How to Make Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea

SERVINGS: 1

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

MEAL: DRINK

STYLE: MIDDLE-EASTERN, AYURVEDIC

PREPARATION: TEA, BOILED

EAT IN: AUTUMN-WINTER

FOR OCCASION: BED-TIME

How Does This Ayurvedic Recipe Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Retreat into Sleep

Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea will gently lull you into a comforting dreamscape. Memories of insomnia drift into the shadows as you replenish your body and mind with this creamy navy-speckled tea. Imagine the comfort of snuggling beneath a soft blanket, pulling it up over your ears, and sinking into its peaceful warmth. This is the sensational calm offered by a steaming cup of Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea.

Nutty, grounding, and sweet, each element of this tea is carefully chosen to create the coziness you crave in early fall. Shiny, blue-black poppy seeds and rich nutmeg are quietly intoxicating, bringing your turning mind to a pleasant rest. Ground-up poppy seeds create an oil-rich paste that is dark & earthy, a substance that embodies night's stillness and nurturing yin. Aromatic cardamom and heating honey moves soothing warmth throughout your tired body. When steeped in rich whole milk, this tea becomes the soothing restorative you've been dreaming of for ages. The next time you can't sleep, pull on your favorite slippers, shuffle to the kitchen, and make a cup of Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea. You'll be drifting off to dreamland in no time.

Soothing Sleep Aid

Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea is an effective remedy for occasional and chronic insomnia. Sleeplessness becomes an issue in times of high stress, anxiety, transition, and the windy fall. Inspire the calm stillness of a winter's night, comfortably wrapped in the deep blackness of a new moon, with this sleepy time tea. Poppy seeds contain small amounts of opium alkaloids, while opium is derived from the milky sap of unripe poppy flower pods. The seeds contain much less of the narcotic alkaloids but are calming none the less. At such small doses, poppy seeds are a safe sedative that actually strengthen and calm your nerves, and were historically recommended tonics for pregnant women, nursing women, and children. When combined with nutmeg, another mild sedative, Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea becomes the ideal sleep aid for sleepless nights.

Strengthens and Restores

Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea is a serene tonic for those who feel chronically depleted and worn down. Poppy seeds are extremely rich in minerals and oils, and are known to restore the body. According to Chinese Medicine, their deep blue color indicates that they strengthen the kidneys, which is fundamental for building vibrancy and vitality. Since poppys contains moisturizing oils, adding them into your diet will nourish and tone your skin. Steeping your poppy seeds in nourishing milk increases this tea's tonifying abilities - called a "rasayana" in Ayurveda. An effective nourishing tonic such as this tea will relax your central nervous system, putting your body in "rest and digest" mode, so your body can use its energy to rebuild strength and resilience.

The added warmth of honey and cardamom helps those with weak digestion to enjoy all the comfort offered by this soothing tea. If Sleepy Time Tea still feels too heavy, add a pinch of ginger, or pippali (long pepper) to heat things up. Alternatively, use almond milk instead of cow's milk to lighten this drink.

Melt Your Worries

As fall moves in, evenings become cooler and cooler, while wind shakes dry leaves from the trees. Perhaps you hear dry branches scratching against your windowpane after a gust of wind, or maybe you hear the crunch of newly fallen leaves beneath your feet. The harsh, cool, and changing landscape brings disquiet to the mind, increase Vata dosha. Your fall mind is like the sapless leaves blowing in the wind: restless and unable to settle. Poppy seeds are known for their ability to strengthen and calm nerves, and melt away your worries and stress. Worry-filled fall nights are made for grounding Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea, which will wrap you in sensations of warm, soothing comfort.

Pain Relief

Poppy seeds are also known as a mild painkiller and muscle relaxant. Mildly sedative and analgesic, poppy seeds and nutmeg soften the harsh edge of chronic pain so you can relax enough to finally sleep. They are anti-spasmodic, meaning that poppy seeds have a special ability to allow muscles to relax, another element that helps soften muscle twitches, headaches, joint pain, painful digestion, and even toothaches. In fact, pain relief is the main use of poppy seeds in Chinese medicine.

Remedy for Diarrhea

Poppy seeds with nutmeg are an especially useful combination in diarrhea. Carminatives and appetizers like fennel seeds, saffron, and cardamom (our aromatic of choice in this recipe) address poor digestion, which is the root cause of deficiency-based diarrhea. When your body feels exhausted, the spleen can no longer sustain its "holding" function according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The result is often diarrhea; your body can't retain stools long enough to absorb water and minerals. Poppy seeds are mildly astringent and high in fiber, enabling your colon to absorb more water from the stool. Deficiency diarrhea creates a dangerous loop - it creates more deficiency, which creates more severe insomnia. Since deficiency and insomnia go hand in hand, Poppy Seed Sleepytime Tea is an excellent remedy to break the cycle, helping you gain strength which will in turn improve sleep quality and absorption of your food.

