Relax with Tea: Traditional Medicinals Review + Giveaway

When I think of home, I see my mom sitting in her favorite old brown chair reading a book with a steaming mug of tea on the table next to her. From the time I was little, my mom would give me chamomile tea before bed to help me fall asleep. I am not embarrassed to say that I still ask her to make for me when I’m home (usually in a whiny, childish voice. No shame).We are a big tea family.

Drinking tea is something I continue to do nearly every night, not only because it is comforting but also because I do find that it does aide in my sleep patterns. Recently, I heard that some tea companies were putting some pretty yucky things in their tea. So, when Traditional Medicinals reached out to me asking if I wanted to try their Relaxation Kit, I was intrigued. After doing a bit of research and realizing that the kit included a nighttime chamomile tea made with organic, non-GMO ingredients, I knew I wanted to give the brand try. My mom also helped me test the teas!

Organic Easy Now

Benefits: This tea claims to help relieve tension and stress.* According to the company’s website, it will act “like your mellow best friend who tells you, ‘Easy now, tiger, everything’s going to be all right…'” I kind of love that description.

Herbal ingredients: The main notes of the tea are said to be chamomile, lavender, passionflower and catnip (<< I laughed at the catnip, to be honest!). I had no idea that different herbs had classifications, but the company notes that these herbs are called “nervines” because they’re said to help calm the nervous system.*

Taste: “A delightful blend of complex herbal tastes – floral, apple-like, and minty!”

What I Thought: Overall, I really enjoyed the Easy Now tea. The taste had a definite hint of mint, which I love in my teas. I could also taste the chamomile. I couldn’t taste the “apple-like” hints that it was supposed to have, but I don’t think that took away from the flavor at all. Sipping the tea did help me relax – but to be fair, most teas do that, unless they have caffeine (this one does not, which I love). My mom actually didn’t love this tea. She said that the mint was a bit overpowering for her and that she felt that flavor did the opposite of relax her. If you don’t prefer mint teas, this probably isn’t the one for you.

Would I Buy It? Yes.
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Organic Chamomile with Lavender

Benefits: This tea claims to help calm the digestive and nervous systems*, especially when they are under stress. It’s there to “stand by you,” per the website description.

Herbal ingredients: This tea combines lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender, among other ingredients like ginger root (<< I have heard good things about ginger + digestion) and roasted dandelion root. The main trio of ingredients comes together to hopefully help you to “slow down” and calm down.*

Taste: “Fragrantly floral and bittersweet!”

What I Thought: I drank this tea after lunch several times. I can attest that I felt calmer both digestively and mentally after drinking the tea, but honestly it wasn’t my favorite. I thought that the taste was more bitter than bittersweet – I think that everything overpowered the chamomile taste. Interestingly, my mom thought that it just tasted like regular chamomile tea.

Would I Buy It? Maybe, but it’s not my first choice.
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Organic Nighty Night

Benefits: This tea is supposed to help you relax in the name of a good night’s rest.*

Herbal ingredients: Passionflower is the main ingredient, which surprised me. I expected it to be chamomile, though chamomile is a part of the tea anyway. The other main herbs are linden flower and hops. All of these ingredients combine to “promote rest and relaxation.”*

Taste: “Minty, mildly bitter and sweet, with notes of citrus and spice.”

What I Thought: I loved this tea. I don’t think that I can go back to my old night time tea! I found this to taste nearly exactly like its description – I tasted definite hints of mint and a little spice, but it was balanced out by a slight bitterness. My mom also loved the tea and said that she liked it better than any “sleepy” variety of tea she’d had before.

Would I Buy It? Absolutely.

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I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to try these teas. I can guaran”tea” (haha) that Nighty Night will be making more appearances in my nightly ritual from now on. Do you want the chance to try these teas, too? Well you’re in luck because Traditional Medicinals has offered to send one of my readers a Relaxation Kit to try!

Here’s how to enter (due to shipping restrictions, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents… I’m sorry international friends!):

Mandatory: Leave a comment telling me how you like to relax before you go to sleep.

Optional (leave a separate comment for each way of entering telling me you did so):

• Like Nutty for Life on Facebook
• Follow me (@angiggy) on Twitter
• Like Traditional Medicinals on Facebook
• Follow me (@angiggy) on Instagram
• Tweet about the giveaway using this link in your tweet: bit.ly/1gvOck6 & tag me in the tweet

One Nutty for Life reader will win a Relaxation Kit. The giveaway is open until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, February 4, 2014.The winner will be drawn using Random.org and will be announced next Wednesday, February 5, 2014.
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*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Disclaimer: I received the Relaxation Kit from Traditional Medicinals free of charge. I chose to do the review of my own accord. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this post. Also, any physical benefits I felt from these teas are unique to me, and you may not have the same experience with them.

Question of the Day:
>> How do you like to relax before you go to sleep?