A tea that reaches in two directions at once: the damp, resinous earth of spikenard root anchored to the high floral lift of lavender, with star anise threading a sweet warmth between them. It settles the nervous system and coaxes the body toward sleep, grounding and lulling in the same sip.
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3 compounds carry this recipe. Here is what each one does and, where we have it, what it actually looks like.
The soft floral heart of lavender; it quiets the nervous system and lends the tea its calming, sleep-leaning lift above the earthy base.
The sweet licorice-anise principle of star anise; it rounds the bridge between root and flower and adds a gentle, settling warmth.
A sesquiterpene from spikenard root that carries its deep, resinous earthiness and its traditional quieting, sleep-inviting pull.
This recipe is part of a set: follow the thread through the blends it uses and what it's served with.
Pliny priced Indian nard at a hundred denarii a pound. Two thousand years later the same Himalayan rhizome is assessed as Critically Endangered, and its assessors report the Indian wild population down by more than eighty per cent in a decade.
