Trouble sleeping? Bad dreams or no dreams?  This sweet dreams tea will help your nights pass easier.

Rip Van Winkle is the character who slept for twenty years. This tea may not let you sleep that long, but you’ll certainly be rested in the morning.

I drink lots of tea, I mean gallons of it. When people ask me what is my favorite blend of tea, I honestly have a hard time picking one, so I usually say “all of them”. Each tea has a purpose.

This tea is a nice blend to have in the evening, just before bed. You know, when you need to feel all warmed up, but don’t want any caffeine?  This is the tea you want.

While I am not an herbalist or a doctor, this tea works for me. My husband likes to use it when he’s had a few rough nights and wants to get a good night’s sleep.

Actually, this is an herbal blend; there is no tea in the mixture at all. That’s partly why it’s good for drinking in the evening.

There are four herbs in the blend:

• Mugwort
• Passionflower
• Oat Straw
• Spearmint

Each one brings a whole list of benefits to the cup.

Herbs have a tradition of healing. The traditional benefits of each ingredient are:

Mugwort – believed that Roman soldiers put this herb in their sandals to prevent tired feet. Commonly thought to protect from evil spirits. Other traditional uses – increase energy, decrease arthritic pain and as a digestive aid.

Passionflower – aids in relieving anxiety and inducing sleep. Also traditionally used to lower blood pressure, treat depression and as a mild sedative.

Oat Straw – commonly used to nourish and nurture. Considered a restorative herb used to level feelings of exhaustion and being worn out. Other traditional uses: increase brain health, reduce heart risks, and reduce anxiety.

Spearmint – the obvious benefit is flavor … who doesn’t love the fresh aroma and taste of spearmint? Other traditional uses include: leveling hormone imbalances, decrease anxiety, improve brain function, and assist in digestion.

This herbal combination, as you can see, contains all sorts of traditional value for aiding in sleep.

Prepared as a tea, with boiling water and allowed to steep for 5 to 10 minutes, you’ll find this a delicious beverage that is easy to swallow.

There are several ways you can brew herbal teas. I have a few of these tea balls, mesh strainers that can be filled with tea and dipped into a cup of boiling water.

Other methods of brewing are: using a French Press, tying the herbs in a coffee filter or using pre-made cloth tea bags.

Or you can simply place the herbs in the bottom of the cup and pour the water in. You’ll want to leave the last bit of tea in the cup as it will be filled with particulate matter. Nobody likes floaties!

I like this mesh strainer for it’s lever that latches over the edge of the two halves. Other styles require you to fill half and then screw on the remaining half.

And I like that this one has a pretty green leaf weight on the end of the chain. Talk about making it easy to lift out of the cup and not worry that the chain is swimming in the hot tea!

Variations:

If you’re unsure of the flavor of sweet dreams tea, you can add a bit of honey or natural sweetener like stevia for sweetness. I also have added a lemon slice for some extra citrus flavor.

When you’re wanting a relaxing evening and hoping for a dream filled sleep, make up a cup of this sweet dreams tea, pull out your book and spend an hour reading before calling it a night.

As you drift off to sleep, think pleasant thoughts about what you’d like your dreams to be.

Where to buy herbs:

If you don’t have all of these ingredients on your pantry shelf, you’ll want to buy them. Find a local herbalist you can trust and purchase from them. If you don’t have a local resource, there are several online retailers who specialize in herbs.

Please don’t go out into the wilderness and pick herbs that you think are the ones in this recipe.  At least, don’t do this unless you are a trained herbalist or have a botanical background and are confident of the plants you’re collecting.

It’s too easy to pick something that is similar … yet different … with potentially tragic side effects.

There’s also the concern of pesticides, herbicides and other bad chemicals that might have been sprayed in the area.

Speaking of danger and herbs – I highly, strongly, firmly suggest that you speak with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbs if you are on medications. While natural, herbs may interact with some medications and cause unwanted side effects.

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Did you make this sweet dreams tea recipe or another one on my site? I’d love to hear from you how it turned out! Send me an email to noel @ ApronFreeCooking.com, post a photo and tag me on social media … or come back and comment on the recipe here.

Sweet Dreams Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

Mugwort, oat straw, passionflower, spearmint.

Recipe Directions:

Combine the herbs, steep in boiling water.

Approximate Nutritional Information:

Servings Per Recipe: 1, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0, Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0g, Sodium: 0mg, Carbs: g, Protein: g

(please remember these are approximate and will vary slightly based on your ingredient selections.)

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