Ingredients
- dried chamomile flowers
- fresh chamomile flowers when in season
- freshly boiled water, rested a moment off the boil
- a thin slice of lemon peel
- a small amount of honey
- a few fresh lemon balm leaves if you have them
Food therapy
Chamomile infusion (Matricaria chamomilla)
Updated 21 October 2026
A weak chamomile infusion has been the wind-down option in English kitchens since at least the Anglo-Saxon 'Nine Herbs' charm, taken an hour before sleep rather than at the table. The flowers are steeped, not boiled, and the cup sits alongside dimmed light and a slower breath — folk practice, not a study ask.
Herbs and practices affect people differently — nothing here suits everyone. Take it as reference.
Tonight, try this
Boil the kettle now, drop a heaped spoonful of dried chamomile into your largest mug, pour the just-cooled water over the flowers, and cover the cup with a saucer for five minutes while the lights come down. Strain, add honey if you like, and carry the cup to the dimmest room in the house — sip it slowly an hour before sleep, the phone in another room.
How it is made
- Bring a kettle to the boil, then slide it off the heat and let it sit for a moment.
- Warm the cup with a small splash of the hot water, then pour that splash out.
- Drop a generous spoonful of dried chamomile — or a small handful of fresh flowers — into the cup.
- Pour the just-cooled water over the flowers, cover the cup with a saucer, and leave the kitchen alone.
- Wait quietly while the flowers steep — five to seven minutes is the folk window for a wind-down cup.
- Strain the flowers out, slip in the lemon peel or a few torn lemon balm leaves, and carry the cup to the dimmest room in the house.
- Sip the cup slowly while the room cools further; finish it an hour before bed, not at the bedside.
When it is made
Anglo-Saxon and later English households kept dried chamomile by the kitchen hearth for evening wind-downs, sick-room days, and the evenings after long journeys — the cup held the same role across centuries, an unhurried end to a long day rather than a morning lift. Modern European kitchens keep the same default: a weak cup whenever the household is settling, and a stronger brew reserved for the night someone cannot sleep.
Disclaimer
Chamomile sits in the daisy family, so anyone with ragweed, chrysanthemum, or marigold allergies can try a small sip first and watch for a reaction. The folk cautions also note avoidance in the first trimester of pregnancy and care when taking warfarin, cyclosporine, or prescription sedatives — bring it up at a clinician visit if any of these apply.
Where this comes from
- Traditional practice as recorded in classical texts and public formularies (public domain)
- Everyday food culture, described as practice rather than studied therapy
- PubMed abstracts only for studies this page actually names