Profound, yet often overlooked, nervous system plant allies
I wanted to share some of my beloved nervous system herbal medicines, that are often overlooked or forgotten about, in favour of more ‘trending’ or marketed herbs.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Withania, Rhodiola, Lemon Balm and Passionflower for example. I use them more than many others in my herbal dispensary! However, I wanted to shine the light on and celebrate some of the other invaluable herbs on offer in this space, in the hope that we can share their brilliance so that they continue to be available to us practitioners, because if we never reach for them and favour other herbs, we may lose access to them. I have spoken about this before, but also, the over-use of certain herbs can also result in them being critically endangered (ie Rhodiola), so the more we can lean on sustainable plants, the less pressure there is on our precious resources.
So, allow me to introduce some unsung heroes!
Oats Green and Oats Seed
Key differences: Oat Green is the aerial part of the plant, while still green, ie before the seed matures. Oat seed is what you might know as the nutritional oat grain ie ‘porridge’. It is incredibly nourishing and nutrient-dense (esp minerals ie. calcium, silica, magnesium, zinc etc, B vitamins, betaglucans). The nutritive aspect of the seed means that it is very well suited to support vitality, malnourishment (remember, you can be well ‘fed’ but very malnourished!). I love oat seed for supporting patients with chronic conditions. Dietary oats have been shown to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems ie balancing blood sugars levels (provided they are eaten in combination with fat and protein, and yes - everyone is different!), and can lower cholesterol. The fibre in oats are also great for your gut microbiome.
Oat Grain: traditional nervous system tonic, esp in times of stress and anxiety, burnout or emotional exhaustion. In traditional herbal medicine it is also used as a cognitive tonic ie improving focus, clarity and cognition. Oat seed also has more of an ‘anti-depressant’ quality, in the sense of being more mood-supportive via improving emotional resilience. When we look at anxiety, burnout, ADHD, nervous system exhaustion, we may be lacking in vital resilience to get through the demands that we are faced with. Don’t forget you can utilise oat seed as a part of your whole food diet :)
Oat Green I use more as a nervous system trophorestorative, again think burnout, fatigue, exhaustion, convalescence (ie not recovering well from an illness), post viral fatigue etc, and an adaptogen. So we can also combine this beautifully with our other adaptogens. The adrenals and nervous system are, of course, intrinsically linked! ie cortisol effects both and we want to minimise this and strengthen our adrenals and nervous system.
Oat green is used a lot for ADHD clients, esp teenagers or people studying or those with busy lives (mmmm its kinda all of us right?) We live such taxing lives, early mornings, cramming everything in, sports, study demands, homelife demands, constantly ‘on’ and on screens etc.. Kids, and adults, have a lot on their plate! ADHD clients are often on medications, and I am not anti-ADHD medication, but it is amephatamine-based so you have to wonder the effect this has on the nervous system, especially those that are already over-stimulated and overwhelmed.
You can of course combine the two
Wood Betony: for “little miss scatterbrain’
Grounding. Protective. Strengthening. Think about it as an anchor to Earth. It centres scattered energy, anchors the mind, restores inner security and restores confidence and stability…. Such a beautiful herb for people who are feeling disconnected, anxious and overwhelmed, or the Vata energy types. A beautiful salve for the overthinker, the energetically drained, the unrooted soul, the overstimulated. Great for adults and kids alike. Especially good, like Skullcap, when the scattered or nervous energy goes into the head ie the ‘monkey mind’, and we can use Wood Betony to ground that energy back into the roots, the Earth. In the same sense, it is great for nervous or tension headaches, where the muscles of the neck and shoulders are tightly wound. Paired with Zizyphus, this makes an excellent evening huuuush, although it isn’t sedative like passionflower or lemon balm. Wood Betony supports resilience, esp to a long term depleted nervous system, and can be taken (ideally) for a minimum of 3 months. I love Wood Betony for ADHD for the above presentations, and can be mixed in a morning mix for daytime support, and in a different mix for evening support to help wind down.
Vervain: a beloved Bach flower remedy
One could Vervain (Verbena officinalis) as a Bach flower for individuals who are overzealous, tense, and passionate, often pushing themselves and others too hard in the name of justice, causes, or beliefs.
Helps restore inner calm, flexibility, and balance.
Useful when there's mental overactivity, burnout, or nervous tension from over-commitment, tight shoulders/jaw from tension, inability to relax or unwind, esp when fighting for a cause (with a wired nervous system, unable to balance rest and play and purpose). Helpful for ‘idealistic burnout"‘.
Herbal Tincture Vervain: herbal nervine, mild sedative, and bitter tonic. Useful for stress, anxiety, tension headaches, liver stagnation, and sometimes for supporting the menstrual cycle and period pain. Calms the nervous system while mildly stimulating digestion and liver function ie irritability, frustration, hormonal congestion, as well as exhaustion from overworking mental energy (reminds me a little of nux vomica!)
She is a beautiful herb for relaxing the ‘perfectionist’, the over-achiever, highly intelligent people who are also anxious and have difficulty letting go. As a nervous system tonic, we love Vervain for nurturing the nervous system, great when someone is in sympathetic over-drive, which we know shuts down digestion! so the bitter aspect of Vervain is great in this space, ie when nerves affect our appetite or digestion. Vervain is also a great ally for burnout that leads to depression (much like oat), or pre-menstrual mood dysregulation. We also love Vervain for post-partum support in the fist 3-4 months; potentially with anxiety or overthinking, sleep depravation burnout etc. (pairs well with Sepia!)
I could go on!
I hope this sparks some interest in some other herbal nervines that have SO much to offer!
Em