Wellness drinkPrep time: 8 minServings: 1

Calm Blend Infusion with Honey and Lemon

Name: Calm Blend Infusion with Honey and Lemon
Prep time: 8 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1 tbsp calm blend (lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, passionflower); 1 cup hot water (95°C); 1 tsp honey; Squeeze of fresh lemon; Fresh lemon balm or mint leaves (optional)

Lemon balm, chamomile, lavender, and passionflower steeped five minutes under a lid, with honey and a squeeze of lemon: floral, herbal, and caffeine-free, for an afternoon pause.

This is the calm blend at its simplest: the four herbs steeped under a lid for five minutes, the catalog's time and temperature, then sweetened with a spoon of honey and brightened with lemon. Lemon balm and lavender carry the aroma, chamomile softens the cup, and passionflower adds a quiet, grassy base. There is no caffeine in it at any strength.

A spoon of honey and a squeeze of lemon lift the floral herbs and round off the cup, turning it into something to sip slowly during an afternoon break. The scent is half the pleasure — fragrant, floral and lemony before the first sip.

Steep it gently for about 5 minutes at 95 °C. Lavender is potent, so this short infusion keeps the cup balanced and fragrant rather than overly perfumed. Cover the cup while it steeps to hold in the aromatics.

Pour it whenever you want a pause with nothing in it to count. One note for the record: the European Medicines Agency's monographs on lemon balm, lavender and passionflower do not recommend those herbs under 12 or during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and chamomile's monograph lists hypersensitivity to the daisy family (Asteraceae) as a contraindication. This cup is a recipe, not any of those products — the full text of what each monograph says is on the Calm Blend page.