“Sweet” Dreams are Made of Tart Cherry Tonic

During a recent trip to Mii Amo spa I explored all the delights their menu had to offer, including the juice and smoothie menu. There they had a few tonics listed: Wellness, Sleep and Energy, and who couldn’t use more of all three? I started with a drink to sleep well.

Since then, the sleep tonic in particular has settled into a recurring part of my evening routine as a home remedy for better sleep. This tonic works well in my evening routine for a couple of reasons, first, having a relaxing cup of tea (usually chamomile) was something I was used to. Second, this tonic makes a nice mocktail, so those nights where you feel like you might want to relax with a drink, but don’t want the sleep disruption that can occur, this drink fits the bill. I have found it easier to replace mid-week glass of wine with this natural sleep aid, and have seen the quality of my sleep improve, when I do.

The tonic is made of tart cherry juice, chamomile syrup and lavender top with sparkling water or club soda. Some major players in the sleep aid and relaxation department. Lavender is pretty much a relaxation staple, anyone who’s hung around a spa a time or two knows lavender is a frequent fragrance and aromatherapy scent at spas. Lavender is calming and can put you in a relaxed state. There is some evidence that shows the scent can lower heart rate and blood pressure. Similarly, chamomile has long been known as an herbal sleep remedy, and chamomile tea is often suggested to have before bed to sleep better. Chamomile can have a beneficial effect on the nervous system, and thus relaxes nerves. Chamomile and Lavender kind of go hand in hand like peas and carrots as far as relaxation goes.

It’s the addition of the tart cherry juice that really ups the sleep-inducing effects of this tonic, because tart cherries are rich in melatonin. In addition, tart cherry contains tryptophan and anthocyanin, which not only help the body create melatonin, but also lengthen its effect. Not only does the juice increase your melatonin levels, it helps your body make more, and makes that effect longer lasting, win-win!

As an added bonus, all three actually have anti-inflammation properties. Which means during the most import repair cycles going during your sleep, you are fighting inflammation. Better sleep and less inflammation, and there is also some evidence that suggests tart cherry juice may help with metabolism, and weight loss, specifically with belly fat. While this is still to be studied more thoroughly, I figure I will conduct my own study of one. 😉 Clearly a sleep tonic can have more benefits than just sleep, and at the very least, it can only help!!!!

I took an easier approach to replicating this tonic as a home remedy for sleep and to fight insomnia. I opted for a chamomile and lavender tea combination, since it saved me step. I created a very strong tea, basically using a few bags for a cup of water and letting it steep for a LONG time. This is because I wanted the chamomile and lavender flavors to come through after making the simple syrup.

For the simple syrup, I made this the traditional way, mixing equal parts of sugar with the chamomile-lavender tea. I know some people are concerned about sugar, and I don’t blame you. I limit sugar in almost everything else, and I only use about a Tablespoon or less of syrup at a time, so for my purposes, I feel that its ok. I haven’t experimented with using honey to make a simple syrup, although I know some people have. I plan to experiment with that in the future. But to start I went with what I had experience with, since I’ve made simple syrups before for any number of cocktail recipes. 😉 As I said, I take the all-things-in-moderation approach to food and drink, and a little bit of simple syrup made with sugar is fine for my purposes.

So for the tonic itself, I use store bought, but good quality tart cherry juice. This is because as a bedtime ritual and sleep aid, I don’t want to be worried about juicing fruit. And its easier to come by the tart cherry juice throughout the year, unlike the seasonal fresh fruit. Next, I add the chamomile-lavender simple syrup and then top it with club soda or sparkling water. The ratios are up to you and your preference. I already mentioned I use a tablespoon or less of simple syrup and I usually do a ration of 2 or 3:1 of soda water to juice. So a typical 8-oz drink might look like 2-3 ounces of tart cherry juice, and 1/2 -1 Tablespoon of syrup, and about 5-6 ounces of soda water.

Recipe as follows:

• Ingredients:
• 3-4 teabags of Chamomile-Lavender tea,
• 1 C Water,
• 1 C Sugar
• 1 Bottle Tart cherry juice.

1. Bring 1 cup of water to boiling, and remove from heat. Add chamomile-lavender tea as though you were making tea, but increase the amount, and let it steep for longer. I used about 3-4 teabags for 1 cup of water and let steep for about an hour.
2. After steeping, remove the teabags and return the tea to to heat and bring to a boil again. Once boiling add in 1 cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Once dissolved, you can remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool.
3. Once cool, I store the simple syrup in a jar in the refrigerator.
4. To make the tonic mix to taste tart cherry juice and the chamomile-lavender syrup. Top with soda water to taste. Garnish with a sprig of mint, especially if enjoying as a mocktail.

Enjoy and sweet dreams! Zzzzzzz.