Let’s face it – no matter how hard any of us tries, sadness and heaviness can get us down. Having the blues is a normal and healthy part of the human experience as long as it comes in for a reason and leaves after a short stay. For times when you just feel down in the dumps and can’t seem to see past the clouds, the herbal tea recipe I’ll share with you today is a real joy-bringer!
Remember that excessive sadness, despair, or depression that stays for a long time or seems severe to you or the people around you is not the same thing as ‘the blues’ and probably needs special attention. Love yourself enough to see a doctor… brew some tea and make the call!
Here’s what goes into this simple recipe…
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Balm
1/4 teaspoon Rose Hips
and
1/2 teaspoon of Ginseng if you feel heavy and tired, or St. John’s Wort if you just feel ‘blah’.
What’s Inside…
Melissa Officinalis
Lemon Balm is prized for its ability to create a sense of well-being, joy, and serenity. It is an extremely gentle herb that many people take on a daily basis to help keep spirits high and smiles wide. Lemon Balm calms and strengthens the nerves which helps remove any underlying anxiety or stress.
Rosa Canina
Wild Dog Rose Hips is an energetic addition to this blend because of what it does for the spirit. Rose is famous for easing sadness, cultivating a sense of peace and joy, and showing love to your body, mind, and soul. Roses have their own library of lore, and I have found that all the good things apply when they are taken in the form of herbal tea. Adding Rose Hips to your herbal tea is like giving your own heart and mind a dozen lovely roses while adding some amazing nutrients to your system as well!
Panax Ginseng, Panax Quinquefolius, Eleutherococcus Senticoccus Acanthopanax
Ginseng has been cultivated and used medicinally across Asia for centuries. In most cases it is used as a general longevity tonic that helps strengthen and tonify all the parts of the body. For the same reasons, this is a great blues-buster because it gives the body and the mind a jump start of great energy. Ginseng is a wonderful addition to any tonic herbal tea.
Hypericum Perforatum
St. John’s Wort is famous for its effects on anxiety and depression, so there’s no wonder why this gentle herb makes a great addition to any anti-dark-rain-cloud herbal tea! St. John’s Wort herbal tea can help lift sadness, calm the nerves, relieve long bouts of exhaustion, stress, and worry, and can help balance what’s happening chemically in the parts of our brains that relate to the blues.
How To Make It…
This is a really simple herbal tea blend to create, and the herbs used are some of the most inexpensive to buy.
- Combine your whole herbs together. You’ll end up with about a teaspoon of herbs in total.
- Hold the mound of herbs in the palm of your hand and spend a moment connecting to how you’d like them to help you, expressing your gratitude for the healing, and just ‘shaking hands’ with the energy of the plants. This is a very powerful way to start a tea brewing, and it can help your mind and emotions be more receptive of what the herbs can do to you.
- Place the herbs in a tea bag, infuser, tea ball, or other brewing device. Cover with just-boiling water in the infuser or in your tea cup and steep for 6-8 minutes while covering the cup, mug, or infuser with a small plate or lid.
- Separate the water from the herbs and let the herbal tea cool until it’s comfortable to drink. In warm months you can take this tea cold by letting it sit in the refrigerator in a covered glass container until chilled.
- This herbal tea can usually be taken 3 times daily.
Enjoy!
I love this simple tea blend for fighting sadness and the blues and know you will, too!
I purchase all of my bulk organic Lemon Balm, Rose Hips, Ginseng, and St. John’s Wort from…
