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The majority of people can always use some support buffering stressful situations, and herbs are so helpful to support the nervous system long term.

One of the largest areas of health related disease and imbalance today stems from stress. Chronic stress is something we have a serious problem with (especially in this country), and we’ve set the bar way too high in terms of how much stress we choose to live with on a daily basis. High stress is extremely demanding and depleting to our central nervous system (CNS), and can have predictably negative effects on our health as a whole. The central nervous system is responsible for most of the communication throughout our body, and also is our first line of responsiveness and reactivity to external stimuli (like quick decision making, tolerating long term environmental stressors, and reacting to negative external inputs like difficult people or situations).

Below are 5 herbs to support the nervous system that are easy to find, very safe, and effective to use long term for all ages.

1. Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

Milky oat is jam packed with valuable minerals and nutrients and serves as a calming + building + nourishing tonic that is wonderfully soothing to the central nervous system when taken long term (4 months or more). It makes an excellent addition to herbal teas, and can also be taken as a tincture (hydroalcoholic extract) on a daily basis. The oat straw and spikelets are what is used and harvested for the medicinal properties. Being such a building and nutritive tonic herb, it’s ideal for people who have nervous exhaustion and get more and more exhausted as the day progresses. This is great for people who burn the candle at both ends (like new parents) and generally could be much restored from extra rest. Milky oat is a great choice for them.

2. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

Chamomile is wonderful as a central nervous system remedy that also has an affinity for the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) that resides in the gut. These two nervous systems are highly communicative throughout the day, with the ENS actually being much more responsive to external and internal cues that we realize. Chamomile is soothing, anti-spasmodic and calming to the entire gut, as well as restoring and relaxing to an overstimulated person. This is an fitting herb for people who hold their stress in their digestive system (like a nervous stomach or IBS patterns) and a tea is optimal for daily use. The tincture of chamomile can be used for acute support, and is ideal to travel with.

3. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

Passionflower supports a depleted central nervous system that presents as difficulty sleeping and an overactive mind. Often when people are so exhausted they can’t sleep, there is a feeling of desperation and anxiety accompanying sleep, and this is where passionflower can be extremely helpful. It allows the body to fall asleep on it’s own terms (it’s not going to knock someone out) and when taken consistently can be a wonderful and gentle sleep remedy to take long term. Passionflower tea is best taken about 1 hour before bedtime.

4. Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)

Holy basil is an ideal adaptogen that is specific to the endocrine system and adrenal glands. It’s a tonic building herb that supports a depleted nervous system both short and long term. The adrenal glands are responsible for releasing cortisol, the hormone that deals with both energy needs and our responsiveness to stress. The adrenal glands are one of the most important glands to support during times of acute and chronic stress, and daily holy basil (also known as Tulsi) tea can be most helpful for people who have long term stress and feeling run down, despondent and emotionally low.

5. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Skullcap is perhaps one of the most underused central nervous system remedies, however it’s it one of the most effective, gentle and powerful nervines available in herb form. Skullcap is specific to the musculoskeletal system and is perfect for folks under long term stress that is held in their muscles and joints (especially stiff necks, tightness when sleeping or for those who hold stress in their shoulders and feel tightness there frequently). Everyone responds to long term stress a bit differently, and skullcap works extremely well for people who become agitated, reclusive and feel overexposed when under stress. Skullcap tea can be consumed daily (and combines very well with chamomile).

If you have been under long or short term stress and could use help supporting your central nervous system, schedule an appointment with one of our practitioners at Richmond Natural Medicine. We can custom compound an herbal formula and care plan just for you and your unique situation.

Additional Reading: Mind-Body Stress Relief