One of quickest, easiest and most natural ways to ease anxiety, insomnia and related problems is with a herbal beverage.
Warm milk and honey with a dash of cinnamon is an ideal drink to take at bedtime. It will help you relax and fall asleep.
Three hop cones, or heads, infused in a cup of boiling water whenever you begin to feel overly tense, is a marvellous remedy for anxiety and any subsequent insomnia.
Mix together 25g (1 oz) each of dried chamomile flowers, lime flowers, hibiscus blossoms and marigold flowers with 15g (1/2 oz) each of dried peppermint leaves and vervain, 1 teaspoon of whole fenugreek seeds and 100g(4 oz) Lapsang Souchong tea.
Store in a dark airtight container. Use 1 teaspoon to 300mil (1/2 pint) of boiling warer in a teapot and leave to infuse for 5 minutes.
Then strain and serve with a slice of lemon and a teaspoon of honey if desired.
This is a very calming tea that soothes feelings of anxiety.
It also helps clear your head and settle an upset stomache.
One cup taken morning and night will promote a feeling of wellbeing.
Infuse 1 teaspoon each of grated valerian roor and dried mint and 1/2 teaspoon each of dried chamomile and lavender flowers in 600ml (1 pint) of boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain the tonic and take a glass three times a day for one week only.
Sip a tonic of either 2 teaspoons of dandelion and 1 of basil infused in 600mil (1 pint) of boiling water, strained and cooled, or 2 teaspoons each of nettle, basil and melissa infused in 600 ml (1 pint) of boiling water, strained and cooled.
Steep 1 tablespoon each of fresh dandelion and nettle tops with 1 teaspoon each of fresh blackcurrant and borage leaves in 600 ml (1 pint) of boiling water for five minutes. Strain the tonic and drink with lemon and honey.
Dock is one of the great tonic herbs because it is extremely high in iron. For old-fashioned dock wine, put 175g (7 oz) dock root, 15g (1/2 oz) liquorice wood, 7g (1/4 oz) juniper berries and 100g (4 oz) raw cane sugar with 2 litres (3 1/2 pints) organic red wine in a china container. Cover and place either in a very slow oven or in a bain marie.
Continue to heat gently until the mixture is reduced by half. Strain, bottle and seal tightly. Drink a sherry glass of the wine every morning for two weeks.
Or try rosemary in wine. Steep 6 sprifs of Rosemary in a well sealed-bottle of sweet white wine for 14 days. Take one wineglass as a daily tonic.
For an uplifting sage tonic, take 100g (4 oz) of fresh sage leaves and put them in a bottle of organic white wine for two weeks. Sweeten to taste with honey and leave for another day.
Press and strain through muslin. Bottle and take on sherry glass before lunch and dinner. You can aslo infuse the sage leaves in boiling water, strain and sweeten with honey for a reviving sage tea.