Every Autumn, I watch families shift from the free-flowing days of summer into the structure of school schedules and busy routines. The mornings get cooler, the wind picks up and sweaters come out of storage. Adjusting to new schedules along with the waning light and fluctuating temperatures calls for a little extra herbal care! 

After more than 35 years of helping folks weave herbs into daily life, I’ve noticed this late-summer-to-fall transition is an important time to focus on three things: keeping hydration steady, soothing frazzled nervous systems, and making immune care simple enough that you’ll actually do it. 

This is the season to set your herbal table. A jar of tea-blend ready to grab. A bottle of tangy, vitamin-rich herbal syrup waiting in the fridge. A nightly cup of calming tea that helps the whole household wind down. It’s not about doing everything, it’s about a few steady practices that support you through the back-to-school swirl. We'll be offering three easy herbal recipes in three different posts to support your family’s health this autumn: 

·       Fever-Ease Tea for when colds or fevers begin 

·       Chamomile Tea for calming nerves and getting better sleep 

·       Rose Hip Syrup for a daily tonic that nourishes 

Chamomile Tea Recipe for Sleep & Stress Relief 

Chamomile is one of the friendliest herbs I know. When I lived in Germany, I walked through fields of chamomile that came up to my waist. People there often said, alles zu trauen — you can trust chamomile with almost anything. 

That has been true in my home. A simple cup of chamomile tea in the evening can make all the difference. It helps kids settle into sleep, calms the nerves after busy school days, and even supports digestion when routines are changing and meals get rushed.  

Chamomile is a diuretic, so make sure to drink your chamomile tea earlier in the evening and not right before going to bed so it doesn’t wake you up in the night!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dried chamomile
• 8 oz just-boiled water
• Honey or maple syrup to taste and preference  

Directions: 

Steep 10 minutes, covered. Strain, sip warm, sweeten if you wish. 

Make it a Ritual 

Lights low. Devices down, screens off. Tea steeping around the same time every evening. Kids respond to rhythm, but honestly, adults do too. 

Putting it all together: 

Here’s how you can make these three recipes part of your week without adding more stress: 

Sunday: Mix a jar of Fever-Ease Tea, make a batch of Rose Hip Syrup, set chamomile by the tea pot.

Weekdays: After school drink warm water with Rose Hip Syrup. In the evening, chamomile tea for everyone. 

When someone feels off: Start small sips of Fever-Ease Tea and let the body rest. 

What makes these recipes work is finding some consistency. Rhythm is what builds resilience over time. But even if you just do one of these, label your jars, invite your kids to scoop and stir, and let the herbs become part of your family’s daily rhythm. Here’s to a grounded, cozy start to fall.

__________

Kami McBride is the author of The Herbal Kitchen and has taught herbal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. Her 35 years of teaching herbal medicine is steeped in helping people feel confident in their herbal healing arts skills so they can energize home culture that embraces taking care of our bodies with herbal remedies, a deep connection with the earth and an herbal wellness-centered lifestyle that passes this knowledge on to the next generation. Kami can be reached at www.kamimcbride.com