Anxiety, stress or nervousness attack; alternative medicine can help us prevent or cure some of our daily ailments. Thanks to their active ingredients, anti-stress plants have the ability to soothe us. They increase the body’s natural resistance to stress.
In herbal tea (plants in bulk) or in essential oil (in bottles), some medicinal plants have a gentle action on the body to help you manage stress, relax and even sleep better.
These anti-stress plants treat ailments without side effects chemical drugs. They work quickly, but their effect is also long-term when you take them as a cure (one to three weeks).
here is 10 classic anti-stress plants of phytotherapy to fight against anxiety and nervousness …
1. Hawthorn
Hawthorn is a shrub with white flowers and is a major stress and sleep plant. It calms nervous tension and soothes. It also acts on the cardiovascular system by calming heart rhythm disturbances due to stress.
You won’t find hawthorn essential oil. But you can consume the dried plant in herbal tea (the flowering tops), at the rate of half a tablespoon for a bowl of boiling water, to let infuse 7 to 8 minutes before filtering. Drink two to three bowls a day. To sleep well, drink the last bowl after dinner, half an hour before going to bed.
If you go through stressful times on a regular basis, concoct a little routine: daily breathing exercises, proper nutrition, and a few herbs when you’re really ready to crack. You will find quickly results…
2. Passionflower
Originally from Mexico, the passion flower (the other name for passionflower) is used in herbal medicine to fight anxiety and decrease nervousness. In infusion, its soothing and tranquilizing action helps to regain a state of serenity, facilitates falling asleep and relieves symptoms related to stress.
Nervous tension cannot resist it, and sleep no longer has a hard time catching you in its nets. Passionflower is available in dry extracts (capsules) or in bulk (1/2 tablespoon for a bowl of boiling water, to let infuse 10 minutes, 2 times a day, preferably in the evening).
3. Ginseng
Ginseng root is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to support the body in the face of physical and intellectual fatigue. It improves the general condition during a stress crisis thanks to its calming action and it promotes concentration.
Ginseng revitalize and fight effectively against anxiety but also insomnia. How? ‘Or’ What ? By regulating the production of cortisol, the steroid hormone produced in excess under great stress.
It is mainly consumed in capsules or in ampoules: take in 200 and 1000 mg per day, preferably in the morning with breakfast during 3 weeks, but never beyond 2 consecutive months.
4. Lavender
Lavender (lavandula officinalis) evokes the landscapes of Haute Provence, fields striped with mauve that stretch to the horizon. Its scent is reminiscent of sun-dried linen and grandmothers’ wardrobes. Corn lavender is much more than that. It is an ancestral medicinal plant, whose gentle soothing effects and anti-stress benefits are well known. You can use it in herbal tea, massage or bath. There are several varieties of lavender. Choose the officinal lavender (or true lavender).
Its scent is powerful, do not put too much. A teaspoonful of the dried plant is enough for a bowl of boiling water, and let steep for 10 minutes. Then filter, and drink two bowls a day (possibly sweetened with a little honey), including one after the evening meal.
Lavender essential oil is not irritating to the skin. You can use it pure. Pour two drops on the inside of your wrists or on your plexus, and rub lightly to make it penetrate. The effect is rapid.
5. St. John’s Wort
Since Antiquity, this plant with yellow flowers has helped fight what was then called melancholy. It is a natural remedy to ward off mild depression. St. John’s Wort is used to treat psychosomatic disorders, seasonal depressive states, stress, and nervous agitation. It also improves the quality of sleep and helps fight insomnia.
It can be drunk as an infusion three times a day. In this case, we put 4 g of dried flowers in 150 ml of boiling water for 10 min. You can also use the essential oil of St. John’s Wort for massages and poultices.
6. Marjoram
Marjoram is a major aromatic plant in Mediterranean cuisine. Its scent awakens meat, vegetable or fish dishes. Don’t hesitate to use it. In addition, you can consume it in herbal tea or use it to prepare a relaxing bath.
Count a tablespoon of dried plant (flowering tops) for a bowl of boiling water, and let infuse 10 minutes before filtering. The marjoram makes lower nervous tension and improves sleep. Drink two bowls a day, one after the evening meal.
Find this plant and more than 60 others (also exceptional) in our Herbal medicine guide
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The essential oil of marjoram (Origanum majorana) is safe. You can mix 20 drops with half a cup of baking soda, then pour it under the taps when you run your bath. Stay there for at least 10 minutes for the active ingredients to penetrate through your skin.
7. Rhodiola
Rhodiola root helps the body fight against chemical, physical, and biological stressors. Rhodiola Rosea increases stress resistance, but it also stimulates the immune system.
One of the most popular anti-stress plants among herbalists, it is more for people who want improve their well-being and mental state.
These are the rhizomes of the plant that we consume to benefit from their action both invigorating during the day, and anti-stress in the evening. Rhodiola is a two-faced plant, which complement each other perfectly to help you overcome your sleep problems. A whole rhizome is not easily found. Better to consume this plant in dry extracts (capsules) or liquid (ampoules).
8. Valerian
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a very good tranquilizer which reduces nervousness and nervous tension and offers a better quality of sleep by reducing nighttime restlessness, without causing drowsiness. It is the plant of those who ruminate on obsessive worries. It also helps to fight against the nervousness inherent in a tobacco detoxification, thus making it easier to quit smoking!
We can take it in infusion or in capsules at bedtime. To make an infusion, put 3 g of valerian roots in 200 ml of water for one cup and let infuse for ten minutes.
9. Lemon balm
Its slightly lemony flavor is delicious. In summer, immerse a handful of fresh lemon balm in a carafe of water, and let steep for 2 hours in the refrigerator. The plant will give flavor to the drink, and will diffuse its soothing active ingredients. Its anti-stress action will however be clearer if you prepare a real herbal tea.
Count two tablespoons of dried plant for a bowl of boiling water, and let steep for 5 minutes before filtering. She will do lower your blood pressure and will help you fall asleep. As an added bonus, it’s digestive, which can come in handy when stress interferes with digestion.
Lemon balm essential oil is very expensive. It is therefore better to use it sparingly. During the day, when you feel stress rising, breathe directly into the bottle. The scents are soothing. You can also put a drop on the inside of each wrist and rub to make it penetrate.
10. Feverfew
It has been used for centuries for its soothing action. Feverfew is one of the best known among anti stress plants. It also calms certain pains (especially headaches), improves digestion and sleep. It is a must.
To manage stress feverfew is taken in herbal tea, at the rate of a tablespoon of dried flowers for a bowl of boiling water, let infuse 10 minutes before filtering. No need to sweeten, because its flavor is pleasant. You can drink two or three bowls a day, the last one an hour before you go to bed.
It is difficult to find chamomile essential oil because it is very expensive. So content yourself with the herbal tea.
