I’m a huge fan of herbal and medicinal teas, with Republic of Tea and Yogi Tea being two of my favorite brands.

Tonight, while preparing for bed, I had a cup of Republic of Tea’s “get some zzz’s,” which includes rooibos (a.k.a. red tea), orange peel, spearmint, chamomile, passionflower, stevia (a natural sweetener) and valerian root extract, which carries that standard disclaimer about the FDA not proving the alleged health effects of the herb in question.

How long have I been reading that disclaimer? All my life? If tea companies and health food stores and levitating swamis are making gazillions of dollars off these products, then why hasn’t the FDA investigated whether or not valerian helps me sleep (it does!) or kava chills me out (again, it does!) or peppermint aids my digestion (yes! yes! yes!)?