Herbs That Offer Support In Times Of Stress

Eleuthero is one of my favorite adaptogens. Eleuthero is mildly stimulating and is best taken during the day. Eleuthero increases physical endurance and mental acuity. Eleuthero also increases serotonin levels during stress, which speeds your recovery from a stressful situation. Lastly, Eleuthero can help protect the body from environmental pollutants.

Rhodiola is a favorite adaptogen for students. Rhodiola is known for its memory boosting properties. In general, Rhodiola is great for lifting mood, promoting calmness and motivation. Rhodiola works by inhibiting MOA which is the enzyme that breaks down serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

What sets Schisandra apart from the other adaptogens is that it is highly liver protective and increases liver functioning. Schisandra helps the body detoxify while also boosting immunity.  Schisandra increases both mental and physical stamina similar to other adaptogens. From a Chinese Medicine standpoint, Schisandra is known to tonify both yin and yang as well as all 12 meridians.

Withania is the most well known Aryuvedic adaptogen. This herb is a very calming and is best taken at night. Withania has a very similar structure to melatonin.  This herb works well for people in the tired but wired state at night. In addition to its anti-stress capabilities, Withania has been found to be anti-inflammatory.

Passionflower is a calming herb used for both anxiety and insomnia. This herb works best for people who cannot sleep due to racing thoughts. Passionflower works directly on the central nervous system to support normal sleep. Passionflower also helps reduce muscle tension or muscle spasms. On an emotional or energetic level, passionflower is good for burnout or people who need their hearts to be grounded to allow them to reach out to others

Piper is one of the strongest anti-anxiety herbs. Piper is used for stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Piper at higher doses can be quite sedating. Piper can work especially well for social anxiety or fear of public speaking. Piper is also an analgesic and muscle relaxant. Piper is not an herb you want to take long term. Use on occasion as needed.

Lavender is one of the most well known soothing herbs. Lavender is used to decrease restlessness, induce sleep, and reduce stress. Lavender can be used either in the herbal form or as an essential oil. Lavender aromatherapy can be enough to help people fall asleep. Energetically, lavender is cooling and associated with purification.

Chamomile is another well known calming herb. Chamomille works not only on the nervous system but also the digestive system. This herb can help you fall asleep and/or digest your food. Chamomille is well suited for people who feel their stress or anxiety in their gut. If you have a nervous stomach, this would be the right herb for you. Chamomille is also used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-fever herb.

Melissa is both uplifting and calming. It is primarily used for stress, anxiety, and depression. It also has a similar effect to chamomille on digestion. Melissa is nicely paired with other sleep-promoting herbs such as Valerian or Hops. Energetically Melissa is a cooling herb. Research supports the use of Melissa in the treatment of cold sores.

I love how counter-intuitive this herb is. While catnip might make cats go crazy it acts as a sedative for us human animals. Nepeta is used for both insomnia and anxiety. As a sleep aid, Nepeta mixes well with some of the calming herbs mentioned above. This herb is known to work well with children.