There’s nothing quite like a cup of tea made from homegrown herbs. Not only does everything taste fresher, but these herbs are also easy to grow and harvest right from your backyard or container garden. I grow all of these herbs in my zone 5b garden!
This herbal tea blend is a gentle tonic that I drink often to help unwind after a long, stressful day.
Lemon verbena adds a beautiful lemony aroma and flavor while helping with digestion, relaxation, and stress relief.
Oat straw and oat tops are rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium which help support the nervous system and reduce anxiety.
Chamomile has calming and mildly sedative properties, helping with sleep, reducing anxiety, and soothing digestion.
Grow Your Ingredients
Oats (Avena sativa)
Oats are really easy to grow, and they do well in zones 2-8. They like cooler weather, so I direct sow them in March or April. They usually sprout within a week or two and flower in early June. By late June, I can harvest the milky oats for tinctures and oat straw for teas. The remaining oat seeds mature by late July to early August, depending on the weather. I save the mature oat seeds for next season’s crop and use the surplus for oat milk and oat bread.
Oats are a great cover crop for summer veggies like tomatoes and peppers. I crimp or cut down the oats about 2 weeks before I transplant the summer crops, which is around mid-May. Using oats as a cover crop in this way helps build soil health and suppresses weeds in my garden beds.
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Chamomile is a low-maintenance flower that can be grown in zones 3-9. I sow the seeds indoors the first week in April or directly into the garden in early May. The plants begin to flower around early June, and I harvest them for teas, oils, and salves through September.
Chamomile seeds are tiny and need light to germinate. I gently press them onto the soil surface and keep them moist with a misting spray bottle. They usually sprout within a week or two.
Chamomile is an excellent companion plant that attracts pollinators and beneficial insects. I grow it with peas, cucumbers, brassicas, roses, and bee balm.
Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora)
Lemon verbena is a perennial in warmer zones, but I have to bring it inside during the cold winter months. It loves full sun and well-drained soil and grows to around 3 or 4 feet tall. I move my plants back outside in mid-May and harvest the leaves through October. I use the fresh and dried leaves for teas, tinctures, and syrups
As the temperatures drop in late September, I take cuttings to root indoors for the winter. I keep my lemon verbena in containers so they are easy to move indoors in the winter. I place them near other tall plants, like echinacea and bee balm or close to marigolds to keep the aphids away.
Overview of Soothing Lemon Verbena Tea
Making this soothing tea is easy, and you can use fresh or dried herbs. The recipe is for one single serving.
Equipment Needed
- Small pan with a lid
- Fine mesh strainer
- Your favorite mug or tea cup
Ingredients
- Water (8 ounces)
- Lemon verbena leaves (½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh)
- Oat straw + tops (½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh)
- Chamomile flowers (½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh)
Instructions Summary
- Infuse: In a small pan, bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add in the herbs and cover the pan with a lid. Let the herbs steep in the pan for 10 minutes. For fresh herbs, chop them up a bit and lightly crush them to release the oils.
- Strain: After steeping for 10 minutes, strain the water into your favorite mug or tea cup.
- Serve: Drink the tea as is, or add milk and honey to taste.
Other recipes with these herbs:
Soothing Lemon Verbena Tea
Equipment
- Small pan with a lid
- Fine mesh strainer
- Your favorite mug or tea cup
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Water
- ½ teaspoon Lemon verbena leaves or 1 teaspoon fresh
- ½ teaspoon Oat straw + tops or 1 teaspoon fresh
- ½ teaspoon Chamomile flowers or 1 teaspoon fresh
Instructions
- In a small pan, bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add in the herbs and cover the pan with a lid. Let them steep in the pan for 10 minutes. For fresh herbs, chop them up a bit to release the oils.
- After steeping for 10 minutes, strain the water into your favorite mug or tea cup. Compost the herbs.
- Drink the tea as is, or add milk and honey to taste.
Disclaimer: Many herbal teas are considered to be generally safe, although there are circumstances when you should not take a particular herb. I am providing a brief and general overview of these herbs for educational purposes only.
