TeaChat

I am VERY fond of Rooibos. I've only discovered it in the last 8 or 9 months but I almost prefer it to my gallon a day "sweet tea" . I've been switching ingredients around and my current favorite bedtime blend is 2 parts rooibos; 1 part meadowsweet; 1 part chamomile. I let it steep about 5 or 6 minutes and add a touch of honey. (If I am feeling a bit under the weather, I might add a touch of Drambuie.) Makes me yawn just thinking about it. If anyone else has trouble sleeping, I'd love to hear stories of what is working for you.

Hmm well my boss swears by straight up chamomile but I'm not that fond of chamomile on its own. I recently tried the Foxtrot blend from Adagio, which is rooibos with chamomile and peppermint. Whoa it's good. Like serenity in a cup. With just enough zing to keep the blood flowing. Though I can't attest to its somnambulent qualities, because I go to bed so exhausted that no matter what I do it has no effect on whether or not I go to sleep, or how quickly. I just know that it is nice to start the winding-down process at night.

I like the Foxtrot, also, but my ulcer doesn't share my enthusiasm. In fact, it seems determined to keep me from any type of mint in anything I ingest. I also prefer very sweet. Must be a Southern thing.

keep in mind that due to its low tannin content, it is impossible to oversteep rooibos. in fact, the longer you steep the better. a 16 ounce mug with 2 teaspoons of rooibos steeped for half an hour makes my perfect sleep potion. it also makes one heck of a diuretic though

I make my own Foxtrot like blend only I use Spearmint instead of Peppermint, which not only works for me but tastes better in my opinion.

I like the Pretoria blend, but find Rooibos is the most potent 'straight-up' for sleepiness. I'm definately going to get some Vanilla blend from Adagio. Very reasonably priced, how did I not notice this before?!

for my sleepytime tummy troubles,
i noticed you said you had an ulcer

i feel you man....chamomile with rooibos with either honey or turbinado sugar does the trick for me.
i will warn you that the tannins in the rooibos may be upsetting your ulcer as may be the peppermint in large quantities.


and i totally understand the "sweet" desire. to me, anyway, adagio's chamomile has been very sweet and is only enhanced by honey filled goodness

Peppermint actually soothes my stomach but I don't have an ulcer (I don't think anyway) and I make it fairly weak. When I was pregnant and now when the hormones do crazy things to me or I get the flu, I always turn to peppermint tea. I love peppermint with rooibos vanilla and just a smidge of chocolate. It's so soothing and mellow at beddybye time. Chamomile with the rooibos vanilla is pretty good too. I've done a lot of mixing and need to start writing them down instead of just relying on my memory.

I'm new to the site and the drinking of loose leaf teas. I love the flavor of the plain rooibos and plan to try others in the future.

However, I drink rooibos first thing in the morning in place of my coffee now. So, I'm wondering if I should switch it to being a nighttime tea....any suggestions?

It's totally a personal matter of taste but a lot of people use rooibos in the evening because it doesn't have the caffeine. They use a lot of the chamomile blends because it does have a sleepy effect (at least on me it does- I better be ready for bed in the next 1/2hr after I drink it or I'm drifting off on the couch).

I gave up caffeine for Lent one year and had a 40 day headache. I now try to monitor my intake so as not to become so dependant on it. I will drink two or three cups of hot tea in the morning in place of coffee (which oddly enough, doesn't even taste good to me anymore). I stick with the rooibos or white tea after about 2 or 3 pm. My ulcer hates mint of any kind. I can't even pop a breath mint anymore. It's scary to think a body part can rule you that way. I found some slippery elm (it's a tummy soother) at a health food store and toss a bit in with my rooibos. I think this year for Lent, I'm gonna give up Peeps.

Yeah, peppermint isn't the best if you have ulcers because it relaxes the stomach sphincter and can allow stomach acid to reflux over an already irritated ulcer.

On the other hand, if you don't have an ulcer or gastric reflux, peppermint can actually be soothing to the stomach.

lgtnin wrote:It's scary to think a body part can rule you that way.

I, being male, can say that after a while you get used to it. *halo*

Personally, I love a glass of iced lemon mint (a type of mint, not a citrus/herb combo) rooibos. Well, technically it's plain rooibos. But the perk of living on 17 acres is that you can grow all sorts of fun things. Including eight varieties of mint, vegetables, and a few fruits here and there.
Mint is good for the digestive system in general because it relaxes the workings and lets things just pass through. It is bad for ulcered stomachs, as previously stated.

Though really, I could fall asleep just as easily after a glass of iced green tea. But it's a mental thing to be able to say, "Ha, I drink rooibos after 7 PM."