Gentle Nervine Tea Recipe for Spring

As we enter the sweet spring time, here is a tea recipe from our intern, Emma Strong, a student at Warren Wilson College.  These grounding and calming herbs will keep you present as the flurry of spring arrives 🌼

Recipe: Gentle Nervine Tea to de-stress + ground yourself

This tea features six amazing herbs to help you calm your mind and feel more grounded in your being. It has a creamy, earthy flavor from the tulsi and oat straw, with a brightness from the chamomile and lemon balm. Nettles have a harsh exterior, but underneath they hold some wonderful benefits; they’re a good source of iron and vitamin A, and are great for reducing inflammation. Lemon balm and chamomile are both very calming and comforting, and are good for reducing stress and anxiety. Skullcap is an incredible nerve and pain aly and can really help reduce anxiety. Skullcap was well known among the Cherokee and other Native American tribes as a strong emmenagogue and female medicinal herb. It’s also great to help deal with insomnia and if you’re feeling restless this is a good tea to drink before bed as skullcap will soothe your nervous system and promote a restful night’s sleep. Oat straw has similar nervine qualities and is soothing, nourishing and restorative.  Oat straw is highly nutritious , and contains minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamins, and a variety of other constituents which deeply nourish the entire body. Tulsi functions as an adaptogen, enhancing the body's natural response to physical and emotional stress.

Roughly 1 oz of each:

• Nettle leaf
• Lemon balm
• Chamomile
• Skullcap
• Oat straw
• Tulsi

Mix all the herbs together in a large bowl, then transfer into a jar for storage. I recommend labeling the jar to remember what you put in. (Jars of unlabeled mixed herbs can get pretty confusing after a while)

“As organisms in the natural rhythms of birth, growth and death, we experience metamorphosis throughout our lives, as our bodies grow and change from infancy to ripeness, as our capacities for inner experience enlarge and strengthen.” - M.C. Richards