Herbal Medicine Making Skill: How to Use Herbal Nervines
Herbal skills: Know your Nervines
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Lemon balm
- California poppy
- St. John’s wort flowers
- Peppermint
- Passion flower
- Linden flower
- Kava Kava
- Hops
- Skullcap
- Marjoram
If you are used to taking sleeping pills to help you fall asleep, cutting out sleeping pills cold turkey and switching to herbs may not bring on relaxing sleep instantly. Your body will need to detox from the residual chemicals in your system before the natural nervine actions of herbs can take effect. Herbs work in a different way on your body than chemical hypnotics. But they do work.
Herbs nourish your cells and promote relaxation and digestion. You will notice that many of the herbs that promote sleep are also aromatic herbs like lavender or bitter herbs like chamomile or hops. When the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, the body relaxes and also digests your food more optimally. This is a hint. Bitter herbs or carminative digestive or aromatic herbs will also help you sleep better.
A good night’s sleep begins at the dinner table
Conversely a bad night sleep begins at the dinner table. So if you are chronically unable to sleep, try changing your dinner routine. Begin the meal with bitter herbs to promote good digestion. This can be as simple as having a lettuce salad or a half a grapefruit before dinner begins.
Have your chamomile-lavender tea after dinner which promotes both digestion and relaxation. Turn off the screen at least 3 hours before bed – the blue light stimulates wakefulness. Then drink another cup of tea within an hour of bedtime. Get into a habit of shutting down your fight and flight stimulation – your sympathetic nervous system — and instead nourishing your parasympathetic nervous system – your digest and rest stimulation. Chamomile tea helps but it can’t overcome the “end of the world as we know it” midnight news stories, and the ensuing adrenaline rush. Be kind to yourself. Drink tea and shut off screen-time.
Also if you are used to reading right before bed, pick a boring nonfiction book rather than an exciting adventure novel. Reading novels can also excite the flight or flight response, even when you are laying in bed, and sleep will be the last thing on your mind as you get caught up in the story.
Shalom