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Thursday, July 17, 2014

EASING ANGER: Botanical approaches to managing stress, fear and anger.


The other day, an acquaintance shared this personal experience with me that I want to share here because I think many of us can relate to it. She said, “Last Saturday, as I shopped at one of the big box stores, I felt irritated by the crowd because it was hard to maneuver with my cart. Though I had shopped carefully, I was disappointed at the checkout when as usual my purchases totaled more than I had expected. Getting out of the parking lot was aggravating and on the way home, I found myself cranky and driving too aggressively. While unpacking my purchases at home, I turned on the TV but immediately turned it off as I felt my blood rising in frustration and anger at the day’s news. I am concerned that I am wound too tight. Do you have any herbs that can calm me down?”
I doubt my friend is alone in feeling a hair-trigger angst come over her all too often. Living life so tightly wound can definitely have adverse effects on your health and can also begin to erode your self confidence and self esteem because of the uncertainty you may develop as to what exactly is driving your behavior. Frankly, I think anger should be classified as a mental illness because of the amount of damage it causes. We would probably all aspire to having a more peaceful mind during these times of turmoil but here’s the thing, the distance between being overwhelmed by fear and anger to a peaceful state of mind is a journey many of us feel at a loss for how to begin much less accomplish. This is exactly where herbs can help!
Life is complicated and so is health. The good news is that, barring serious illness, herbs can be useful in addressing the seemingly unrelated aspect of this complex health picture. For example, if you experience great stress at work with a boss you find difficult, and you can’t sleep for worrying about the situation, you may start feeling run down for lack of good rest, and experience mood swings and then you might get a cold. In spite of your best efforts to train your thoughts on the bright side of things, your energy is still going into that worried state.
At this point, rather than ask for a prescription for a sleeping pill, it would be reasonable to consider a botanical approach. Some suggestions would be to start using American ginseng and Eleutherococcus (formerly known as Siberian ginseng) which are adaptogenic, meaning they assist your body in adapting to stress. It is not that they allow you to take on more stress, it is that they keep your body from overreacting to it. Therefore, you might find sleep coming more easily if you used ginseng regularly and you also might find you can entertain other thoughts and constructive activities beyond your worries. If anxiety or mental chatter is too much of a distraction, try kava kava which I maintain is still one of the best herbs for anxiety and safe to use if it is prepared properly and taken in proper dose. 
Another thing to consider is shifts in blood chemistry which can contribute to a sluggish or agitated state of mind. An example would be a hangover if you drink too much alcohol. The next day you have a headache and can be grouchy and ultrasensitive. If the day after Halloween, your kids go off to school and you get into their candy stash before you go to work, don’t be surprised if you feel run down and tired an hour later when the sugar high starts wearing off. Food allergies, even those mild ones that you suspect but are not quite sure of can have the same effect. Herbs like turmeric and oregon grape can help clear the system of toxic overload and even have a glucose balancing effect as with goat’s rue and cinnamon. When we are at risk of getting sick whether it is working in a day care center or being stressed, herbs like Echinacea and Astragalus are useful to support our innate immunity and keep our systems alert to try to ward off illness..
In order to combat nutrient depletion caused by stress, you could take a multivitamin and add nourishing herbs like oat straw that is good for the nervous system, nettle and dandelion leaf for minerals, cleavers and Mormon tea. All of these combined would make a nice tea and adding a little mint and chamomile would make the flavor even more pleasing. Getting the right nutrition may help you avoid cravings and who among us does not have our digestions affected when we are stressed? Whether it is overeating, not eating, sour stomach, constipation and/or diarrhea, herbs can calm or stimulate the digestive tract. A whole foods diet with lots of nourishing and detoxifying fruits and vegetables and the proper amount of protein each day to balance out blood sugar yoyos will go a long way to helping you feel balanced.
Fragrant, essential oils are a great ally in that they can distract us from or ease our mind and body through the very ancient and not well understood olfactory system. Consulting with a qualified aromatherapist would be helpful or just do a little reading on the subject and pick a few oils that resonate with you. Some suggestions are lavender, bergamot, rosemary, peppermint and the more expensive rose. The most important thing to know is that you must obtain unadulterated, pure essential oils to get the therapeutic effect. People always ask me how they can be sure, and I say that I think the stores that sell them should make proof available to the consumer in the form of a guarantee or a copy of a certified chemical analysis.
Can herbs help you maintain health and a more balanced life and outlook during these worrisome times? Yes, I believe herbs can be useful in helping you and your family feel better mentally and physically to maintain health and emotional stamina. Once you feel less susceptible to being blown off course by the influence of the media or the crush of an overcrowded store, you can think of other ways to support your own peace within which will emanate from you as a place of comfort to your grateful family and friends.  

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