How to Make Tea with Chamomile Flowers

Herbal teas have been brewed and enjoyed for many years by tea lovers all over the world. Of the herbal teas, chamomile is one of the most popular. The subtle, earthy flavors of the flowers have a soothing quality that is valued as a sleep aid. Chamomile tea is useful a a digestive aid, and recent studies indicate that it may be an effective treatment for mouth ulcers and some skin conditions.

Things You'll Need

• 10 teaspoons chamomile flowers, fresh or dried 24 ounces purified water Saucepan Stove Tea strainer or hand-held sieve Tea cup Honey or sugar (optional)

Instructions

Brewing the Tea

1. Harvest the chamomile flowers. You will need 10 teaspoons of the fresh flowers to make the tea. You can grow your own or you can hunt for wild chamomile, which is easily identified as a small, daisy-like white flower with a yellow center. If you cannot harvest your own flowers, you can buy them at a health food or spice shop.

2. 

   Put 3 cups of purified water in a pan and turn on the heat. When the water is boiling, add 10 teaspoons of the flowers to the water and let them steep for 5 minutes. The longer you let the flowers steep, the stronger the tea will be. This will make three cups of tea.

3. Strain the tea through a tea strainer or a small, hand-held sieve, into a cup. Add sugar or honey to the tea or drink it plain.

4. Save the remaining tea to drink later, to use as a mouthwash or to pat on skin irritations. The steeped flowers can be strained out, placed in a cheesecloth and used as a warm or cold poultice for injuries.

5. 

   Strain the flowers and place them in a cheesecloth to use as a warm or cold poultice for injuries.

Tips & Warnings

• You can easily substitute dried flowers for fresh flowers without changing the amount of flowers used. Be sure to rinse off fresh flowers before use.

• While wild chamomile is easy to find, be certain that what you harvest is chamomile and not another plant which could be dangerous to ingest. Chamomile is a part of the ragweed family, so if you are allergic to ragweed, use extreme caution in drinking chamomile tea.

References

• Vitaminstuff - Chamomile
• Chamomile Tea Health Benefits

Resources

• iVillage Garden Web Forums
• Tea Time