Best Herbs for Stress Support | Starwest Botanicals

If you’re on the fence about diving into the world of herbal remedies and plant-based wellness, there’s never been a better time to dip your feet in. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the phenomenal benefits of consuming plants.

One of the most popular forms of herbal medicine today is its power to help support mental relaxation. From herbal teas to floral essential oils, herbal remedies have been known to help unlock natural calm and relaxation in the brain, body, and soul.

When you experience feelings of stress, you can rest assured that there are natural herbs that can help. In this guide, we’re taking you through the herb garden to explore the benefits of herbs, the history of their use, and ways to incorporate herbs for stress support into your everyday life.

Why Herbs?

It’s no coincidence that in the great outdoors, we feel a sense of calm, beauty, and peace. Nature is the earth’s medicine.

Utilizing herbs in your everyday life can help support:

• organic energy
• mental clarity
• digestion
• relax the mind and body
• strengthen spiritual endeavors

A Brief History of Herbs for Stress

Although the powers of herbs for stress support are just now starting to be unlocked in Western civilization, Indigenous and Eastern civilizations have been tapping them for thousands of years.

Cave paintings of herbal medicine have been traced back to 25,000 B.C. in France. The Egyptians wrote about them around the 28th century B.C. Indigenous people used herbs for stress and mood support that we still recognize today: lemon balm, hops, lavender, and passionflower, among others.

When we experience the peace of herbs, we experience a piece of history.

Herbs in Medicine Today

In the last 50 years, herbs have become a more popular way to relieve stress and occasional anxiety symptoms.

Many people are opting to consume more natural, plant-based products to feel better and reduce the risks and side effects that prescription medication may pose.

Using Herbs Carefully

Although medicinal herbs are usually gentle on the body, any herbs or new substance that you consume should be discussed with your healthcare provider first. Herbs are indeed a fantastic natural remedy, but they should still be treated with safety and care.

Herbs for Stress and Mood Support

Now let’s get into the specifics of some of the most promisingly helpful herbs for stress and occasional anxiety. The four herbs we’ll take a look at are:

• Lavender
• Chamomile
• Lemon balm
• Ginseng

Read on below!

#1 Lavender

The long list of benefits, use variations, scientific evidence, and lack of evidential side effects puts lavender at the top of the list for herbs to assist with stress support. Lavender is a fragrant purple flower that can be grown right in your own garden to help you and your family live more calmly.

Lavender Benefits

The aroma of this herbal supplement has been shown in studies to reduce stress, as well as improve overall mood and quality of sleep. This herbal sleep aid also contains powerful antioxidants that may help support your immune system and cellular function*.

Lavender may help with:

• Improving mood throughout the day
• Reducing feelings of restlessness

Ways to Use Lavender

Fill your home up with lavender from morning until night—this herb can help calm you without leaving you drowsy, so you don’t have to wait until bedtime to enjoy it.

A few ways to try out this calming herb include:

• Brewing a lavender mint tea –Add ¼ cup of lavender flowers (dried or fresh) to hot water with a few fresh mint leaves. Sweeten with honey or a splash of milk, if you’d like, and breathe the aroma of the warm mug deeply before sipping the benefits.

• Smelling lavender essential oil –Lavender essential oil allows you to breathe in the healing scent. Before bed, add a few drops to your bedroom diffuser to soak in soothing lavender as you sleep.

#2 Chamomile

It’s hard not to hear chamomile without conjuring images of a soothing, hot tea on a chilly winter evening. Drop a few of their bright yellow and white petals into hot water and you’ll see, smell, and feel why traditional healers have been using it for centuries.

Chamomile Benefits

Studies have found that this calming herb helps promote GABA, a neurotransmitter responsible for calming the mind.

Chamomile may help support:

• Calming a racing mind
• Promoting restfulness
• Aid in digestion

Ways to Use Chamomile

Chamomile is another stress-relieving herb that poses minimal side effects of drowsiness, so it’s a low-risk option to try at home—plus, their daisy-like flowers are an appealing addition to any backyard decor. If you lack a green thumb, whole dried flowers or essential oils would be the best form of herb for you - find them in the shop here.

