How to Use Herbs to Ease Stress & Anxiety
It’s that time of year again - one of the most beautiful seasons, yet also one of the most stressful for many people. No matter how much I try to slow down during the holidays, time always seems to travel at warp speed. It seems that one minute it is Thanksgiving Day, then the next, the year is coming to a fast close. I always seem to get through the stressful holiday season, although admittedly not always in one piece. I often feel fried, exhausted, and overwhelmed - with little energy remaining to start the new year on solid ground.
If you are a highly sensitive person like me, perhaps you can relate to the sheer overwhelm this season induces. Between my full time job, family needs, friendships, seasonal gatherings, and holiday gift giving, it can be so challenging to keep up - let alone slow down and be present to make the most of this magical season.
One of my best tools for managing stress and anxiety this time of year is to simply say “No.” Have you heard of JOMO? It is an acronym that stands for “the joy of missing out”. I embrace this philosophy dearly this time of year. I also have my Slow Morning Rituals and Daily Pause Practice, which helps tremendously! And on-top of all of that, I simplify my life at work using the strategies that I share in my Abundance Without Busy Ebook.
However, when the crazy gets crazier during the holiday season, I know it's time to press pause and turn to my plant allies to help ease the stress and anxiety. As a gardener, plants are more than just beautiful and tasty fixtures in my garden. They are friends, each with their own special energies. Many of the herbs from my garden and the ones I discover on my wild foraging adventures are vital medicine as well. As any naturalist knows, plants are powerful healers when used correctly.
The simple acts of going into nature, forest bathing, discovering wild plants and growing my own herbs has been transformational in my journey of managing my chronic anxiety over the years. It makes my slow moments spent hovering over a steaming cup of herbal tea especially rewarding when I can recall the moment I discovered the passionflower herb on a long woodland walk. Or the time I planted, harvested, and cured the german chamomile flowers that are now floating around in my steaming cup of tea.
As a gardener, wild-forager, and highly sensitive person, I’ve discovered that using herbs and rituals that calm my nervous system and boost my immunity are more than just rituals to help me relax. My herbal remedies are most definitely a nourishing necessity that allow me to recharge so I can continue showing up in life.
I figured you might know a thing or two about how stressful this time of year can be, so I’m sharing how I use simple herbal remedies to ease stress and anxiety. When beginning to use herbs, I recommend establishing a relationship with a local (and reputable) herbalist to discover what plant medicine will suit your needs best. Plants are magical and powerfully potent, and there is no single recipe that will work for everyone. When used correctly, plants can absolutely support health and wellness initiatives as well as aid in long term holistic healing practices. I believe the knowledge shared by an experienced herbalist is guidance not to be ignored when starting an herbal journey.
Here are my favorite ways to use herbs for stress and anxiety, plus a handful of common herbs that calm.
Craft a Healing Elixir with Loose Leaf Tea
I first starting using herbal remedies in the form of loose leaf teas, and I still feel that tea is a great introduction to herbs. Before drinking loose leaf tea, I used the tea packets found at most markets in the US. I have since learned that those packaging packets are plastic and don’t breakdown - ever. Since trying to reduce my waste, I’ve converted to using loose leaf tea in a steel mesh tea ball.
Drinking warm herbal tea is a simple and safe way to reduce stress during anxious times. German Chamomile is common garden herb that is wonderful for inducing calm throughout the body while also lifting moods. I especially love this subtle and smooth blend of Olive & Oak Apothecary’s Sleepy Bear loose leaf tea that includes chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, and skull cap. Each of these herbs are famous for easing stress and quite easy to grow in the garden.
Jaquelin and Adrien from Olive & Oak Apothecary (my favorite local herbalists) expressed to me that they combined the herbs featured in this loose leaf tea blend because they are wonderful for relaxation, and promote a more restful sleep in addition to soothing indigestion - which is much needed during the holiday season when we stuff our bellies full.
I asked Jaquelin her favorite ways to use herbs to ease stress and anxiety, and she shares: “Drinking tea is a ritual for me during this time of year. Holding a hot mug and inhaling the essential oils floating up in the steam is soothing and brings me right into the present moment. It’s aromatherapy in a cup. My favorite tea blend and tincture we make here at Olive & Oak is our Sleepy Bear blend. We hand blend these herbs together because we love them so much and have found great solace in their medicine.”
