Teas for Calmness (& To Reduce Stress and Anxiety)

What kinds of tea can generate calmness and reduce anxiety? Discover what the science says about teas and how key herbs can promote a sense of calm.

Tea for Calmness: 10 Teas to Calm Stress and Anxiety

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I am a huge tea drinker. But a couple of years ago I discovered that the teas I was drinking were likely contributing to stress overload and I set out on a journey to find teas for calmness. Here are the teas that science says can help promote a sense of calm.

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1. Passionflower Tea

Research has shown that passionflower can improve sleep [1] and help people better manage anxiety [2]. I find passionflower a bit bitter and so I mix it with other teas. Check out passionflower tea on Amazon.

2. Peppermint Tea

The smell of peppermint tea may help reduce depression and anxiety [3]. Check out peppermint tea on Amazon.

3. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is long thought to be a soothing, calming tea. Indeed, research suggests that long term use of chamomile can reduce anxiety symptoms [4]. Check out chamomile tea on Amazon.

4. Dandelion Root Tea

Dandelion root tea isn't often considered a calming tea, but if you've been stressed for a long time, dandelion tea may be exactly what you need. It helps cleanse the liver and increase bile production. So if your stress has been messing with your digestion or your life, try dandelion tea.

Check out dandelion tea on Amazon. Here's a loose dandelion tea that I like. And here's the bulk dandelion tea, which is what I get now so that I can drink it every day to detox stress.

5. Ayurvedic Detox tea

Another one of my favorite calming teas is Ayurvedic detox tea. It's a mix of herbs that help the body detox. And when the body has less toxins to deal with, it can relax more easily. Check out Ayurvedic detox tea on Amazon.

6. Lavender Tea

Lavender has been linked to stress reduction and calmness. But it's important to keep in mind that lavender may have estrogenic properties [5]. So if you have any signs of estrogen dominance or other hormonal issues, you might want to stay away from lavender. Here's Lavender tea on Amazon.

7. Lemon Balm Tea (Melissa Tea)

Lemon balm appears to effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. It appears to work by boosting GABA [6]. So if you think your anxiety is related to low GABA, Lemon balm tea may be a good tea for you. Check out lemon balm tea on Amazon.

8. Ashwaganda Tea

Ashwaganda is an adaptogen. Adaptogens are herbs that are thought to be effective in reducing stress and anxiety. This is why Ashwaganda tea may indeed be a good tea for calmness. Check out Ashwaganda tea on Amazon.

9. Milk Thistle Tea

Milk thistle is another detox herb that can help the body rid itself of toxins. So although the calmness inducing effects might not be immediate, milk thistle can help reduce stress in the body. Check out milk thistle tea on Amazon.

10. Green Tea

Green tea is high in l-theanine, an amino acid that might reduce anxiety [7]. However, green tea is high in caffeine, and caffeine is a known anxiety producer. Green tea is also high in quercetin. Because quercetin has catechol structure, it is processed by our bodies in the same way as epinephrine and norepinephrine. If our bodies are busy processing quercetin, we may have a hard time processing these other stress chemicals, especially if we have the slow COMT gene, which slows down this process. Personally, green tea increases my worries and even gave me a panic attack once. So we might choose an l-theanine supplement instead, or at least opt for decaf green tea. Here's decaf green tea on Amazon.

Hopefully, this list helped you find some teas for calmness.

References

1. Ngan, A., & Conduit, R. (2011). A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled investigation of the effects of Passiflora incarnata (passionflower) herbal tea on subjective sleep quality. Phytotherapy Research, 25(8), 1153-1159.
2. Dantas, L. P., de Oliveira-Ribeiro, A., de Almeida-Souza, L. M., & Groppo, F. C. (2017). Effects of passiflora incarnata and midazolam for control of anxiety in patients undergoing dental extraction. Medicina oral, patologia oral y cirugia bucal, 22(1), e95.
3. Vaezi, A. A., Parizi, S., Vahidi, A. R., & Tavangar, H. (2017). Study the effect of inhalation of peppermint oil on depression and anxiety in patients with myocardial infarction who are hospitalized in intensive care units of Sirjan. Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2(62), 55-62.
4. Mao, J. J., Xie, S. X., Keefe, J. R., Soeller, I., Li, Q. S., & Amsterdam, J. D. (2016). Long-term chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine, 23(14), 1735-1742.
5. Ramsey, J. T., Li, Y., Arao, Y., Naidu, A., Coons, L. A., Diaz, A., & Korach, K. S. (2019). Lavender products associated with premature thelarche and prepubertal gynecomastia: case reports and endocrine-disrupting chemical activities. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 104(11), 5393-5405.
6. Yoo, D. Y., Choi, J. H., Kim, W., Yoo, K. Y., Lee, C. H., Yoon, Y. S., ... & Hwang, I. K. (2011). Effects of Melissa officinalis L.(lemon balm) extract on neurogenesis associated with serum corticosterone and GABA in the mouse dentate gyrus. Neurochemical research, 36(2), 250-257.
7. Higashiyama, A., Htay, H. H., Ozeki, M., Juneja, L. R., & Kapoor, M. P. (2011). Effects of l-theanine on attention and reaction time response. Journal of Functional Foods, 3(3), 171-178.

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