Here are a few ways you can enjoy chamomile:

• Steep a warming tea – Whether you prefer loose leaf vs tea bags or vice versa, Chamomile is most traditionally consumed in a tea. Cozy up to the warmth of chamomile on its own, or add cinnamon, honey, and milk to create a cup of comfort for the soul.

• Drop essential oil on a warm towel – If you’re in need of deep relaxation during a night at home, heat a damp washcloth and drop a few drops of chamomile essential oil on it. Slowly breathe in the scent and feel a wave of calm wash over you.

#3 Lemon Balm

Speaking of transcendent aromas, we don’t know very many people who don’t love the smell of fresh lemon. But that’s just the zest on top of this herbal supplement’s incredible advantages. Throughout history, it has been known to ease the mind and help with sleep. It also is thought to be a beneficial herb for blood pressure*.

Lemon Balm Benefits

In clinical studies, lemon balm has been shown to reduce symptom of stress and support a health mood.

Lemon balm may help support:

• Promoting feelings of calm
• Relaxing the mind and muscles
• Improving sleep quality
• Enhancing overall mood

Ways to Use Lemon Balm

The leaves of lemon balm can be eaten in salads or used as garnishes. The oils can be extracted and used to deter garden pests and mosquitos. And, of course, the calming citrus is a lovely addition to lotions, soaps, and teas. The opportunities are endless for this herbal remedy.

• Infuse oils, honey, or vinegar – Add a hint of citric freshness to cooking oil, honey, or vinegar by adding a few fresh leaves to the basic ingredients and letting it seep its natural oils and benefits within. Lemon balm-infused honey is fantastic in tea.

• Mix a lemon balm bug spray –Create your own sustainable, all-natural bug spray alternative that’s good for you and your garden with lemon balm essential oil. No harmful chemicals—tons of health benefits.

#4 Ginseng

Ginseng has been famed for thousands of years since ancient Chinese medicine. It became a highly valuable ingredient revered for its ability to “heal everything,” which is where it gets its Latin name, Panax ginseng. Today its many varieties are used in cooking and medicinal healing of all kinds.

Ginseng Benefits

Ginseng is one of today’s well-known adaptogens: ingredients found in certain plants that help our bodies cope with and respond to stress. One of the many adaptogenic benefits include balancing the body to bring it back to a peaceful state.

Ginseng has been studied to prove its use in balancing stress hormones and promoting homeostasis in the body, suggesting it may help support reduced levels of stress.*

Along with its adaptogenic properties, ginseng carries several potential benefits, like:

• Promoting peacefulness
• Alleviating stress and occasional anxiety
• Aiding the immune system
• Increasing mental clarity

*Use of Ginseng concurrent use with stimulants is not advised, as overstimulation may occur in susceptible persons. Ginseng may interact negatively with some additional medications. Before attempting to treat yourself with ginseng or add it to your nutritional program, consult your physician or a licensed herbalist.

Ways to Use Ginseng

You may have spotted ginseng being used in soups and stews at your favorite Asian restaurant. Fresh ginseng root looks like a cross between a carrot and ginger, with a uniquely bitter, earthy flavor that lends itself well to culinary pairings.

Incorporate this herbal remedy into your routine by:

• Simmering a ginseng soup –Samgyetang is a deliciously flavorful traditional Korean soup made with chicken and ginseng. Try this or another ginseng-powered soup to wake up your senses and nourish your body.

• Sprinkle ginseng powder in smoothies –Many people like to incorporate dry ginseng powder into your morning cup or smoothie bowl for an added boost.

Relax into Natural Stress Support with Starwest Botanicals

It’s no wonder there are so many people exploring the abundance of benefits that herbs can produce for your anxious jitters, stress-induced worrying, and your overall wellness. 

At Starwest Botanicals, we specialize in bringing you the greatest assortment of organic herbs online at the highest quality. We responsibly source every single herb we stock to take the guesswork out of the equation for you and leave you with the peace of mind these herbs can bring.

Tour our herbal collection of lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, ginseng, and much more so we can help you find the best herb to suit your needs and begin your transcendence into natural relaxation.

Disclaimer*

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.

Sources:

National Library of Medicine. Lavender and the Nervous System. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/

National Library of Medicine. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/

Cleveland Clinic. Adaptogens. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/22361-adaptogens