Chamomile Tea proven ineffective as Warsong Gulch relaxer
by Michael Gray 
Dec 4th 2008 at 9:00AM
The things we do in the name of Science, right? The folks over at Kamikaze Cookery decided to take one for the team, and put to the test the soothing effects of Chamomile tea and other similar herbal relaxants. The first step is pretty obvious: get loaded up on several cups of tasty, relaxing chamomile. Step two? Fire up World of Warcraft battlegrounds, and see if you can remain cool, collected, and totally frosty through the unending slaughter.
Of course, the video does more than just bust the myth that nutraceutical sedatives will somehow turn a raging bull into a quiet kitten. The documentary also shows that the heart-pounding, migraine-inducing stress of trying to play team oriented PvP games in WoW can be universal. I guess the real drawback to the test is that we're now without the crutch of tea to talk us out of the trees. I truly laughed at their not-getting-sued version of playing the battlegrounds. It's funny because it's true, after all.
Ultimately, I'd argue that a small group of people conducting this kind of stress-test is no statistically significant sample size. But, even if chamomile is 150% effective, during the battlegrounds, I have to side with Rupert Giles. "Tea is soothing; I wish to be tense."
Thanks to Nomad for the tip!
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, News items, Humor
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul Spensley Dec 7th 2008 10:53AM
Wowwwww! A buffy reference! I must say wowinsider, that I am impressed with!
Long live Buffy! :P
SweetPoison Dec 4th 2008 9:59AM
Agreed :) Buffy FTW!!
Tenchan Dec 4th 2008 10:01AM
Guys... you are funny, but you are not Yahtzee. Stop trying to be.
Oh, if only more people quoted Giles. A tube for you, WI!
Nick S Dec 4th 2008 10:13AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't chamomile contain caffeine? That would make it a stimulant for anyone not addicted to caffeine (or anyone who suffers from one of a few mental disorders such as ADD.)
Evi Dec 4th 2008 11:51AM
I've never seen a chamomile tea labeled as "caffeinated". Teas (at least here in the U.S.) will generally tell you if there is caffeine in the product.
Daku Dec 4th 2008 10:15AM
Giles is my hero.
badbart Dec 4th 2008 10:23AM
Brings new meaning to the battleground term "Teabagging"
Saeverud Dec 4th 2008 10:55AM
Wow.. thanks for linking to these guys. I'm a food science major with a degree in culinary arts already, and while some of the stuff I'm going WTF about, the rest is really quite awesome.
Ryan Darius Partovi Dec 4th 2008 11:09AM
Technically, the title should read, "Low Dose Chamomile Tea Ineffective as WSG Relaxer in Small Cohort of Young Males." My herbal medicine professor would tell you that you can't make a therapeutic dose of an infusion without at least 2 tea bags or 2 teaspoons of freshly dried chamomile. Personally, if you want a real test of Matricaria's ability to dull the endorphin response, go with a tincture-- the good stuff. ;-)
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Dec 4th 2008 11:56AM
Alex drank 11 teabags' worth of camomile over that test, the last 6 teabags' worth made up as double-strength (two bags to one cup). Each cup was infused for 5 minutes. We did test fairly!
Where would we get the tincture? Enough herbal medicine people have said "forget tea, get something stronger" that I'm curious to try it out.
Shinken Dec 4th 2008 12:03PM
Silly people, lower centers of the brain always overcome "higher" parts. Aggression is hardwired. Only a master could be calm during a frag fest.
Dragis Dec 4th 2008 12:56PM
Buffy reference?! +10 points!