Supportive nourishing herbs for the pivots of life can make all the difference between managing and not managing through the changes. This year has had no shortage of intense -sometimes aggressive- shifts and there will only be more on the way come November and we're going to want to learn about how to nourish our bodies with herbs properly. Just in our own personal lives in this short year we've been through the grief of death and loss, excitement of births, relationship transitions, home transitions, big financial struggles, navigating a ton of new connections as well as total and utter burn out - let alone traversing the emotional terrain of what it means to go through big life shifts. "Pivot" is the underrated term of the decade - and an immensely useful skill to learn with the right pillars of support.
So how can herbs help us pivot, transition, or transmute stress more smoothly during life changes? It may sound funny to others who haven't worked with plants before but once you experience the support of herbs in this way, you may find yourself not ever wanting to be without them!
We outlined a simplified list below of our favorite safe, effective, and deeply supportive nervous system herbs plus their indications for common types of stressors. These are herbs we love to work with on the regular for helping us sort through the beautiful messy chaos of being alive. We suggest exploring each herb more in depth and match them to your personal needs!
Grief, sorrow, broken or tender hearted: Rose, kava kava, motherwort, Hawthorne berry, mimosa, mullein leaf, lavender, linden, damiana
Grounding, centering, calming: Wood betony, rose, motherwort, tulsi, lemon balm
Acute stress, sudden overwhelm, stressful flare ups: Blue vervain, skullcap, lemon balm, ashwagandha, peach leaf
ADHD, racing mind, anxiousness: Milky oats, tulsi, ashwagandha, gotu kola, passionflower, ginkgo
Restorative and nourishing nervous system support, burn out, exhaustion, frazzled nerves: Milky oats, St. John's wort, oat straw, tulsi, lemon balm, ashwagandha, alfalfa, raspberry leaf, nettle and especially other mineral/vitamins rich herbs
Sleep support, restorative rest, or anxiety attacks: kava kava, California poppy, skullcap, reishi, passionflower, valerian root, chamomile
Some of these herbs are better worked with a tea infusions and other as tinctures extracts, while some are best used long term and others short term. Explore these options, enjoy the process of getting to know the herbal allies in relationship and how they can assist your life for the better. If you are wanting to explore these options deeper for your particular unique experience, we highly recommend booking a consultation with our trained clinical herbalist to get the best most optimal efficacy of your regimen!