Using Nature’s store cupboard to calm your anxious mind

Summer is well and truly here with sunnier and longer days and people are making the most of it with BBQs, picnics and walks in the park or seaside. Life seems to be busier, and everyone appears to be doing more and having a great time, except you.

Because when you have fatigue and CFS you can often feel like you don’t have the energy to join in and enjoy yourself. This can be demoralising and can make you feel a bit isolated when you turn down invitations you would have previously jumped at because your ‘get up and go’ seems to have deserted you.

This can leave you feeling anxious and worried about your recovery – will you ever feel better? When will you be able to enjoy walks and summer BBQs again without fearing you will be left feeling exhausted the next day?

Unfortunately, anxiety will only make things feel worse, so reducing stress and anxiety will play an important part in improving your energy levels and supporting your recovery back to feeling normal again.

In this blog, I will show you how herbs, specifically 3 beautiful flower herbs, you may have in your garden or see in a public park, could help to reduce your anxiety.

You will see that herbs can offer an accessible and more natural way of potentially helping you to feel calmer and more energised.

Photo courtesy of Nia Ramirez on Unsplashed

Why you should be turning to your closest “weed patch” or flower bed for support

People have been using herbs to relieve stress, tension and anxiety for hundreds of years, so there must be something in it right? Our ancestors were not wrong as scientific study and research into many herbs has shown how the chemical constituents in plants can help to support our mood and reduce those anxious feelings.

Think Flowers to uplift and calm your mind

I don’t know about you, but just the sight and definitely the smell of rose and lavender can help to cheer me up and leave me feeling a little calmer. The great news is that science has proved that it is TRUE.

Scientists in Japan found that inhaling the aroma of certain fragrances, including lavender, can alter gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that can reduce stress.

This, together with other research is backing up what we probably instinctively know, is that being with plants can help your mood. I will go onto show you that these effects can also be experienced when we enjoy these plants in a herbal tea or medicine.

We’ll come back to how herbs can help calm your mood later on in the blog, but first let’s focus on the wonderful plants.

Lemon Balm - A Potential anxiety buster

Lemon balm is a beautiful and fragrant herb, which is known by herbalists for its mood elevating properties. I find it a wonderful herb to raise my spirits if I am feeling down and I also use it in herbal medicine preparations for my clients too. The great news is that science is confirming how helpful a plant lemon balm is. A study in 2011, found that this plant was effective at relieving mild to moderate anxiety and insomnia.

Traditionally it has also been used to support digestion and help with abdominal cramping and a 2016 study has shown that it can help with digestive difficulties.

Lemon balm has also been shown to be anti-inflammatory, so it is a great herb if you are experiencing an array of troubling CFS symptoms.

Lemon Balm has been used traditionally for centuries and one of its traditional names was Cure All, and science has shown us that this lovely fragrant plant may be able help you with some of your distressing CFS symptoms.

Chamomile – Traditionally used to gently soothe and calm body and mind

Chamomile is well known as a calming tea for very good reasons, but it is so much more.

It has been used for thousands of years and has been used to help with a whole range of health conditions and science is now starting to validate some of its traditional uses.

A variety of research trials have shown that its chemical properties may help to reduce anxiety, support mood, relieve headaches, support sleep and help with digestion.

Not bad for a herb that is often treated as an alternative to tea. It really is a great herb that may help to relieve anxiety and some of those troublesome CFS symptoms.

Rose – giving you some love

Rose has been known as a noble plant for centuries symbolising love and beauty (you’ll have heard the expression an English Rose for a beautiful woman), but there’s more to roses than looking beautiful in your garden or in a vase.

Rose (Rosa damescena), has many medicinal properties and is regularly used by herbalists. Many herbalists love Rose, as it has been described as a ‘hug in a bottle’, for the calming effect it may have on the mind, hence the saying wake up and smell the roses! This use has been backed up by research undertaken in 2011.

Studies into Rose have shown that it may also help with digestive problems, reduce inflammation and has memory enhancing properties.

So, this is a lovely herb if you have CFS, it can support mood and help alleviate some of your distressing symptoms with its anti-inflammatory properties.

How do they do it?

Research has shown that the chemical properties in plants like Lemon Balm can increase a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain which can lead to feelings of calm. Likewise, chamomile has been also been shown to raise serotonin levels and GABA in the brain, which may lead to feeling relaxed and less stressed.

How do I use the herbs?

These summer plants are very versatile. They can be taken as teas, in a herbal medicine, in a floral water or as an aromatherapy oil.

A refreshing and calming cup of tea

The 3 flowers, when dried and combined make a wonderful calming tea mix that can also support your mood. I think herbal tea blends can be very useful for supporting sleep and reducing tension and anxiety and I regularly make a bespoke blend to best suit my client’s needs.

A herbal medicine

I regularly use one or more of these herbs in a herbal medicine preparation (tincture) that I make up for my clients, because they may really help to relieve anxiety and CFS symptoms.

find out more

How I can help you

These are just a small selection of the herbs I use to support my client’s recovery from CFS.

The truth is there is a treasure chest of herbs that have been scientifically researched that may help you to feel calmer and more energised.

I do know that there is so much information out there it can feel mind boggling and sometimes overwhelming at the choice available and wondering what you should do for the best.

Having someone who not only understands what CFS feels like but has the knowledge and experience of working with herbs and supplements to help women like you recover, may be just what you need to start your recovery journey.

I offer clients a nurturing and compassionate space to talk about their CFS and offer natural options from general nutritional advice and personalised herbal medicine to mindfulness and meditation practices developed to both nourish the body and mind.

Drop me a line to start the conversation on how I can support you in overcoming CFS and helping you to feel like you once again.

work with me

This article is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice. Some of the herbs and supplements featured should not be taken if you are using prescribed medication (e.g. anxiety medication) or if you have certain health conditions.

It is advised that you seek the support of your GP or a fully qualified herbalist or other health professional before taking any new herbs or supplements, to ensure you obtain personalised advice and the most appropriate herbs for you.

A free resource to help you on your recovery journey

To help people just starting their CFS recovery journey, I have produced a FREE 10 page guide to ‘Reclaiming your natural energetic high without spending a fortune on costly supplements’.

Here I guide you through 7 easy to do and lower cost ways that could help you on your recovery journey from CFS.

Download your guide to help you begin the process that could help you, in time, to feel more like YOU once again.