HELP FOR ANXIETY

To me it seems unfair that depression, which brings you down - enough for anyone to have to wrestle with - is often accompanied by anxiety that makes you feel helpless and unsafe in the world. Chronic anxiety is another mental state with which I am far more familiar than I would like to be. When anxiety raises its ugly head in my life I begin to suspect that something deep within me is trying to be born. Some neglected or ignored part of me is attempting to break though the routine existence which, because I feel familiar and reasonably safe with it, I tend to cling to. Knowing that most likely this is happening for my own good, to help me grow, doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. It is in such circumstances that I turn to plants for help: chamomile, kava kava, motherwort, valerian, borage (for courage), hops, lemon balm, or skullcap. There are so many common plants which can come to the aid of anxious people. It may be that the very nature of these forms of life – firmly rooted as they are in the ground - helps us find our own solidity. I don’t know. But I am always grateful that these plant friends are there.

Chamomile

I love the way these tiny flowers calm the central nervous system. I gather German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) or Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) flowers during the summer months making sure that all the dew has evaporated. Then I lay them on paper to dry and store them in a dark cupboard. I use them in a muslin bag in my bath. I make tea with them, steeping a whole tablespoon of the dried flowers in water just off the boil for 5 minutes. (The packaged teas are never strong enough I find, unless you use two bags per cup.) I even put essential oil of chamomile into a diffuser in my room while I am working and a few drops in my bath with the dried flowers.

Lemon Balm

Calming and sedative, this lovely plant (Melissa officinalis) is so mild even children can use it. In addition to its anti-anxiety properties, it helps lift depression and calms digestive upsets. I use the essential oil of lemon balm – five drops of it neat – in the bath. I make an infusion of a tablespoon of the fresh leaves (you can substitute dried leaves if you like but it doesn’t taste anywhere near as good) and drink it hot or cold with a slice of fresh lemon or lime. I make massage oil of it too: Dilute 5 to 10 drops of the pure essential oil in a tablespoon of almond or grapeseed oil. Rub it on your body when you feel tense or troubled.

Hops

The flowers of a female hops plant (Humulus lupulus) are called strobiles. They are the plant part used for healing. And they have both a sedative and a tonic effect thanks to volatile oils, valerianic acid, flavonoids, phyto-hormones and tannins. Hops even work as aphrodisiacs. They are ideal for restoring balance to frayed nerves. Sometimes when I feel anxious I make an infusion of hop strobiles – 2-3 teaspoons of fresh or dried flowers to a cup of boiling water - steeped for 5 minutes. You can use freeze dried or air dried hops in place of fresh flowers if you like.