It’s almost a new year. For me, that means new opportunities, new beginnings and new thought processes. Making room for new things to come into my life means letting go of things that no longer work for me. And it’s bittersweet to let things go. It isn’t always easy, but it is necessary.
This year has been challenging for me to say the least. It has brought me a lot of change, a lot of letting go and a lot of evaluation. All of which are essential components in order to evolve and grow.
Navigating and dealing with the effects of the changes and choices I made in my life are always more difficult than I anticipate. One way I cope with these feelings during the major changes is by using herbs. They become my allies and support me throughout lots of moments in my life.
Tea is one of my favorite ways to consume herbs and absorb their properties. I’ll show you a blend that I’ve been using to help through this time of letting go and major change.
MAKE SOME TEA
The base of this blend is dandelion root and valerian root. Dandelion root is an ally for the liver and I find it useful for moments of fatigue. The more stamina, the better. Next is valerian root. It is commonly used to ease anxiety, nervousness and restlessness, and those are the major reasons it’s one of the foundation ingredients. Then we have sweet delicate passionflower leaf for it’s anti-anxiety properties.
To support the foundational ingredients, I used lemon balm. Lemon balm’s calming effects pairs well with the properties of the foundational ingredients.
Lavender buds and rose petals add dimension to the blend with their unique and floral flavors. They are also both touted for their calming and mood-enhancing properties.
You might be asking how much should I be using? Generally I use the folk method, which means I work in parts instead of measurements. Try to think of tea blending as a hierarchy pyramid of three parts. Foundation, support and flavor. The foundation of the blend (the bottom of the pyramid) should consist of three parts. These would be ingredients that establish the reason for your blend (dandelion root, lemon balm and passionflower leaf for this blend). I use three parts of each to maximize their properties. Next, any supportive ingredients should consist of two parts. For this blend, it’s lemon balm. I use it to support the properties of the foundation ingredients. And any ingredient that is being used as flavor should consist of one part. I use lavender and rose petals for this.
LETTING GO TEA BLEND RECIPE
Ingredients
- Dandelion root
- Valerian root
- Passionflower leaf
- Lemon Balm
- Lavender buds
- Rose petals
Directions
- Mix all of the ingredients together using a small bowl.
- Boil water and pour over one heaping teaspoon of the blended tea.
- Brew for 5-10 minutes.
- Enjoy!