Times are weird, y’all! I feel like I’ve been living in the twilight zone and don’t think I’m the only one. Stress and anxiety have been running high for months. The uncertainty with our country, the world, economy, and our health is causing quite a lot of turmoil. This can in turn cause disruptions in our sleep patterns.

Personally, I’ve dealt with sleep issues most of my life. As a little kid I struggled to fall asleep, my mind racing about what I did that day or the day to come. When I was around 9-10 my grandmother brought over some Ovaltine; she read somewhere that could help. Now I’m not sure if it did a darn thing (likely not), but the point is that it’s always been a source of anguish for me. Perhaps it was just shear type A personality or maybe my gut health was already compromised, we’ll never fully know.

There are many health factors that an impact our sleep including digestive issues, hormone disruption, diabetes, insulin resistant, and the list goes on and on. Addressing the root cause of ones sleep disturbance is of course first and foremost. The ingredients in this recipe can benefit all of those problems!

Ashwagandha is a medicinal herb that’s been used for thousands of years. Benefits of this ancient plant include reduced anxiety and stress, improved depression, sexual function, fertility, stamina, balanced blood sugar, and boosted immune system.

Note: Ashwagandha is generally safe for most people, except pregnant women. The herb has been known to induce early delivery.

Cinnamon is beneficial in balancing blood sugar levels, high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, all which can benefits condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Ginger also has anti-inflammatory benefits, along with aiding in digestion, strengthening immune system, relieving nausea and pain, blood sugar regulator, and lowering blood pressure.

Turmeric is widely known for its anti-inflammatory properties, with over 12,500 peer reviewed articles published about its incredible benefits! It can useful in boosting skin health, natural pain reliever, managing diabetes, reducing IBD, regulating cholesterol, and detoxification.

There are a lot of different “moon milk” sleep enhancing products on the market these days, most containing ingredients similar to these and easy to find. This recipes calls for many that you probably already have in the cabinet. The ashwagandha might be a new one, but it can also be easy to find at your local health food store or online.

Moon Milk Latte

Makes 18 Lattes

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp ashwagandha powder
• 2 tbsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 tbsp ginger, ground
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp turmeric
• sprinkle of pepper (to help absorption of the curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in jar. Mix well.
2. Add 1 tsp before bed to warm non-dairy milk. Combine well with a fork, tiny whisk, or blender. Option to add a bit of maple syrup or date syrup to sweeten it up at bit. You can also sprinkle some cinnamon on top and/or add edible flowers to enhance the presentation. 🙂
3. Enjoy!

 print