Dr. David Orman

In natural medicine, timing is not merely a matter of convenience but an unseen partner in healing. The same chamomile flower, gentle and golden, may soften a restless body differently at sunrise than it does at sunset. At dawn, the body awakens with rising yang energy, the breath deepening, the pulse growing stronger. Drinking chamomile then can harmonize this surge, easing the stomach and calming nervous energy before it builds. By nightfall, yin rules. The quiet hours call for release, for letting go of thought and tension. Chamomile at sunset does not awaken—it invites surrender, helping the spirit fall into stillness.

The Tao teaches us that every action belongs to a rhythm. The Earth breathes in cycles, and so does the body. When we align our medicine with these cycles, we magnify its effect. Chamomile taken at sunrise works like a gentle compass, guiding the day toward centeredness. Taken at sunset, it softens the edges of the mind, dissolving the day’s weight. Both are effective, but in different ways—one prepares, the other restores. The plant itself has not changed, but its relationship to time alters the depth of its gift.

Thus, herbal medicine is not only about what we consume but when we receive it. To drink with the rising sun is to call forth energy with balance. To drink with the setting sun is to sink back into the embrace of yin. In this way, a humble cup of tea becomes more than a remedy. It becomes a dialogue between nature’s rhythm and our own—an act of listening, of attunement, of walking in step with the Tao.