5 Powerful healing herbs for moments of stress and recovery
The nervous system weaves the connection from our brain, mind, emotions, and intentions with our physical body.
It helps us communicate with the world around us through movement, touch, taste, smell, and perception and regulates our internal environment through breath, circulation, digestion, and so much more.
So, when our nervous system is dysregulated, we can feel dysregulated physically, mentally, and emotionally.
If you’re running a business, your nervous system gets deregulated quite frequently.
From nerve-wracking sales conversations, long hours, feelings of overwhelm, and the pressure of making money to pay the bills… it’s a lot.
However, when you take care of your mind, body, and spirit, life and business become so much easier.
Read this guest blog post to learn how healing herbs can take better care of you, your nervous system, and your business.
Written by: Andie Inscoe, MS (she/her)
Why are herbs so important?
Short- and long-term stress can interrupt the healthy function of the nervous system and the harmonious function of the body as a whole.
This leaves us feeling stressed, anxious, depleted, overwhelmed, tense, and restless, with poor digestion, low energy, susceptibility to sickness, and overall weakened resilience.
Herbs offer a gentle hand when we are going through stressful times or enduring the ever-present stressors of modern life.
The phytochemicals in plants communicate directly with our cells, protect and support the healthy structure and function of tissues, organs and harmonize the whole body.
Healing herbs have the power to soothe and relax the mind, body, and spirit, restore nerve tissue, increase the body’s resilience to stress, provide nutrients and minerals, support the immune system and digestion, improve sleep quality, and so much more.
5 Powerful healing herbs
Chamomile
Latin name: Matricaria recutita
Part used: Flower
Herbal actions:
Relaxes the nervous system
Eases digestive troubles
Aromatic
Reduces spasms
Mildly sedating
Chamomile is a friend when stress brings you into the space of feeling physically and mentally agitated, overwhelmed, very emotional, or “fussy” by your surroundings. It settles stomach tension, cramping, and upset caused by nervousness or uneasiness. It is a calming flower, with a mild sedative quality that eases anxiety before bedtime and calms nightmares.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1-2 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Tincture - 1-5 dropperfuls, 1-4 times daily in a little water
Rose
Latin name: Rosa spp.
Part used: Buds
Herbal actions:
Ease the heart
Elevate mood
Reduces stress
Aromatic
Relaxes the nervous system
Reduces tension
Aphrodisiac
Calming to the heart and mind
Rose’s loving gifts center around the heart. Rose is a tried and true remedy for stress surrounding grief, loss, depression, anxiety, and emotional shock, especially involving loved ones, love affairs, and any emotions felt strongly in the heart space. It calms, relieves tension, and lightly elevates the mood. Rose is useful when feeling a lack of self-love or when wanting to enhance love and intimacy for yourself or with others.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1/2-1 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Tincture - 10 drops to 1 dropperful, 3 times daily in a little water
Rose Hydrosol - spray around and inhale 2-3 deep breaths, as needed
Milky Oat Tops
Latin name: Avena sativa
Part used: Milky tops
Herbal actions:
Nutritive, mineralizing
Tonify and restore healthy function to nerve tissue & the nervous system
Uplifting to the spirit
Milky Oat Tops bring strength and restoration when stress has been chronic or long-term, bringing vitamins and minerals to nourish and replenish a depleted system. Oat Tops encourage recovery from intense overwork, overwhelm; feelings of fatigue, depletion; physical and mental exhaustion; and particularly stressful periods of time or illness. It is gently calming and brings along a sense of long-needed wellbeing.
Preparation(s):
High mineral, nutritive infusion - lightly grind ½-1 cup herbs and add to 1 quart of recently boiled water, allow to steep 8 hours to overnight. Strain and enjoy.
Skullcap
Latin name: Scutellaria lateriflora
Part used: Aerial parts
Herbal actions:
Tonify and restore healthy function to nerve tissue & the nervous system
Reduces spasms
Induces sleep
Reduces anxiety
Skullcap is called upon when having trouble relaxing, with tension tightening especially around the head, neck, and shoulders. When stress results in an overactive mind causing mental, emotional, and physical irritation, that may result in light spasms. There may be feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, panic, or oversensitivity to light, sounds, or textures. Skullcap is especially calming at night, as it soothes the mind and body and encourages sleep and restfulness, and can be helpful if stress is keeping you from sleeping.
Preparation(s):
Infusion - add 1-2 tsp to 1 cup of recently boiled water. Cover and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
Fresh plant tincture - 1-4 dropperfuls, 1-3 times per day in a little water (MUIH)
Reishi Mushroom
Latin name: Ganoderma lucidum
Part used: Mushroom fruiting body
Herbal actions:
Increases non-specific resiliency to stress (adaptogen)
Immune supportive
Calming to the spirit
Antioxidant
Cardiotonic
Reishi carries when there is long-term stress where the immune system may be compromised, with frequent sickness, colds, and flus. When stress is unyielding and there is a necessity to shoulder through, Reishi mushrooms increase our resiliency to consistent stressors, provide protective mechanisms for the nervous system, and enhance immunity. It is calming and uplifting to emotions, the spirit, and an overactive nervous system.
Preparation(s):
Pre-extracted powder or capsules - 1 g, twice per day
Dual extract tincture - 1-5 dropperfuls, 3 times per day in a little water
Tips for sourcing bulk healing herbs and herbal products
It’s important to look for the Latin Name of a plant when sourcing to make sure you’re getting what you’re looking for. Some plants with the same common name can come in many varieties or even be completely different plants in different places!
You want to use reputable sources to avoid unethical harvesting, adulteration, and poor quality. Plant compounds are only as rich as the soil they were grown in.
Always consider the sustainability of harvesting and growing practices, and at-risk status of plants. Click here to review my favorite resource for this.
Bulk herbs
When possible, buy local! Mountain Rose Herbs has a directory of local herb growers by region.
Pacific Botanicals (online retailer)
Mountain Rose Herbs (online retailer)
Tinctures
Learn how to make your own! There are many online and print resources available for Herbal Medicine Making. I recommend:
Pre-extracted Mushroom Powders
Which healing herbs are you interested in incorporating into your life?
Let us know in the comments below!
A Note on Botanical Safety: All information is provided solely as a personal resource for maintaining optimal health and wellbeing. The information provided is not medical advice. Herbs are not intended for the treatment of disease, injury, physical, or mental ailment. Always consult your healthcare provider when taking herbs with specific conditions or while taking medications.
References:
Notes and teachings from the Master’s of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism program at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Courses taught by Andrew Pengelly & Betsy Miller.
Notes and teachings from Matthew Wood from the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism.
Sajah Popham, Advanced Clinical Herbalism: The Nervous System [PDF Document].
Sharol Tilgner, Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth.
Thomas Easley & Steven Horne, The Modern Herbal Dispensatory.
About the Contributor
Andie Inscoe (she/her) is a clinical herbalist with a Master’s of Science in Therapeutic Herbalism from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Tailoring herbal remedies, lifestyle, and food recommendations, Andie offers virtual herbal consultations for creating sustainable practices that support nourishment, balance, and healthy function of the mind, body, and spirit.
Andie is passionate about working alongside folks who feel run down and at odds with their health/lifestyles, want to connect more fully with nature, and are looking to dig deeper and connect with their own fundamental ability to life and healing. Together they seek to understand what’s going on underneath symptoms and strategize ways to best support themselves in this moment.
