Mondays, we build your grocery list with one food, focusing on this month’s main topic.
March is for talking Energy support and a reduction in fatigue. Today, we have a special guest blogger, Herbalist and Gardener Melanie Isles. Melanie is here to talk about…
THREE HERBAL ALLIES TO BRING IN WHEN FATIGUE / LOW ENERGY GOT YOU DOWN.
These are milky oat tops - yes, just like the cereal plant!
Melanie is most at home when she has her hands in the soil tending the precious plants. She has been wandering garden paths learning about plant care for over 3 decades. She is an herbalist and herbal educator. She blends permaculture principles to develop beautiful and productive garden spaces. I link through to her new business below.
Melanie believes that everyone can have a beautiful garden space. Growing and making your own herbal medicines is fun and easier than you think. Let’s turn things over to Melanie!
My top three herbs for nervous system support
I am thrilled to share a wee bit about my favourite plant medicines for the nervous system. Just a tiny introduction about me. I am an herbalist, educator, and gardener. I have been working with plant medicines with myself and my family for over 20 years.
I have a strong preference for plant medicines that grow easily and abundantly. I have worked as a clinical herbalist, created and many popular blends from my herbal dispensary, now my focus is on herbal education and garden design. Helping people understand how to make and use their own medicines is my jam!
Nourishing the Nervous System
The nervous system is a pretty simple phrase to name a rather complex part of our functioning. Most of us only think about our nervous systems when we are feeling frazzled, stressed, and tired. In many ways the nervous system is responsible for linking our inside world with the outside world.
I know for sure Luka has been talking lots about ways to support the nervous system with foods. I am here to share about some herbs that we can call on to support us in times of stress and/or recovery. I am sure we can all agree that the last 12 months have not been easy on anyone! There are some great herbs available to help us.
Plant Medicine: Milky Oats
My all-time favourite plant medicine is milky oats. Sometimes called greet oats, this is exactly the plant that also gives us the famous breakfast cereal. As the seed heads ripen, they are full of juicy and nourishing goodness.
Milky oats are especially for those times when one is ‘wired and tired’. Feeling jittery and on edge? Not sure you can take another ______ (phone call, bickering children, demand from your boss, etc.). Milky oats are here to soothe and calm those frazzled nerves.
This is medicine best taken over the long term, daily for 6-8 weeks at least. It can be taken as a regular nourishing herbal infusion or as a daily tincture. If you are looking for tincture, make sure it is made from fresh plants. This is the traditional way of extracting this medicine and gets the most out of the plant.
I think of this plant for anyone feeling brittle and edgy. It is amazing for recovery from a stressful time. Even better if you know the stressful time is coming, think exam season, a big project at work, December. Start taking a daily dose of milky oats before the s-tress hits the fan!
Plant Medicine: Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is another I lean on a lot. This is an aromatic member of the mint family. It has a sweet and lemony taste, hence the name.
Lemon balm is great for folks that feel their stress and anxiety in their tummy. It helps to calm a cranky stress belly. If brittleness is the key for oats, then anxiety is the key for lemon balm. This is for the skittish mind that just won’t rest on one subject or thought for very long.
It shines for anxious little ones as well. They love the taste, so it is easy to get them to drink a cup of tea (iced or warm). That case of upset tummy with no known cause? Lemon balm to the rescue!
This can be taken daily as well. But you will also notice the relief when you take it in the short term. A few drops of lemon balm tincture before bed or before a stressful day at work or upon arriving home from a stressful day will settle the anxiety right down. I always keep lemon balm in my medicine chest!
Plant Medicine: Lavender
Finally, I will talk about lavender. I had a hard time settling on which plant to pick for the number three spot, chamomile or California poppy were strong contenders. In the end lavender wins because it is so versatile.
We can add the loose plant to a tea, steam, or bath. It can be taken as a tincture. Most folks are probably familiar with using the essential oil of this plant. I personally prefer whole plant medicine but having a small bottle of lavender oil in my bag has saved me on more than one occasion.
I keep a tincture made from fresh lavender flowers on my bedside table. Any night that I am feeling jittery or my mind can’t seem to stop bouncing from one thing to the next I take a few drops for immediate relief.
Lavender is a relaxing nervine, this simply means it is calming and relaxing. Sleep and rest are so often scarce resources during stressful times. But honestly probably our most important allies. Lavender can help us rest, even when our mind has other plans.
Melanie Isles is our guest blogger today.
All three of these plants can be easily grown, yes, even in Southern Alberta! It is garden planning time so maybe carve out a small patch for these lovelies this year!
Thanks for the dive into your top three herbs (+ 2 bonus!) for this week’s instalment of Monday Morsels, Melanie. I am so grateful to you for sharing your knowledge of plants, their properties, and your insights in to how they can help us support ourselves when fatigue + low energy are around. Who’s going to seek these out in a cuppa this week? Hands up!
If you’d like to connect with Melanie, she is starting a brand new venture, helping people tend the land around them in her new business Sanctuary Garden Designs. Part land care, part education, all in the name of connecting with the land where you are, and tending to her expression. Find Melanie online at sanctuarygardendesigns.net.
Aiming for a return to energy vitality? Looking to let go of that persistent fatigue? Need some help in feeling real good?
Get in touch by clicking here. Let’s meet up to start drawing up your road map to support you in both quantity and quality of life.
*This is not medical advice.