Lesson 2: Herbs That Relieve Stress

Mother Nature Natural Healer

Panax Ginseng

• Panax ginseng is perhaps one of the most studied medicinal herbs in the world -- and might be one of the most widely used. It's used to promote a sense of well-being and endurance, as an anti-depressant, for memory and calmness, for energy.

Rhodiola

Rhodiola -- also called "golden root" -- is used mostly to treat stress, depression and fatigue, and is also believed to increase mental performance.

Used for centuries in Asia and Scandinavia, Rhodiola is still relatively new to the Western market, but its popularity is growing, in large part because of what an incredibly versatile -- and relatively inexpensive -- herb it is.

Holy Basil

• Holy Basil (a cousin of the garden-variety "sweet basil" you use in your pasta sauce) comes from the lowlands of India. It's called "holy" because it is believed by Hindus to be the avatar for the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealthy, wisdom, and light.

Holy Basil has a wide variety of uses, stemming back thousands of years. Within the tradition of Ayurvedic medicine.

Ashwagandha

• Ashwangandha is one of the premier restorative herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. It is known to help stabilize mood and support optimal physical and emotional well-being. It is also known to improve memory and focus and endurance. It is believed to reduce the effects of stress on the body.

He Shou Wu

• He shou wu is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a tonic to slow down the aging process. It is a restorative herb, calming to the nervous system, and has also been shown to promote hair growth, alleviate insomnia, and may aid with learning and memory

Schizandra

• Long used in traditional Chinese medicine, the schizandra berry has a wide variety of uses: It promotes liver function, supports the immune system, relieves anxiety, increases energy, and it can improve mental clarity. It's sometimes called the "five flavors berry," because it tastes sour, bitter, sweet, salty and acrid all at once

Reishi Mushroom

• Traditional Chinese medicine uses reishi to "calm the spirit." Reishi, (literally "supernatural" mushrooms) have been used for more than 2,000 years, making them perhaps the oldest mushroom to be used medicinally. They can be helpful to reduce anxiety, alleviate insomnia, combat fatigue, and lower blood pressure.

He Shou Wu

Ashwagandha

Questions???

Closing Comments

• We discuss several herbs that are used to fight the problems of stress that we all face some point in our life. The most important thing is knowing how to deal with it in order to become a healthier person, I would encourage each of you to start incorporating herbs into your diet if you haven’t done so already to avoid potential problems later.

Reference

• Wired and Tired? 7 Herbs to Reduce Stress and Increase Vitality retrieved May 30, 2015 from http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-patricia-fitzgerald/herbs-health_b