Full Moon Tea: An Ayurvedic Ritual for Emotional Balance and Lunar Nourishment

In Ayurveda, the moon, called Chandra in Sanskrit, is not just a celestial body — it is a potent energetic force that governs water, emotions, and the subtle rhythms of life. The full moon, in particular, is a time of heightened energy, illumination, and emotional sensitivity. Aligning with lunar cycles has been part of Ayurvedic wisdom for millennia, offering a natural opportunity to balance the mind, pacify excess heat in the body, and deepen spiritual awareness. One gentle, nourishing way to harmonize with this lunar energy is by preparing and drinking Full Moon Tea.

Why Make Full Moon Tea?

1. Emotional Soothing
The full moon amplifies emotions, often making us feel more sensitive or reactive. From an Ayurvedic lens, this is a time when pitta dosha (associated with fire and intensity) can flare, even in those not predominantly pitta in nature. Full Moon Tea is designed to calm the heart and nervous system, cooling the fire and allowing for emotional clarity and compassion.

2. Supporting Ojas and Soma
Ayurveda speaks of ojas—the essence of vitality, immunity, and inner glow—and soma, the cooling, lunar nectar that sustains calmness and bliss. Herbs and flowers associated with lunar energy can increase soma and preserve ojas, especially when steeped in moonlight.

3. Cultivating Ritual and Intention
Ritual is healing. Preparing a tea under the full moon becomes a sacred act of self-care, reconnecting us with nature’s rhythms. It allows for reflection, prayer, and release—supporting emotional digestion just as the tea aids physical digestion.

How to Make Full Moon Tea: The Ayurvedic Way

Ingredients (all organic, ideally freshly dried or homegrown):

• Rose petals – cooling, heart-opening, and tridoshic

• Chamomile – calming, pitta- and vata-pacifying

• Tulsi (holy basil) – uplifting, sattvic, supports emotional resilience

• Lemon balm – cooling and soothing to the mind and nervous system

• Fennel seeds – aids digestion, balances all three doshas

• Licorice root (optional) – sweet, grounding, builds ojas

• Fresh mint (optional) – opens the channels for prana flow

Instructions:

1. Set Your Intention: Your Sankalpa
   On the evening of the full moon, begin by setting a clear intention for whatever you would like to shine the light of the moon onto in your life.

2. Prepare the Herbal Blend
   Mix the herbs in a bowl with loving attention:

   • 1 tsp dried rose petals

   • 1 tsp dried chamomile

   • ½ tsp tulsi

   • ½ tsp lemon balm

   • ½ tsp fennel seeds* TOASTED

   • Pinch of licorice root (optional)

   • Few fresh mint leaves (optional)

   * to toast the fennel seeds, place seeds in a dry pan on medium heat and toast until they are fragrant

   3. Steep Under the Moonlight
   Place the herb blend in a glass vessel or clear mason jar. Pour room temperature spring water water over the herbs. Cover and place the tea outside in your garden or by a moonlit window. Allow the tea to steep covered overnight while absorbing the energy of the full moon. You can also surround the tea with crystals or plants that feel in alignment with your purpose and intention.

   4. Sip Mindfully
   Strain and sip the tea slowly, ideally in a quiet space. Practice moon gazing, meditation, sound healing, journaling, or gentle breathing as you drink. Allow the tea to nourish your nervous system and open your heart.

Additional Ayurvedic Tips for Full Moon Evenings:

• Eat a light, cooling meal (like kitchari or steamed vegetables with ghee) before your tea.

• Avoid stimulating media or arguments—pitta is already high.

• Practice chandra bhedana pranayama (left nostril breathing) to cool and calm. This activates the lunar channel, Ida, and allows your body to absorb more soma and nourishing energy.

• Take a gentle walk under the moonlight barefoot, if weather allows.

• Meditate with a focus on gratitude or heart-centered themes.

• Swim in a cool stream, lake, or river

Full Moon Tea is more than a beverage—it's a ritual of attunement. In our busy lives, taking time to honor the lunar cycle brings us back to the slow, sacred pace of nature. Ayurveda teaches that healing happens not just through what we consume, but through the awareness and love with which we do it. By making Full Moon Tea, we offer ourselves a moment of grace, stillness, and alignment with the rhythms of the cosmos.

Jai Chandra! (Victory to the Moon!)

May you be happy, healthy and peaceful,

Radha