There hasn’t been much research on how sipping tea can ease stress, though Dana Cohen, M.D., an integrative medicine physician and co-author of Quench, is now seeing more scientific studies on how specific herbs can calm down the body. (More on those below.) The simple ritual of sitting down with your herbal brew of choice can also be therapeutic. “Slowing down, breathing in the fumes (which by the way is a hydrating act), savoring the aroma and taste…it can be considered a form of meditation,” Cohen tells mindbodygreen. “Whatever herbs are inside the tea are a bonus!” Chamomile is an herb that has been shown to help support a healthy nervous system in many ways. “When I lived in Germany, I heard people call this plant ‘zutraut,’ meaning the herb that can do anything,” says McBride. Cohen notes that a rigorous (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled) 2013 study1 on chamomile extract found that the herb can ease various signs of anxiousness when consumed for eight weeks. While she personally doesn’t love the taste, she understands why floral chamomile tea is a popular choice for bedtime. “Chamomile is calming, relaxing, and soothing,” McBride says. “[It] is one of the great teas to drink after dinner to help you unwind from the day.” Though it does have diuretic qualities, she adds, so you’d be wise to take your last sip a few hours before bed. If you’re nervous about an upcoming task or about what the future might hold, lemon balm could be the herbal companion for you. In one small clinical trial in 20042, those who took 600 milligrams of lemon balm before being exposed to a psychological stressor were able to maintain a more positive and calm mood than those who took a placebo. “Lemon balm is a cooling and restorative herb that helps to calm the nerves and enhance your mood. It is known as a stress reliever that uplifts the spirit,” says McBride. She adds that the herb’s cooling qualities can also support healthy digestion3. Cohen adds that lemon balm is an easy herb to cultivate, making it a good pick for a home-grown tea. Like chamomile, it’s best enjoyed in the evenings as some people find that it makes them sleepy. Delicate rose petals can make for a refreshing, relaxing tea. “Roses are known for their ability to nourish the heart and lift the spirit. They are soothing, calming, and particularly restorative to the nervous system,” says McBride. While more research is needed, a 2017 review of rose oil4 found that its signature smell does seem to promote physiological and psychological relaxation. So if you do brew this tea, be sure to inhale its fragrant smoke as you go. You can steep petals from any color rose under the rainbow, but McBride says you’ll want to first make sure they don’t have any herbicides or pesticide residue. Organic is best! Oat straw is made from the rough grass that surrounds oats, and McBride says it makes one of her go-to teas. While research on the plant is limited, oat straw’s sweet, mild flavor is a favorite among herbalists. And as a nervine, McBride says its stress-easing effects will become more apparent if you sip it daily. “You can drink it to help with stress…feeling overscheduled, or just too busy doing life,” she says. The oat plant5 is also rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium. No surprise here: The luxurious scent of lavender can make bedtime infinitely more relaxing. One 2005 study in the journal Chronobiology International6 found that smelling lavender oil before bed increased the amount of time young, healthy people spent in deeper sleep stages, while more recent research in 2011 concluded that it improved self-reported sleep quality7 in a cohort of midlife women. When enjoyed as a tea, McBride says that “the aroma of lavender relaxes the nervous system and produces a calming and soothing effect on the body.” With deep roots in ancient Ayurvedic medicine, ashwagandha remains a popular adaptogenic herb today. As an adaptogen, it’s thought to promote balance throughout the body and support our ability to come back to baseline after a stressful event.* “It contains withanolides, compounds that help activate GABA receptors8 in the brain to decrease activation of our nervous system and stress response,”* integrative physician Cindy Tsai, M.D., previously told mbg. Like oat straw, ashwagandha tends to be more effective when consumed regularly. Schisandra is another plant with a rich history, and it’s been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Originally thought to “calm the spirit,” it can be useful, Cohen notes, for those who are looking for all-around mood support. Research on humans is limited, but schisandra has been shown to promote a more positive mood9 and support healthy cognition in mice. It makes for a bright, sweet, sour tea that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She’s spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.
