Mother’s Nature’s Nightcap Tea

Guaranteed to make you snore.

1 tablespoon chamomile flowers

1 large passionflower

1 teaspoon fresh lemon balm or fresh or dried lemon grass

1 tablespoon dried catmint or catnip.

1 drop pure vanilla extract

Steep in 1 1/2 cups of boiled water, covered, for 10 minutes. Strain and add vanilla.

Mild Energy Tonic for Fatigue

This is an excellent tonic for travelers or those recuperating from chronic illness or surgery.

1 tablespoon Siberian ginseng root

1 tablespoon ho shou wu (foti)

1 codonopsis dang shen root

2 slices (or 2 tablespoons ground root) astragalus yellow vetch

1 tablespoon suma root (optional)

Simmer all in 2 cups of water, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or tincture in brandy to cover for 1 month. Drink 1/2 cup of tea daily or dilute a teaspoon of tincture in boiled water. It is safe for elderly folks and children in half doses. For elderly folks, drink 1/4 cup of tea twice daily. Children over 10 years old may drink 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of diluted tea daily for 1 to 2 weeks of the month. If suma and Siberian ginseng are not available as roots, use a tablespoon of dried herbs or buy a tincture (an alcoholic tincture of these roots is often available in health food stores) and add a few drops to your tea.