Sometimes diarrhea is caused by hot, inflamed stomach and intestinal linings. The cold quality of this formula soothes these heat conditions, allowing you to digest your food, pain-free. Lastly, the antispasmodic properties of both poppy seeds and nutmeg helps relax intestinal cramping for comfortable peristalsis (the gentle wave of the intestines that moves a stool towards elimination). In Chinese medicine, poppy seeds are used to tonify and strengthen the large intestine which leads to improved digestion and better absorption.

Helpful for Cough

Harsh, dry coughs can harm the delicate tissues of the lungs over extended periods of time. The sedative and antispasmodic properties of this tea will relax and quiet your lungs, while plentiful oils will nourish injured lung tissue. Cardamom will improve circulation and ease difficult breathing while honey helps relieve congestion.

WHAT IS POPPY SEED SLEEPY TIME TEA?

Warm & relaxing. Aromatic cardamom balances the grounding tones of nutmeg and poppy seeds. This recipe is a gentle sedative if you are having a hard time falling asleep.

AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT

Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances. With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you. Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature. By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health. See How it Works.

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

INCREASES Increases These Biocharacteristics (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	COLD ABOUT COLD BIOCHARACTERISTIC Cold refers to anything that reduces body temperature, metabolism, and blood flow. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLD OILY ABOUT OILY BIOCHARACTERISTIC In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily. LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY BIOCHARACTERISTIC Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET ASTRINGENT ABOUT ASTRINGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying. LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types According to the biocharacteristic theory of medicine, people tend to get sick, over and over again, due to habitual causes and imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. They are easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. They tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. If they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Anabolic people tend to be stable and grounded. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	Subtaste: Bland BLAND Bland means doesn't have much taste. In Chinese medicine, bland taste refers to afood without little macronutrients, such as cabbage, radish or bok choy. SEE ALL 'BLAND' FOODS / HERBS , Crunchy CRUNCHY Makes an audible noise when you eat them. Can provide fun texture variation. SEE ALL 'CRUNCHY' FOODS / HERBS , Aromatic AROMATIC Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues. SEE ALL 'AROMATIC' FOODS / HERBS Moves Energy: Inward INWARD Inward moving substances promote introspection, self reflection, stillness, or slow the system down. SEE ALL 'INWARD' FOODS / HERBS , Downward DOWNWARD Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles. SEE ALL 'DOWNWARD' FOODS / HERBS Tissue (dhatu): Reproductive REPRODUCTIVE Reproductive tissue (Shukra/Artava Dhatu) includes male and female reproductive organs. SEE ALL 'REPRODUCTIVE' FOODS / HERBS , Fat FAT Fat tissue (Meda Dhatu) includes adipose tissue and sebum (skin oil). SEE ALL 'FAT' FOODS / HERBS , Bone BONE Bone tissue (Asthi Dhatu) includes the bones, hair, and nails. SEE ALL 'BONE' FOODS / HERBS , Blood Plasma Lymph BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph. SEE ALL 'BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH' FOODS / HERBS , Muscle MUSCLE Muscle tissue (Mamsa Dhatu) includes muscles and ligaments. SEE ALL 'MUSCLE' FOODS / HERBS , Nerves NERVES Marrow tissue (Majja Dhatu) includes bone marrow and nervous tissue. SEE ALL 'NERVES' FOODS / HERBS
HERBAL ACTIONS (see all)	Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Poppy Seed Sleepy Time Tea Experiences are Personal Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition. Digestion: Appetite Suppressant APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT Suppresses hunger without causing weight gain. SEE ALL 'APPETITE-SUPPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS , Quenches Thirst QUENCHES-THIRST An herb or substance that relieves thirst. SEE ALL 'QUENCHES-THIRST' FOODS / HERBS , Carminative CARMINATIVE Stimulates the release of gas. Helpful for bloating or cramping abdominal pain. Propels food downward. Carminatives typically expel gas by relaxing the muscles of the intestines. SEE ALL 'CARMINATIVE' FOODS / HERBS Bowel Health: Relieves Burning RELIEVES-BURNING Herbs that soothe a burn or reduce an internal burning sensation, such as aloe vera. SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-BURNING' FOODS / HERBS , Constipative CONSTIPATIVE An herb that binds stools / stops diarrhea. When used in excess, these herbs and foods can cause