The week before finals, students lined up in the Student Union atrium in search of some stress relief. Campus partners, the Student Government Association, UCF Arboretum, and Wellness and Health Promotion Services, looked towards a holistic way of managing stress by utilizing herbs grown in good ol’ main campus soil.

Students were invited to create their own personalized tea using these fresh herbs from the Arboretum’s community garden, the Creative School for Children’s community garden, and Fresh U’s tower gardens.

Herbs Included

• Passion flowers- provides relief from nervousness, insomnia, and stomach problems. The GABA chemical within it lowers anxiety.
• Holy basil & African blue basil- helps your body adapt to chemical, physical, and emotional stress and promotes mental balance, as it is an adaptogen.
• Lemongrass- helps with high blood pressure and calms the nerves, as it is an anticonvulsive agent.
• Mint- helps to calm nausea and breathe easier.
• Moringa- high in vitamins and calcium; helps to boost the immune system.

The silver lining to it? The tea was made at minimal environmental cost! By straying from store-bought, pre-packaged tea bags, the high chance of supporting overseas transportation for shipment and unethical production methods was avoided. Rather, the herbs were grown either organically or hydroponically within walking distance of being served, and allowed tea mixtures to be customized to the liking of the individual.

Outside of the tea making activity, students were provided resources to access various stress management spaces and activities available to them on campus. Good luck on finals, Knights!

*Photos provided by Katherine Ceballos with NSM Today.