A tea that helps you rest AND teaches your body to exhale.
After we put our son down for the night, my husband and I have a ritual; we boil water, make mugs of our favorite vanilla-chamomile tea, eat a nibble of chocolate and (when we’re lucky) watch a few minutes of T.V. before finding ourselves too tired and head to bed. The other night, as I was plucking tea bags from one of the jars on our tea shelf, listening to the water bubbling in the kettle, something occured to me; the structure of the tea bags. They felt like paper, and looked like paper. But curiosity got the better of me.
Turns out they’re a blend of plant fibers (indeed!) BUT they’re sealed with a food-grade polypropelyene and polyethylene…which means they contain microplastics that are released when the bags are steeped in hot water.
I couldn’t unsee the plastics. So I started ripping open the tea bags and pouring the tea into a strainer. But the tea was so fine, it would float out and for the next few nights, I found myself plucking tea particles from my tongue which was not the relaxing ritual I was looking for.
So, I decided to make my own Vanilla-Chamomile Tea…but upgraded. Pete said this sounded like a hassle. It wasn’t at all, and now he’s begging to share my homemade tea. (And, I know you will too!)
Microplastics are tiny plastic fragments — smaller than 5 millimeters — that break off from larger plastics or are intentionally made small (like microbeads once used in cosmetics).
They show up everywhere: in oceans, soil, air, food, water — even in human blood and placental tissue. And this is gnarly because…they accumulate, they interfere, and we don’t fully know how bad the long-term effects are yet. But here’s what we do know so far:
They create inflammation. When they end up in your bloodstream or gut, they can trigger immune responses and oxidative stress — think micro-level irritation on repeat.
They disrupt hormones. Many plastics leach compounds (like BPA or phthalates) that mimic estrogen, messing with endocrine balance.
They bioaccumulate. They don’t break down easily — they linger in tissues, especially the gut, liver, and lymphatic system.
They alter the microbiome. Early studies show plastic particles can change gut flora composition, reducing beneficial strains and increasing inflammatory ones.
So, we really really really don’t want to be consuming them.
Unfortunately, we eat, drink, and breathe microplastics daily — especially if we’re consuming packaged or processed foods, eating from plastic containers, or drinking from disposable cups.
They’re unavoidable at some level.
But tea bags? That’s a totally avoidable exposure. It’s like inhaling secondhand smoke on purpose when you could just open a window.
By switching to loose-leaf tea (especially organic, unbleached herbs), we’re cutting out a concentrated, repeated source of microplastic ingestion — and supporting a circular system that’s more in rhythm with how our bodies want to process the world: natural inputs, clean outputs.
Is a drinkable lullaby. But it’s also a powerhouse of energetic benefits on the nervous system, digestive system, elemental and subtle layers; it nourishes, clears, harmonizes, and grounds.
On the nervous system level, this tea provides soothing + safety.
Chamomile contains apigenin — a compound that binds to GABA receptors in the brain (same calming pathway as meditation and magnesium).
Licorice root stabilizes adrenal function, keeping cortisol from spiking and crashing.
Vanilla’s aroma activates the limbic system, shifting you from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest.
Honey gently raises blood glucose enough to quiet the “we need to stay alert” response your brain throws when you’re underslept or underfed.
So together, they deactivate vigilance — not by dulling you, but by rebuilding a sense of inner safety.
On the digestive level,
Chamomile relaxes smooth muscle in the gut, relieving spasms and bloat.
Lemongrass clears stagnation (kapha), brightening agni (digestive fire) just enough to keep things moving without overstimulation.
Licorice root and honey coat the GI tract, reducing dryness and irritation.
This creates a sense of internal quiet — not just in your belly, but in your overall energy flow.
Energetically, this combination
Grounds Vata (nervous system, movement, anxiety)
Pacifies Pitta (heat, irritability, overdrive)
Lightly stimulates Kapha (stagnation, dullness)
It’s like the body’s version of twilight — where fire cools, air softens, and you can finally rest in your own skin.
This tea repatterns our rhythms. Not only of consuming microplastics (yeesh) but each sip coaxes you back toward parasympathetic flow — breath deepens, jaw unclenches, prana slows.
Making homemade loose leaf tea sounds like it could be a hassle, but I assure you that it is not.
It’s a chamomile tea, lifted with lemongrass, grounded with cinnamon and licorice, amped up with ground vanilla, and sweetened with a little swirl of honey after you brew it. All of the ingredients needed are available at a well-stocked apothecary, and if you don’t have one of these where you live you’re very welcome to claim our hometown outlet as your own Rebecca’s Apothecary here in Boulder was where I sourced the licorice and chamomile. The cinnamon sticks can be found in the spice aisle of your grocery store, along with the vanilla bean and the honey. If you can find canela or ceylon cinnamon sticks, which are fragrant and more fragile than other varieties, this is preferable as they’ll crumble easily when crushed in your hand. Alternatively, you can break your cinnamon stick in a food processor or with a sharp knife, or you can shave it with a Microplane, or crush it in a mortar and pestle.
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, stir with a hand, place a little of your tea in a strainer and you’re off to the races. This process has me curious and excited about making a whole arsenal of teas…you’ve been warned! Tea lady on the loose!
That's ok, just sign up or log in to see this recipe.