Chamomile Tea

Tanya Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

A low histamine chamomile tea with dried chamomile flowers, water, and a teaspoon of honey.

Prep 2 min

Cook 8 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dried chamomile flowers (or 1 plain chamomile tea bag)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon honey, to taste (optional, or maple syrup)

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil, then take it off the heat and let it stand for about 30 seconds.
2. Put the dried chamomile flowers in a tea infuser, a small teapot, or straight into the mug.
3. Pour the hot water over the flowers and cover the mug with a saucer.
4. Steep for 5 minutes. Go up to 8 minutes if you want a stronger cup, and taste at 5 to decide.
5. Lift out the infuser, or strain loose flowers through a fine mesh sieve into a second mug.
6. Stir in the honey until it dissolves and drink it hot.

Tips & Substitutions

• Read the box before you buy bags. A plain bag is fine, but a lot of what is sold as chamomile tea is a blend with lavender, hibiscus, or dried fruit peel mixed in. Turn the box over and look for one ingredient on the list: chamomile.
• Loose flowers give a fuller cup. Whole dried flowers have more of the plant in them than the fine dust in most bags, and one tablespoon per cup is the standard measure. Buy them from a shop with turnover and keep them in a sealed jar out of the light.
• Cover the cup while it steeps. A saucer over the mug keeps the heat and the aroma in the water instead of on your kitchen ceiling, and it makes a noticeable difference over five minutes.
• Chamomile is in the daisy family. If you react to ragweed, daisies, marigolds, or chrysanthemums, chamomile is a close relative and may not be for you. Talk to your doctor before making it a habit, especially if you are pregnant.
• Many people drink it in the evening. Chamomile is caffeine-free, which is why it turns up on most lists of bedtime teas. When you drink it is up to you.
• Lemon balm is the other evening herb. If chamomile is not for you, or you want to alternate, lemon balm tea steeps the same way from fresh or dried leaves.
• Make it creamy. Steep the same flowers in coconut milk instead of water for a chamomile honey latte.

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Why This Works

Dried chamomile flowers. Generally considered low histamine and one of the herbal teas most often kept on a restricted diet. It is caffeine-free, with a soft, apple-like flavor. Tolerance varies, as does sensitivity to anything in the daisy family.

Honey. Commonly tolerated as a sweetener and enough on its own to round out chamomile without covering it. Individual tolerance to sweeteners varies, so start with a teaspoon and adjust from there. Maple syrup is the vegan swap.

Single-ingredient sourcing. The flowers are the whole recipe, so where you buy them is most of the quality. Fresh, well-stored stock beats a box that has been open in a cupboard for two years.

Storage

Drink chamomile tea within the hour it was steeped. Do not leave the flowers sitting in the water past about ten minutes, since a long steep turns the cup bitter. Make what you will drink now. If any is left, cover it, refrigerate it, and finish it within the day, rewarmed gently or poured over ice. Keep dried flowers in an airtight jar away from heat and light, where they hold their flavor for about a year.