Skullcap – lights, noises and smells overwhelm – recovery from mental breakdown– Recovery from stimulant drugs
Damiana – an uplifting bitter aromatic remedy indicated for people who’s stress kills their sex drive. Makes you relaxed and cuddly.
Milky Oats –A tonic that combines well with almost every other nervine. It works best for people with mental and physical exhaustion who are irritable and lack focus. They may also experience heart palpitations and loss of libido. Specific indications: Rolla Thomas: Sleeplessness with irritability, nervous prostration due to mental strain, headache, melancholia, and hysteria.
Borage –lifts sadness and depression. Used as a flower essence or in drop doses it promotes cheerful courage when facing adversity.
St. John’s Wort –can be helpful for insomnia, fear, nerve pain, and nerve damage. It stimulates nerve regeneration and repair and helps heal wounds. St. John’s wort is antiviral and is used for infections such as shingles, herpes, mononucleosis, and flu. Specific indications: Rolla Thomas: It exerts a marked influence in relieving irritation in injuries of the spine, and in punctured or lacerated wounds of the extremities, preventing tetanus. Relieves the excruciating pain of such injuries.
Ashwaganda –is a nervine and adrenal tonic that helps anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and poor muscle tone.
Nerve Sedatives (relaxing, anxiolytic in small to moderate doses, sedative in larger doses)
Hops – stress induced stomach heat – over-planning over-thinking. Specific indications: Felter: Nervousness, irritability, insomnia. Acid eructations. Vesical irritation.
Valerian – a knocker outer - palliative sedative
Not recommended for persons with “hot” disorders, i.e., high strung, nervous and excitable. (Skullcap or passion flower are better for such individuals). Some people react “backwards” to valerian and find it stimulating rather than sedating.
Passion Flower – for people with circular thinking creating insomnia. Specific indications: Rolla Thomas: Irritation of brain and nervous system; sleeplessness; nervous headache and neuralgia; infantile nervous irritation, tetanus and in epilepsy.
Chamomile –A mild sedative and good gastric anti-inflammatory. Specific indications: Matthew Wood: Whiny, fussy babies of any age.
Lemon Balm – uplifting but relaxing - for the person who can't stop going- great
for infection induced stress. It helps to ease sadness and depression, calm mania and hysteria, enhance sleep, and aid memory and concentration.
Lavender – headaches, anxiety, insomnia and depression that comes from constant worry – hug in a bottle It is a specific for high strung, nervous, self-absorbed people who need to relax. It lifts mood and is mildly antidepressant. Lavender has a mild analgesic effect and can ease headaches and migraines when taken soon after onset. The encapsulated essential oil is as effective as benzo’s for generalized anxiety disorder with no side effects.
Motherwort - fried and frazzled with a tendency to palpitations and other heart stress and hormonal induced stress
Linden Flower – nerves causing cardio heat and palpations, relaxes tension and reduces blood pressure. It can be helpful for headaches. It a very pleasant-tasting herbal tea and is a valuable but underused remedy.
Blue Vervain – is very helpful for nervous exhaustion from long term stress or fanatical, hard driving personalities and for people who suffer from neck and shoulder pain who feel like they’re tied up in knots. It’s helpful for women who get angry and tense just before their period, and for anger in general. It can alleviate some types of headaches, including migraines associated with PMS. It is helpful for many spasmodic nervous disorders including tics, palsy, and Tourette’s syndrome. Specific indications: Thomas Easley: Stiff necked overachieving list-makers who can’t ask for help.
Lobelia – Lobelia is a powerful antispasmodic herb. Specific indications: Rolla Thomas: Sense of fullness and oppression in precordial region; oppression of chest and difficult respiration; sharp lancinating pain starting in heart and radiating to left shoulder and arm; mucus rattling in throat; full, oppressed pulse, weak pulse— stimulant doses, 10 – 20 drops at a single dose in angina pectoris; 10 drops in 4 ounces water in ordinary disease; combined with lavender for asthenic bronchitis of the child.
California Poppy –has mild sedative and analgesic properties, but is not narcotic. It has an affinity for GABA receptors in the brain, calming the mind without depressing the central nervous system.
Kava Kava –It is used in Polynesian religious ceremonies to reduce anxiety and relax muscles while maintaining mental alertness. It also elevates mood. Kava is a diuretic and reduces the pain of urinary tract infections and interstitial cystitis. Specific indications: Felter: Irritation, inflammation, atony of urinary passages, painful micturition, scanty and irregular.
Pulsatilla – a potent low dose botanical indicated for anxiety with a tendency to crying and loss of control of emotions.