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Stress Less with This Kind of Tea


By Zap June 16, 2010, 08:05 ET

Next time you're feeling frazzled, cozy up to a nice warm cup of chamomile tea.

In a small study of people with anxiety, stress symptoms dropped by about 50 percent when German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) was taken daily for 8 weeks.

Calming Chamomile
In the study, people took anywhere from 220 to 1,100 milligrams of chamomile extract daily. But chamomile tea is another easy way to get a daily dose of this herbal remedy. Just steep 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons in hot water several times daily. And the nicest news of all? There were few side effects from chamomile in the small study; just one person experienced stomach upset. (Get answers to all your herbal-remedy concerns with this pageful of frequently asked questions.)

How Does It Work?
Researchers suspect that the flavonoids in chamomile could have something to do with the soothing effects. Or it could be that compounds in chamomile bind to the same receptors as antianxiety medications do. Chamomile may even affect the way certain brain chemicals act on nerves. Feeling stressed? Grab a cup of chamomile tea and double it up with one of these other soothers:

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