Whenever my brother or I felt ill, my mom would ask: "Have you eaten?", "Have you had water?", "Have you gone to the loo?". If you'd ticked these boxes and your feelings persisted, she'd nurse you. Decades later, I still use this three-question screening whenever I feel under the weather. But what to do if you can't fall asleep? For that, there's mom's moon milk.
As far as I can tell, this warm brew has soothed generations of my family. When in doubt - milk is warmed and cinnamon is sprinkled. The liquid equivalent of pancake-taste, I never cared for it when I was younger. Now, though, as I try navigate the ins-and-outs of adulthood, it's become a familiar friend.
The humble milk drink has garnered attention lately, with social media users enthusiastically pimping their moon milk with matcha, dried lavender, rose petals, and turmeric. These are the peacocks of the age-old sleep remedy.
Sure, fancy milks probably work, but they don't quite resonate with memories of my mom scratching around the grocery cupboard at 2AM. Our moon milk was born out of necessity and cupboard staples. We didn't stock up on matcha in our middle-class Pretoria household...
While I'd like to believe that my mom concocted this brew through a stroke of sudden, sleep-depraved genius, its roots are near-ancient, extending back to Ayurvedic traditions. Ayurveda is Sanskrit word that translates to ‘knowledge of life’. It is an ancient Vedic holistic health science with emphasis on the mind-body connection.
In Ayurveda, warm milk is a common remedy for sleeplessness, anxiety and insomnia. It's a balm for restlessness and the sinking feeling of time inching closer to your alarm going off.
Next time you're tossing and turning, warm some moon milk. Worry not if you can't infuse ashwaganda, cardamom, or coconut oil. My mom was able to cure us of almost any ailment with the simplest of ingredients; and that's how it should be.
Mom's Moon Milk
1 cup full cream milk (this can be substituted for non-dairy alternatives)
1 tsp honey
A few shakes of cinnamon
Warm your milk in the microwave for two minutes, stirring at 20-second intervals so that it doesn't boil over. Once warmed, stir honey through the milk. Add ground cinnamon to taste - alternatively, boil your milk with a cinnamon stick in the mug right from the get-go.
and on the other side of the family they used nutmeg - I guess it was basically the warm milk that worked and whatever spice you found in the cupboard
Just looove this. You write it so beautifully, I can smell cinnamon and see the 2am production of moon milk!
Lovely
♡
Ah Ashy this is just wonderful, and such a special loving memory to keep close to your heart❤️ So for me, moon milk it is!!!!