I am so grateful that we have been blessed with so many healing herbs
and plants... and especially the calming herbs... for last week I sure
needed a cup of strong calming tea! Yes, I had just gone
through one of those incidents that greatly increased my need to
de-stress. Allow me to elaborate.
Have You ever got a ride in a police car or a fire engine
with the siren blasting so loud it is about to make you deaf and all
the other cars moving out of the way? Well, I didn't exactly
get a ride in a police car nor a fire engine, I was riding in my own
car when suddenly during a very heavy rain my alarm went off and was
blasting so loud it was about to make me deaf.
At first I did not understand it was my car's
alarm. I thought it was someone else's... so, I was trying to
get away from this noise, but when it kept persistently following me, I
figured it must be my alarm and not someone else's.
Goodness, it just did not shut up! It kept
blasting. I drove as fast as the allowed speed-limit in the
city... well, a wee bit faster... to my car repairers. They
were not able to help me, except to send me to the other end of the
city to a guy who could help me. So, I took off with the
blasting alarm, loudly announcing to everyone my approach. It
was the worse to stand behind the traffic lights, waiting for the green
- everyone was looking at me... some cars were moving away from my
way... I thought, well, that sure is a way to make an
entrance - with siren blasting all over the place.
I even passed two police cars... but I guess they could not
figure out which car was causing the disturbance... as there was
nothing else abnormal: my lights were not blinking nor was I driving
crazy. So, at least I was not stopped by a police!
I could imagine them trying to question me in sign language,
as I could not have heard their voices. To keep sane in this
hullabaloo, I stuffed my ears with some cotton, on top of which I
squeezed earplugs, in order to listen to something uplifting... in a
very loud voice!
To top it all off, I got lost... which is not that uncommon
with me... so, I had to make 3 phone-calls to finally find the private
car repairers. Each time I had to stop the car, jump out and
run to a distance from my blasting vehicle where I could hear
something. Sure enough, I was a center of attention every
time! When I finally found the place, thank God, the man was
able to silence my car in less than 10 minutes. Some wires
had united that shouldn't have been, causing the terrible hullabaloo...
but that is technical stuff that I do not understand, so I can't
explain it.
So, I guess You understand my gratefulness and relief to get back home
and de-stress with a lovely cup of calming tea... in a
calming bath! It works, You know!
Herbal Stress Relievers
Do you have stress in your life? If left untreated, stress
can be a serious health hazard that affects both mental and physical
wellbeing. Excessive stress robs the body of nutrients, harms
the cardiovascular system, and lowers the effectiveness of the immune
system.
Psychologically, stress can induce depression, anxiety, anger, fear,
and other negative patterns. How well do you deal with
stress? What can you do?
Thomas Stearns Lee, NMD, suggests the use of herbs that can reduce or
even eliminate some of the negative effects of stress. He
says that some herbs are the best treatment for physical ailments,
while others work better for psychological problems. Although
he suggests that we manage our emotions and learn to master our
reactions to stress in order to really "cure" stress, in the meanwhile,
herbs can definitely help. Here are some very useful tips
from Dr.Lee:
If you are under pressure and you feel your heart racing
while your
breathing becomes more rapid, you may feel better quickly with the use
of Hawthorne berries and Linden flowers in capsules or as teas.
If the stress affects your digestive system, try Chamomile
or
Peppermint.
For tight shoulders, use Valerian, which will also help
with occasional
insomnia.
Feverfew and Willow bark will help with tension headaches
and
stress-related migraines.
If your nervous system has been stretched to the limit, use
Oats. As a food or in the form of oatstraw tea, oats will
nourish the nervous system.
Herbs that will help the body achieve balance are said to
have
adaptogenic properties. For example, Ginseng can help
strengthen the body's systems for handling stress. The result
is that you can train up to handle stress better next time, while a
stimulant only gets you over a hurdle for the short term.
No amount of medicine is going to make the stress events different in
our lives, but we can usually handle the physical effects of stress
better with the intelligent use of herbs.
If these tips don't work well enough to help in your particular
pressure-cooker of a life, Dr. Lee suggests we work with an experienced
Naturopathic Physician to get things understood and changed for the
better. A good Magnesium and Vitamin B supplement might help
too.
Modern science is validating our older natural medicines as being just
as effective today, and they usually turn out to be safer than modern
drugs. Head your problems off with gentle natural medicines
before they rob you and your family of a good quality of life.
Essential Oils that Help Relieve Stress
In her book Aromatherapy Solutions, Veronica Sibley suggests the
following essential oils to use against stress and its various forms:
Angelica ( Angelica archangelica) to relieve
fatigue, migraines,
nervous stress, health problems caused by stress;
Benzoe (Styrax bezoin) for mild depression and
sadness, to calm and
lift the spirits;
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) for migraines,
neuralgia, stressed out
nervous system;
Galban (Ferula galbaniflua) to relieve stress;
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) to relieve depression
and lift the
spirits;
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) to alleviate nervous
exhaustion;
Jasmin (Jasminum Grandiflorum) to relieve
depression, lift the spirits,
balance emotions, increase self-confidence;
Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) to relieve anxiety and
depression;
Majoram (sweet) (Origanum majorana) to calm,
alleviate muscle spasms,
migraines and pain;
Milfoil (yarrow) (Achillea millefolium) to relieve
insomnia, high blood
pressure and problems caused by stress;
Pine (Pinus sylvestris) for nervous exhaustion and
fatigue;
Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) to increase
self-confidence and
self-respect, to relax and efficiently relieve mental and emotional
stress;
Sandalwood (Santalum album) to enjoy calm and deep
meditation, to
relax, to relieve depression, stress and fear;
Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) for nervous stress;
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) to relieve
insomnia, migraines, unrest
and nervous stress;
Warning: when you buy essential oils, make sure they
are pure,
preferably organic and not synthetic. Many over-the-counter
essential oils are synthetic and may cause more health problems than
benefits.
How to use: Place one or two drops of the chosen
essential oil on the
palm of your hands and inhale. You can rub the oil into your
wrists and into the soles of your feet. The oil will travel
in seconds to other parts of your body, causing the calming effect.
For a calming bath, mix about 10 drops of the essential oil in milk (as
essential oils do not mix with water), pour into your bath water...
enjoy.
About the Author - Eve Juurik
Eve believes in promoting Body-Mind-Spirit Health, Fitness and Beauty
in an Organic Way
