By David Winston

Herbs cannot fix an unhappy relationship, keep any eye on wayward teenagers, or find you a job, but there are many herbs that can help to restore and enhance emotional balance in times of stress, trauma and grief.

I divide herbs for Emotional Balance into three categories:

Nervines help us be more resistant to stress. They are gently calming rather than sedating, and provide an emotional foundation. These are tonic herbs that can be taken by a wide range of people over a period of time.

My favorite nervine is fresh oat extract. Yes, the same oat for oatmeal, but harvested in the very brief immature, “milky” stage. Very careful growing, harvesting and preparation are essential. I use it for people who are literally so stressed out that they fly off the handle with a “#10” response to a “#1” problem. They need to regain their emotional foundation.

Other common nervines include Chamomile, Skullcap (wonderful for people with nervous ticks and tremors), Damiana, Linden Flower, Lavender and Wood Betony. Hawthorn, popular as a cardiovascular herb, is also a nervine. 

Sedatives are more appropriate for use by people who have insomnia, anxiety, agitation or irritability, and are generally used short term. They include Hops, Valerian, Chinese Gambir Spines, and Chinese sour Zizyphus Seed. 

Adaptogens can be either stimulating or calming. Calming adaptogens such as Reishi, Jiaogulan, or Ashwagandha help to re-regulate the brain’s fight or flight mechanism, which reduces the effect of stress. They work very well with nervines to reduce stress and help one be calmer.

Specific Herbs for Specific Emotional States

St. John's wort has been pegged  the “depression” herb, but it is not for every situation, or the only option. It’s useful for mild to moderate cases specifically characterized by a sour attitude, as if one’s house is shuttered and you need to let in some sun. 

With stagnant depression, or situational depression that becomes chronic, I would choose Holy Basil, along with Lavender, Rosemary and Damiana.

Where herbs can represent an alternative to SSRI’s are for people who under chronic stress have developed impaired digestion. What does digestion have to do with depression? Much of the serotonin manufactured in the body is actually manufactured in the gut.  While that serotonin does not cross the blood brain barrier, the precursor chemicals manufactured in the gut do. In this case Evening Primrose herb, not the seed oil, but the actual herb, is phenomenally useful.

In depression associated with hypothyroidism, we would primarily treat the thyroid, but we would also use the herbs Ashwagandha and Bacopa, which are generally used for anxiety, but also stimulate the thyroid.

In anxiety often calming adaptogens are indicated. A really effective formula for generalized anxiety disorder that I have used clinically for more than 15 years contains Motherwort, Blue Vervain, fresh milky Oat extract, Bacopa, and Chinese Polygala. 

In working with chronic grief, chronic sadness, or broken hearts (which, by the way, have very real physical manifestations), a formula I have used for over 10 years combining Mimosa Bark, Hawthorn and Rose Petal has been most helpful.  Mimosa Bark’s Chinese name translates to “collective happiness bark”. I would not call it an antidepressant; it actually makes people feel better.  I use it for people “stuck” in the grieving process.

Grieving is normal. If somebody loses a loved one or has a traumatic life experience, there is a certain normal period of grieving, although giving people adaptogens and nervines to help them sleep and get through is helpful.

Herbs can be an incredibly useful adjunct and direct therapy for so many of the ills that plague us physically, emotionally and even, in my mind, spiritually, that to not use these as a regular part of people’s preventative healthcare and treatment protocols is a true tragedy because we have the ability to make people’s lives, better, happier and stronger.

Clinical Herbalist David Winston RH (AHG), founder of Herbalist & Alchemist, is an internationally known lecturer, author and ethnobotanist. For 40 years David has been researching, studying, practicing, and teaching Cherokee, Chinese and Western herbal medicine. Now in its 27th year, David’s world-renowned two-year herbal studies program has been educating Herbalists, Physicians, Nurses, Naturopathic Physicians, Veterinarians, and Nutritionists in the art and science of clinical herbal medicine. He has authored four books, including Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief and the recently updated Herbal Therapeutics: Specific Indications. www.herbalist-alchemist.com