends contain incredibly nourishing and calming plant medicines. They make sweet lil’ sippers for those times you need to chill out. Start by making smaller batches to make sure you like the tea before making large batches to have on hand. These recipes make about 6 1-cup servings each (~6 tablespoons of dried tea blend). If you love the tea, multiply the recipe to save yourself some time in the future.
Enjoy your tea hot or chilled and sweeten with honey or your preferred sweetener if desired.
Ingredients
- Un-Nerve & Nourish Tea (makes 6 cups of tea)
2 tablespoons dried lemon balm, cut & sifted
2 tablespoons dried rose hips, cut & sifted
1 tablespoon dried oatstraw, cut & sifted
1 tablespoon dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- Lemon Lavender Tea (makes 6 cups)
3 tablespoons dried oatstraw, cut & sifted
2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 tablespoon dried lemon peel (or a squeeze of fresh lemon)
- Field of Flowers Tea (makes 6 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) dried rose petals
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) dried chamomile flowers
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) dried passionflower
- Have A Good Night’s Sleep Tea (makes 6 cups)
2 tablespoons dried stinging nettle, cut & sifted
2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers
1 tablespoon dried peppermint leaves, cut & sifted
1 tablespoon dried rose petals
Directions
- Combine all ingredients together & mix thoroughly. Store in a sealed container in a cool place out of direct sunlight. If stored properly, your herbal tea blends could last up to a year.
- For a hot cup of tea:
- For a single serving hot cup of tea, place 1 tablespoon of the tea blend into a tea ball or bag. In a mug, add the filled tea ball or bag and fill with 1 cup (8 fl oz) hot water. Cover & let steep for 8-10 minutes, then enjoy! (Sweeten if desired!)
- For a cold infusion:
- In a 1 quart jar, add 1/4 cup of the tea blend & fill the rest of the jar with water. Cover and let sit 8-10 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Then use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out herbs.
- Enjoy as-is, add ice for extra refreshment, & sweeten with honey or another sweetener of choice if desired. (Drink tea within ~3 days.)
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Resources & Further Reading
- Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth, Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner
- Herbal Medicine for Anxiety, Depression, & Insomnia, Lei Liu et al. (Current Neuropharmacology)
- 11 Tonic Herbs for Stress & Anxiety, Ricky Bratz (Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine)
DISCLAIMER: The information given in this article is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns at all, it’s always a good idea to check with your health practitioner before consuming certain herbs & medicinal foods, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking any prescription medications.
