Homemade Chamomile Tea

TL;DR

Chamomile is a daisy-like flower, with white petals and a yellow procuring core. The proper chamomile is called German chamomile or also the real chamomile. This is because some other varieties are frequently confused with the real chamomile, and the “fake” ones are sometimes sold as the real ones.

The plants grow in Central and East Europe in gardens and in the wild on the fields. The fresh flower buds are harvested from June to August and are then dried to use as an herbal tea infusion.

My grandmother used to make chamomile tea after dinner. It helps in your digestion and with sleep. Chamomile tea is known to relax, and folks tend to drink it after food, before sleepy time.

So, you can prepare chamomile tea to help you find sleep, BUT you will need to go pee as well, so know that. It might not be the best thing just before bed. I like to drink chamomile after a long day or when I'm stressed out and anxious. It helps me to come down a bit.

Another fantastic way to unwind and relax is to drink a cup of Moon Milk. Warm milk or a milk substitute is infused with spices, and the combination is very soothing.

Process Overview

We make tea with loose, whole, dried flower buds. If you want to know how you can dry your fresh flower buds, then read up my guide on how to dry herbs. The process is the same. Once you have your dried chamomile buds ready, you can choose to prepare your tea in two different ways.

Option 1 — Tea Bags/Infuser

Boil your water. Grab an empty new tea bag or ball infuser that you can fill, and fill it with the flower buds. Pour water into your cup and infuse hot water with the tea bag/infuser.

Steep for about 5 minutes and take out the bag with the flowers. Enjoy a hot tea with or without sweetener.

Tip: The tea bag might filter better compared to the infuser because chamomile has tiny little yellow flower pieces.

Option 2 — Cook & Strain

Bring a small cooking pot to boil with water. Add the dried flower buds to the cooking water.

Turn down the heat and allow the flower buds to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the hot tea and pour the strained infused herbal tea into a cup.

Flavor and Recipe Variations

You can sweeten your chamomile tea with sugar, honey, and even stevia. The stevia leaves can be added to your flowers. Besides, you can mix up things and create new flavor combinations. Add any of the following to your flower buds:

• green or black tea - but it won't be caffeine-free anymore
• mint
• ginger
• anise seeds
• lemon juice - can be added to the tea in the cup

You are not bound to hot tea! You can choose to prepare iced tea too. For that, simply allow your cooked infused tea to cool and serve with ice cubes.

FAQs