If you want to get a good night’s sleep, it’s a good idea to limit drinks like strong coffee or alcohol and, conversely, invest in foods that will ensure restful sleep. One of them is Moon Milk. An ancient drink that is gaining more and more popularity in the modern wellness world.
In Ayurveda, which translates from Sanskrit as “the science of life” and is one of the oldest healing systems in the world, warm milk is used to relieve occasiol insomnia. Hence the so-called moon milk. an elixir that combines warm milk with spices and/or herbs and has a warming and soothing effect. This is a kind of modernized and simplified version of the classic Ayurvedic preparation, in which selected medicil herbs are extracted in water with milk and thereby enhance their beneficial effect.
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Ingredients that will make you sleep peacefully
The advantage of monthly milk is that it is very flexible. You can fully customize it to suit your taste preferences and what is at hand. The type of milk, herbs, spices and resulting consistency can be varied. Let’s go through the individual ingredients in order:
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Milk
A creamy base without which this drink could not exist. It is recommended to choose whole cow’s milk, which, among other things, contains two compounds that promote relaxation and good sleep – tryptophan and melatonin. Interestingly, when cows are milked at night, their milk contains higher levels of both tryptophan and melatonin. Perhaps that is why the drink is called “Moon Milk”. If you have trouble digesting milk sugar, you can use lactose-free or plant-based milk. It’s great, for example almond, which, in addition to tryptophan and melatonin, is also a good source of magnesium, it is not for nothing that it is called a magical mineral. It plays a key role in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. It affects almost everything from energy metabolism and stress magement to hormol balance, detoxification, protein production and restful sleep. You can also use oat, nut or coconut milk.
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warming spice
Spices like turmeric, cinmon, nutmeg, ginger, saffron or cardamom You can also find them in the popular golden milk recipe, and the moon milk recipe uses them for their warming properties and other sleep-promoting effects. For example, ginger and turmeric help to better cope with stress. As for turmeric, it is desirable to use it combined with black pepper. Nutmeg also reduces stress and tension and is used in Ayurveda mainly during the colder months.
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Herbs
There are many herbs that promote restful sleep. Many of them, however, have a rather harsh taste, such as cardamom or lemon balm, which may not work well in combition with milk. On the other hand, there are still quite a few herbs that are good in this regard. One of the most popular is ashwagandha or Indian ginseng. This plant, used in traditiol Indian medicine, belongs to adaptogens, that is, substances that help to adapt to stress. This has been linked to improved mood and concentration, feelings of calmness and peace, deep sleep, and relief from PMS symptoms. Its Latin common me somnifera translates to “sleep inducing”. Ayurveda calls ashwagandha rasaya, or “an herb that deeply rejuvetes and promotes longevity.” You can take it in the morning before a busy day and also in the evening to help you fall asleep.
Other herbs that calm the nerves, help you sleep better and are suitable for moon milk are, for example, hchamomile, lavender, rose petals or flowers of the Clitoria tertea plant, known in English as Butterfly pea flower, which also give the drink a beautiful blue color. After all, you can conjure with the color of moon milk in other ways. If you search on Instagram, you will definitely find green moon milk colored with matcha powder, pink with beetroot extract, and the mentioned turmeric can give the milk a beautiful yellow color.
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sweetener
How you sweeten your monthly milk depends on your taste. It’s perfect coppercan be used coconut sugar, maple syrup or agave syrupor another healthier altertive to classic sugar.
- some fat
Some active substances from spices are better absorbed by the body in combition with fat. This will provide milk, but if you want the drink to be creamier, you can add a little more at the very end. unrefined coconut oil or ghee butter.
As beneficial as moon milk is, it is best approached as a tural remedy that works a little differently for everyone. This, of course, is not a universal miracle drink that is guaranteed to put you to sleep soundly. While some people do fall asleep after a cup of hot milk after a few minutes, others may not feel any effect.
Basic cooking instructions
As mentioned above, the moon milk recipe can be varied in many ways. Base but the procedure is always the same. Pour milk into a saucepan, add spices and herbs and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid and let it steep for 5-10 minutes. Then strain the milk into a mug, add honey or other sweetener of your choice and coconut oil or ghee for extra creaminess and stir. Serve warm.
We have three different ingredient combitions to inspire you:
Delicious moon milk
- 1 and 1/4 cups of milk
- 1/4 teaspoon ashwagandha powder
- 1 chamomile tea bag (or 1 teaspoon loose chamomile)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- honey or sweetener to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil (optiol)
Simple moon milk with nutmeg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- a pinch of ground cinmon or cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil
- honey or other sweetener to taste
Moon milk with turmeric and ashwagandha
- 1 and 1/4 cups of milk
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ashwagandha powder
- a pinch of ground ginger, cinmon and black pepper
- honey or other sweetener to taste
- 1 chamomile tea bag (or 1 teaspoon loose chamomile)
- 1-2 teaspoons ghee or coconut oil
Source: Blesk