Chamomile Flower

My preschooler has never slept an entire night since the moment she was born. Sure, you may think that most children don't sleep solidly all night long. Well, you haven't spent a week with my daughter. She is awake at least three times each night. I've tried almost every trick you can imagine to get this child to sleep. Finally, after enlisting the help from her pediatrician for the millionth time, she recommended hot tea with chamomile flower. I was really skeptical about that, afterall, doesn't tea have caffeine in it? This isn't a child that needs any more caffeine or sugar than necessary. The pediatrician assured me that tea made from the chamomile flower does not contain caffeine and would help to induce sleep and relaxation. She also assured me that parents have used it for teething children and its perfectly safe.

Since my daughter is a little girl in every way imaginable, I decided that we'd turn this new experiment into an adventure. I set up a little tea party for her about thirty minutes before her bedtime. She loved the mere thought of it. Her first taste made her face twist into a look of displeasure. Apparently, chamomile flowers don't make very good tasting tea. Nonetheless, she did manage to drink about half of her cup, and indeed, she seemed to be rubbing her eyes a bit more than she usually does. I was ecstatic. She slept about half of the night, and then continued her usual escapade of nightly wakings.

I personally have discovered some interesting uses for the chamomile flower. Not only does it help to induce sleep, but it can be used as a relaxant for stress and anxiety. It also helps to alleviate pain from swellings, perhaps from arthritis or injuries. Chamomile tea actually helped me when I had my lovely monthly cramps.

A friend of mine who is a chef, often times uses the chamomile flower in some of her creations. She claims it's a tasty way to add flavor to salads. I personally don't find the idea of eating flowers appealing, but since it is edible, some people may find it to be somewhat of a delicacy. This same friend said that she dries the chamomile flowers that she doesn't use, and turns them into a heavenly smelling potpourri. Apparently, dried chamomile flowers can be used as a form of insect repellant as well, though I can't imagine how in the world that would work.

My mother found out that I was trying chamomile tea for my daughter's sleep issues, and she simply smiled. She informed me that back in the middle ages, the chamomile flower was used as a love potion. I'll have to keep that in mind the next time my daughter is throwing a temper tantrum and claiming to hate me. I could always turn her nightly tea into a magical love potion and bid farewell to the ever so familiar moments of discontentment. For the time
being though, I'll stick to attempting to lull her into a night of sleepy bliss.

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