Incorporate Potent Herbal Tinctures
Combing tinctures into a soothing elixir such as a breakfast smoothie, coffee, tea, or water is another delicious way to consume herbal properties. Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts, typically extracted with vodka or sugar cane alcohol. Tinctures have been used in traditional herbal apothecaries for millennia and can be wonderfully effective when used regularly. I love pairing Olive & Oak’s Sleepy Bear Tea and Tincture (both of which feature the same herbs) at the end of a long day to help calm my mind and ease my body to sleep. It tastes divine and soothes me into a blissful nighttime relaxed state of mind.
Another of Olive & Oak’s herbal tinctures features dual extracted reishi and chaga mushrooms. Although not technically plants, these fungi are rich in nutrients and known to support the immune system, reduce inflammation, aid sleep, and reduce stress. These mushrooms help the body adapt to stress which makes them powerfully potent and an essential in any stress reducing self care routine. I’ve been adding this tincture to my morning coffee and love the calm yet focused effect it has on my body.
Release Tension with an Herbal Bath Blend and Herbal Body Oil
I’ve noticed that my body is sensitive to many things throughout my day to day life. The food I eat, the movements I make, the temperature of the air, and the textures I wear all impact how my body copes with stress. I’ve even noticed that I’ll subconsciously contract muscles when I am faced with a difficult choice or sense tension in others. It is certainly an ongoing process trying to establish physical relaxation in world wired for constant action. Yoga, exercise, eating clean, and getting enough sleep are all very important to my efforts. However, I’ve also discovered that herbal baths and self massage rituals using herbal body oil helps reduce stress and anxiety tremendously.
The action of slowly cleansing and massaging my body after a tough day gives me the opportunity to love on myself physically and emotionally. Physically it calms my nervous system and provides me a slow moment to check in with my joints and muscles and take stock. Emotionally, it creates a moment of vulnerability where I send love to my brain, limbs, lungs, heart, gut, and reproductive organs too. A medicinal herbal bath combined with herbal plant oils through self massage goes a long way in easing stress and anxiety. This ritual goes beyond traditional pampering and crosses a threshold into a deep-soul, self-love, experience. This ritual alone has done wonders for me in establishing a healthy body image and practicing love and acceptance for my beautifully imperfect body.
I am so in love with Olive & Oak’s new Ancient Forest Bath Blend and Fir Needle Body Oil. This combination sent me to heaven and back and now I’m just trying to figure out how I can justify taking a hot soak every day. While large baths of hot water are not the most environmentally friendly way to cleanse, I do treat myself every now and then. The scent of pine and fir is intoxicatingly calming and gives me languid dreams of forest bathing in some magical woodland far away.
Chill Out with a Calming Herbal Smoke Blend
Another way I love to chill out during stressful times is by using an artfully crafted herbal smoke blend. Sitka Botanica’s Unwind Herbal Smoke Blend, featuring red raspberry, mullein, skullcap, passionflower, hops, catnip, lemon balm, and calendula creates a wonderfully mellow experience while maintaining a clear mind. Pamela of Sitka Botanica combined these herbs to balance anti-anxiety, mildly sedative and mood-elevating herbs with herbs that offer smokeability and flavor for a pleasurable smoke.
She also shares that “other than the physical calming effects of the herbs, setting an intention and treating smoking like a ritual for self-care can also help put you in the right mindset; almost like a spell. Over time, these little rituals signal to your brain to slow down, to stop ruminating, and to be more present with yourself.” I especially love her take on this method of using herbal smoke blends. While I’m not an advocate for smoking daily, I think that smoking occasionally in moderation, as a ceremonial ritual to practice being present can be powerful in terms of easing stress and anxiety as well as connecting with the natural world.
I asked Pamela to share her wisdom on using herbal smoke blends and what beginners should be aware of if they are hesitant to start an herbal smoke practice. “Some people begin using herbal smoke blends to lessen their dependence on highly addictive herbs like tobacco, but for people who are not already regular smokers, I always encourage them to approach herbal smoke blends with respect. While the herbs themselves can provide emotional and mental support by soothing nerves and reducing stress, smoking every day is generally not advisable for lung health. That said, herb smoking has been part of the human experience for many thousands of years. Our ancestors smoked in ritual for spiritual, medicinal and recreational purposes to connect with the natural world around them. Connecting with herbal allies in this way, with moderation and a mindset of ritual and ceremony, can be a very healing and relaxing experience.”
As a highly sensitive person, gardener, and wild forager, I encourage you to go outside and discover these herbs in your garden and natural landscape. Connect with these plants in all stages of their lifecycle and learn how to use them in your own self care practice. You will learn how to support your health and wellness to ease stress and anxiety, as well as foster a deeper connection to the land around you.
What is your favorite way to use herbs ease stress and anxiety?
