Tart Cherry Sleep Elixir
Elevate your bedtime ritual to a whole new restful state.
I created this recipe at a time in my life when perimenopause had crept into my world and my business shifted to being online. My once-reliable sleep started doing its own thing. The blue light streaming from screens all day, and my hormones having their own private party, were like a double whammy.
Now, I could have reached for a sleep aid, but that’s not really my style. Instead, I dove into what I call “micro-dosing nutrients” — small, consistent ways to add in nutrients that support the shift or quality of life I want to cultivate. And for this micro-dosing adventure, sleep was the name of the game.
So, I started combing through research for foods that actually help with sleep, and tart cherries kept showing up at the top of every list.
Turns out there’s a good reason for that.
Tart cherries are one of the few foods that are naturally high in melatonin — one of the hormones that controls our sleep-wake cycle. And the research? Pretty compelling. One study found that people drinking just one ounce of tart cherry juice a day had higher melatonin levels and better sleep quality.
But here’s what really caught my attention: a pilot study with people 50 and older (hello, my people!) showed that two servings of tart cherry juice daily extended sleep time by 84 minutes per night. Just imagine - that’s around 40 extra hours of sleep per month! It’s like having a full-time job of nothing but sleep for an entire week. And since sleep is like a daily detox for your brain, that’s a good thing!
Plus, organic tart cherry juice is easy to find at my local grocery and probably your’s too. So no special orders.
But honestly? Just drinking a glass of cherry juice every night felt… boring. So I started a series of culinary experiments. And for this one, I began merging it with other sleep-loving ingredients I already knew and loved - chamomile had always been on my bedtime list, and lavender, well, that’s a no-brainer. Then discovered blue cornflower, which was relatively new to me. When I learned it could lower inflammation, aid digestion, and support better sleep, I was all in! It felt like the perfect flower to support me through perimenopause and beyond.
The first time I tried this tasty blend, I added a touch of raw, local honey and haven’t looked back since. It was floral, sweet, with that perfect cherry tartness — chef’s kiss. This quickly became my favorite nighttime brew. And, it wasn’t just functional anymore - it had become the sacred bedtime ritual I’d been craving.
If you like to tend the land or cultivate a garden, then you can grow some or all of the flowers in this elixir. Now, growing your own herbs is totally optional. And, some may or may not grow where you live.
When harvesting flowers, make sure to do it in the early morning after the dew has evaporated for maximum flavor.
Harvesting Chamomile
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Gently shake the flowers and look them over to remove any insects or dirt that may be on the flower heads.
Then wash or soak the flowers in a bowl of water. Drain well and gently pat dry.
Spread the flowers out in a single layer on a mesh tray and place them in a dark, warm, dry space with some airflow. Let dry for 1 to 2 weeks. If you live in a very humid climate, consider using a dehydrator.
Harvesting chamomile often begins in mid-July. The blossoms will continue to grow if you keep picking them. However, if you stop picking the flowers and they go to seed, then chamomile will stop producing new flowers.
When harvesting chamomile, it is the blossoms you want to collect. The stems and leaves can be quite bitter.
Harvesting Lavender
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Clean and remove the leaves from the stems.
Run the cut flowers under tap water to clean off dust, soil, or bugs.
Gently shake them and let them rest on paper or kitchen towels to remove most of the water.
Gather the flowers into small bunches and tie them together with string or rubber bands.
Hang to dry
In upstate New York, where I live, lavender is typically ready for harvest from mid-July through mid-August. Pick lavender is when more than half of the flowers are blooming — this is when the oil is most potent and fragrant. You want to cut down to the first or second set of leaves, but never actually reach any woody stem parts.
Harvesting Blue Cornflower
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Gently shake the flowers and look them over to remove any insects or dirt that may be on the flower heads.
Then wash or soak the flowers in a bowl of water. Drain well and gently pat dry.
Spread the flowers out in a single layer on a mesh tray and place them in a dark, warm, dry space with some airflow. Let dry for 1 to 2 weeks. If you live in a very humid climate, consider using a dehydrator.
Expect the first blooms in early to mid-summer, and, like chamomile, if spent blossoms are kept trimmed, they will continue to bloom all summer.
The best time to cut cornflowers is when they are not yet fully opened. A quarter of the way or halfway open is perfect. Your blooms will continue to open up after harvesting. You want to cut directly above a leaf node to encourage more blooms.
Now, just put it all together and pour yourself a cup of one of my favorite ways to drink cherry juice for sounder sleep:
RELATED POSTS:
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Burkhardt S, Tan DX, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Reiter RJ. Detection and quantification of the antioxidant melatonin in Montmorency and Balaton tart cherries (Prunus cerasus). J Agric Food Chem. 2001 Oct;49(10):4898-902. doi: 10.1021/jf010321+. PMID: 11600041.
Howatson G, Bell PG, Tallent J, Middleton B, McHugh MP, Ellis J. Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Dec;51(8):909-16. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7. Epub 2011 Oct 30. PMID: 22038497.
Losso, Jack N. PhD1; Finley, John W. PhD1; Karki, Namrata PhD1; Liu, Ann G. PhD2; Prudente, Alfredo PhD3; Tipton, Russell MD2; Yu, Ying MS2; Greenway, Frank L. MD2,*. Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms. American Journal of Therapeutics 25(2):p e194-e201, March/April 2018. | DOI: 10.1097/MJT.0000000000000584
