Many people associate the holidays with time-honored customs such as Christmas tree decorating, menorah lighting, caroling, cookie baking, and drinking from the unity cup. However, there is another unofficial, official holiday custom that unites people of all ages and faiths and gives them hope for a better future: the New Year’s resolution.
If you’ve ever set a New Year’s resolution, chances are it included anything like getting more sleep or being less stressed. Even if chamomile tea isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of ways to achieve your New Year’s resolutions, it turns out that it may be the answer to many of them.
If you’ve ever wondered why so many people drink chamomile tea, we’ve got the explanation for you. Continue reading to find out why this herbal beverage is so popular.
The Benefits of Chamomile Tea
1. More Restful Sleep
If you ask your grandmother about the best method to fall asleep, she might suggest drinking a glass of warm milk. However, according to scientific evidence, chamomile may be a superior choice. This is because it contains apigenin, an antioxidant that promotes tiredness and can help with insomnia and other sleep issues.
Two studies have even shown the benefits of chamomile during the day and before bed. One of the research found that postpartum women who drank chamomile for two weeks had better sleep quality than those who didn’t. Another study looked at how quickly people could fall asleep. The results showed that people who took 270 mg of chamomile extract twice a day for 28 days slept 15 minutes faster than those who didn’t. There were also less sleep disturbances in the chamomile group.
2. Might Improve Your Gut Health
Despite the fact that the following studies employed rats as subjects, evidence suggests that chamomile may have digestive health benefits. The anti-inflammatory characteristics of chamomile extract, according to that study, may be able to protect against diarrhea. Additionally, chamomile may be an effective strategy to prevent the formation of germs that cause ulcers in our stomachs.
3. Immune Health Booster
Vitamin C and zinc are two common over-the-counter medications that individuals turn to when they want to stay healthy. While scientists acknowledge that more research is needed to confirm chamomile’s effectiveness in avoiding illnesses such as the common cold, the current research does indicate promise in this area.
In one experiment, 14 volunteers drank five cups of tea every day for two weeks. Researchers took daily urine samples throughout the study and examined the contents before and after the tea was consumed. The levels of hippurate and glycine, both of which are known to promote antibacterial activity, increased significantly after drinking chamomile tea. Nasal congestion can also be relieved by inhaling steam from a pot of freshly prepared chamomile tea.
4. Reduces Anxiety and Stress
Few things are more calming than cuddling up with a good cup of tea, so chamomile tea is a natural stress reliever. Long-term usage of chamomile has been demonstrated to “substantially” reduce general anxiety problems, despite the fact that it lacks the power of a pharmaceutical medicine. Chamomile tea, in general, has sedative properties, and many people appreciate it because it puts them in a calm and relaxed mood practically immediately.
5. Diabetes and Blood Sugar Control
Controlling blood sugar levels can be a life or death situation for diabetics. While chamomile will never be able to substitute prescription-strength medications, it is thought to help avoid blood sugar spikes. Chamomile was found to have a moderate effect on the long-term risk of diabetes in rats in a 2008 study.
6. It Has the Potential to Improve Your Skin
Have you ever wondered why there’s been such a surge in chamomile-infused cosmetics? Chamomile serves as an anti-inflammatory on our skin, which is why so many manufacturers now use it in their lotions, soaps, and creams. As a result, it may be able to alleviate the puffiness that affects us as we grow older. Those similar anti-inflammatory characteristics can help us recover from a sunburn and restore our skin’s health.
Try freezing your used chamomile tea bags and laying them over your eyes before throwing them away. This will not only help with puffiness, but it will also lighten the skin around the eyes.
7. Reduces Menstrual Cramps
This one might surprise you, especially if you’ve tried every over-the-counter period pain reliever you can think of. Several studies have shown that chamomile tea can help to reduce the pain and cramps associated with menstruation. Women in the same study reported lower levels of anxiety than they did when they had menstrual cramps.
8. Good For Heart Health
Flavones, which are abundant in chamomile tea, are some of the most helpful antioxidants we can put into our bodies. Flavones have the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which can lead to heart disease if they are high.
Takeaway
Now that you know so much about chamomile’s benefits, it’s no surprise that the tea is so popular among people of all ages. Chamomile, in addition to taste delicious, has health advantages for both the inside and outside of the body. Consider how healthy and natural vitamins, supplements, herbs, and oils might aid you in your quest for personal growth as you consider your own New Year’s resolutions.