constipation. SEE ALL 'CONSTIPATIVE' FOODS / HERBS Mind, Stress & Sleep: Makes You Tired MAKES-YOU-TIRED Induces drowsiness and promotes sound sleep. SEE ALL 'MAKES-YOU-TIRED' FOODS / HERBS , Nerve Relaxant Grounding NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts. SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS , Relaxes Eyes RELAXES-EYES Eases tension in eye muscles, so the eyes feel less strained, often by supporting the liver. SEE ALL 'RELAXES-EYES' FOODS / HERBS , Stimulates Base Of Skull STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL Creates a feeling of awareness or tension in the area at the base of the skull. SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-BASE-OF-SKULL' FOODS / HERBS , Analgesic ANALGESIC Pain reliever, reduces pain without eliminating sensation. Also known as anodyne. SEE ALL 'ANALGESIC' FOODS / HERBS , Sedative SEDATIVE Sedative herbs create a sense of calm in the mind and body by specifically calming or quieting the nervous system. Excellent for anxiety, stress and chronic pain. SEE ALL 'SEDATIVE' FOODS / HERBS , Nervine NERVINE Balances the nervous system. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer's, and even chronic pain. Often they are aromatic in nature. SEE ALL 'NERVINE' FOODS / HERBS , Anxiolytic ANXIOLYTIC Herbs that help people suffering from anxiety or panic. They promote a state of calm and often improve sleep. Most anxiolytic herbs are also nervines. SEE ALL 'ANXIOLYTIC' FOODS / HERBS Energy Vitality: Builds Stamina BUILDS-STAMINA Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion. SEE ALL 'BUILDS-STAMINA' FOODS / HERBS , Stimulates Energy STIMULATES-ENERGY This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs. SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-ENERGY' FOODS / HERBS , Satisfies Stomach SATISFIES-STOMACH Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach. SEE ALL 'SATISFIES-STOMACH' FOODS / HERBS , Nutritive NUTRITIVE An herb that is strengthening and nourishing. SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS , Tonic TONIC A tonic herb restores function through strengthening tissue. This can happen through a combination of nourishing the tissue, and invigorating tissue metabolism. The tonic should not be withering, as in caffeine. SEE ALL 'TONIC' FOODS / HERBS Skin Care & Beauty: Soothing SOOTHING Calms and alleviates irritation, discomfort or pain in a particular region. SEE ALL 'SOOTHING' FOODS / HERBS , Diaphoretic DIAPHORETIC An herb that induces sweating, often by dilating blood vessels close to the skin. SEE ALL 'DIAPHORETIC' FOODS / HERBS , Demulcent DEMULCENT Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. SEE ALL 'DEMULCENT' FOODS / HERBS Respiratory-Health: Soothes Throat SOOTHES-THROAT Soothes throat discomfort, including from a sore or ticklish throat. SEE ALL 'SOOTHES-THROAT' FOODS / HERBS , Antitussive ANTITUSSIVE Cough suppressant, particularly for dry coughs or a tickle in your throat. SEE ALL 'ANTITUSSIVE' FOODS / HERBS Heart & Circulation: Calms Heart CALMS-HEART An herb that literally calms the heart. These herbs are helpful in the treatment of anxiety, sadness, depression, or other emotional imbalances in the heart. Related to the Chinese Herbal Category 'calms spirit.' SEE ALL 'CALMS-HEART' FOODS / HERBS , Styptic STYPTIC A herb that contracts tissue or blood vessels. Generally styptics are astringent. They are often used topically as a hemostatic to stop bleeding, or to reduce secretions. SEE ALL 'STYPTIC' FOODS / HERBS Kidney & Urinary: Diuretic DIURETIC Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure. SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS Strength, Muscle Health: Muscle Relaxant MUSCLE-RELAXANT Herbs that relax muscles. Helpful for chronic pain or tension as well as healing from physical trauma. SEE ALL 'MUSCLE-RELAXANT' FOODS / HERBS , Relieves Tension RELIEVES-TENSION An herb that releases tightness, constriction, and rigidity in a muscle. SEE ALL 'RELIEVES-TENSION' FOODS / HERBS , Antispasmodic ANTISPASMODIC Herbs that reduce or inhibit muscle spasms or cramping, such as in asthma, menstruation, hear palpitations, migraine, or IBS. SEE ALL 'ANTISPASMODIC' FOODS / HERBS , Muscle Tonic MUSCLE-TONIC Herbs that strengthen and tone muscle tissue. Helpful for people recovering from long term illness and debility, or after a sprain. SEE ALL 'MUSCLE-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS Constituents: Fats, Calcium CALCIUM Calcium nourishes bones and muscles. A muscle cell is activated when calcium enters the cell. It relaxes when the calcium is secreted. SEE ALL 'CALCIUM' FOODS / HERBS , Zinc, Insoluble Fiber, Vitamin D, Coumarin COUMARIN Moderately toxic, vascular tonic, hypotensive, and anti-inflammatory. SEE ALL 'COUMARIN' FOODS / HERBS , Phosphorous, Melatonin, Aromatase Inhibitor AROMATASE-INHIBITOR Blocks estrogen synthesis by inhibiting conversion of progesterone and testosterone into estrogen. SEE ALL 'AROMATASE-INHIBITOR' FOODS / HERBS

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Joyful Belly is a recognized school of biocharacteristics medicine.