Chamomile Tea & Anxiety

In "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", Peter's mother gives her mischievious son a cup of chamomile tea after his run-in with Mr. Mcgregor. She's clearly a wise herbalist, as chamomile (Matricaria recutita) soothes jangled nerves.
Researchers in Philadelphia, who published a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, are the latest group to confirm this application. They gave 57 people suffering from severe anxiety either a placebo or chamomile extract (220 mg/day to a maximum of 1,100 mg/day). After eight weeks, those using chamomile showed significantly less anxiety.
Most people consider chamomile the go-to-herbal tea, using it sometimes to help with sleep. But this herb has a centuries old application as a "nervine," an herb that calms the nervous system. Try drinking a cup of strong chamomile before any event that might make you nervous, such as a job interview or a presentation at work. And, of course, if insomnia poses a problem, try drinking a cup of strong chamomile tea an hour before bed.

Source: The Herb Quarterly Summer 2010