Plants to Nourish Your Nervous System
Plants that nourish the nervous system are called nervines, they help tonify and regulate. Think of them like a sweet plant mama, nourishing us through their phytochemicals (or their plant spirit, depending on your world view). Unlike pharmaceuticals that temporarily sedate us, plant nervines can bring calm while also supporting the healing and repair of a dysregulated nervous system.
I’ve had my share of nervous system disorder, manifesting primarily as chronic fatigue, insomnia and anxiety. With some experimentation and relationship building with my herbal allies, I’ve learned which plants support me well when I’m feeling jangly.
Today in the global herbal marketplace, we can choose from exotic nervine herbs that come from all corners of the globe. If you are interested in building your own plant allies, my invitation to you is to focus on one or two herbs that you can easily find or grow locally and have wide safety margins. Here are some of my favorites that I keep stocked in my home apothecary that you may be inspired to experiment with.
Oats
One of the most highly regarded herbs to nourish a frazzled nervous system is oats. You can use the humble varieties that grow wild prolifically in the Sierra Nevada, (various Avena species), or the cultivated version that is used for growing commercial oats or cover crop (Avena sativa). In cases of nervous exhaustion, addiction withdrawal, or any stressful state of being when your brain feels scattered, oats can help. Oats are not a quick fix, they are a gentle, nourishing medicine that takes several days to many weeks to do their work, and are a great source of calcium to boot.
There are lots of ways to take oats:
Milky Oats are often considered the best way to get this nervine nourishment- using a tincture made out of the fresh maturing seed (called “milky”, because when you squeeze the seed head during this stage, a white liquid comes out). If you can’t find milky oats, that’s okay, try another form.
Oat straw is the stalk of the oat grass, harvested when green, and then dried and chopped. Oat straw is often used as ingredient in nervine tea blends, and has a light, slightly sweet flavor when used as a tea.
Oatmeal is the mature, dried seed, available in stores either whole or rolled.Eating oats for breakfast is a great way to nourish the nervous system over a period of time. You will get the most benefit out of whole oats, and the least out of quick-oats.
Here in the Sierra Nevada foothills, wild oats are bountiful in the late spring, and they can be harvested for milky oats or for oat straw. Oats also make a great cover crop for farms and gardens so that’s a great way to ensure you will have access to a local harvest!
Take oats 1- 2x a day, via tincture (2 droppers) or a cup of tea, for at least four weeks. Adding in oatmeal for breakfast will also help. For a more luxurious experience with oats, fill a muslin bag with a handful of oats and put it into a warm bath, add a few drops of lavender essential oil, and treat yourself to a warm, relaxing experience.
Chamomile
Chamomile has never lost its status as a medicinal herb - a testimate to its gentle power! It’s botanical name Matricaria chamomilla refers to the mother, and across cultures it has been used to calm the nervous system, promote sleep, sooth indigestion, and reduce inflammation. It’s one of my favorite nourishing and calming herbs, I keep it on hand in bulk and in tincture form. Here are some ways I invite you to explore your own relationship with it:
-Tea: so easy to make and lovely to drink. Make a ritual out of it once a day, sip it with intention and curiosity and notice what happens.
-Steam: put a handful of chamomile in a bowl of steaming hot water, and then hover over the bowl with a towel over your head. Inhale the chamomile into your lungs with slow, deep breaths. Imagine it’s calming qualities penetrating the inside of your body and softening the muscles in your face. Do this for 5 minutes and notice how you feel afterwards.
-Tincture: Chamomile tincture, a few drops under the tongue, can offer a subtle yet fast-acting calming experience throughout they day.
-Chamomile massage oil: You can easily DIY your own chamomile-infused herbal (using the folk method), whispering in your own prayers for support as you make it. Massage the oil into tense muscles or as a daily rub down on the skin. When I started to use this oil regularly on my baby daughter, she would stop fussing as soon as I opened the jar in anticipation of what was to come!
Lavender
Another an iconic medicinal herb with a long and wide tradition of use. Don’t confuse synthetic lavender scent for the real thing (beware of any lavender products that list ‘fragrance’ as an ingredient). Lavender is such an easy plant to get your hands on, to grow on your porch or in your garden, so its a great option to start building a personal relationship. It relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, promotes healthy sleep as well as a positive mood.
Like chamomile, you can take it as tea, a steam, or infuse your own massage oil. The pure essential oil can also be easily dropped into a bath or body cream (but avoid putting it directly on your skin in undiluted form). For some, putting a few drops of lavender essential oil into a diffuser while practicing deep breathing or meditation can help soften the body and the mind. Or you can just sit with it wherever it grows, rub your fingers gently along its flowers, and ask it for support and see what comes.
Cannabis
And then there is cannabis! Cannabis is an incredible nervine herb, especially high CBD and low THC varieties. Because there is so much variation among strains, herbal preps, and how individual people respond to cannabis, I suggest you start with topicals or CBD preparations if you are going for the nervine qualities.
That said, consider a focused, intentional use of psychoactive cannabis to explore its potential for your our own use as a nervine, and you may discover what form of cannabis might be right for you in terms of nourishing, nervine support.
