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Natural Herbs To Help Calm Nerves?

bassrique

bassrique

Nov 27, 2007
4,910
1,775
Florida / New York
#1
I've received all kinds of bad news lately and I'm finding myself quite anxious. I don't want to drink and I don't smoke. This leaves me with prescription meds like Valium [no thanks] or natural herbs in addition to proper nutrition and exercise.

I did a little research on St. John's Wort and Kava. It seems St. John's Wort can cause insomnia, which I already have, so no. I've read reports that Kava can be hard on the liver, but that may be from cheapo sources that use more than the root.

Ideas? Experiences? Opinions?
 
#2
Check out hop cones. Hops are the vines with cones that are used to make beer bitter. Tea made with hop cone flower calms nerves and promotes sleep - without any drug type side effects. I grow my own hops for brewing beer and I often make hop tea before bed.



Hops are also used in herbal medicine in a way similar to valerian, as a treatment for anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. A pillow filled with hops is a popular folk remedy for sleeplessness. Hops may be used alone, but more frequently they are combined with other herbs, such as valerian. The relaxing effect of hops is largely due to a specific chemical component: dimethylvinyl carbinol - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hops

Invalid Link Removed



I'm harvesting mine this weekend and I always have more than enough for my own use. If you want some, PM me with your address and I'll send you a small packet of hops in the mail.
 
#3
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=575060 ;)

But legal herbs there's a fair few. Are you wanting teas/broths, something you can smoke (wasn't sure if you just meant cigarettes) or other means? IME the legal herbs you can buy at shops do not last as long, nor are as strong as other means. I'll make another post when I remember/find out what I was using for a while.

Also try a change of lifestyle pattern if it's not where you're wanting to be. The last few months have been all bad news for me, just kept myself busy, exercise, yoga, stay focused on work and getting things around the house done. If I'm really anxious or stressed, make a herbal tea, sit down and listen to some music. Before I go to bed I have a smoke (the link kind) and switch off.
 
#4
I spent a ton of time researching natural stuff to help me with problems too.

I found out one thing...damn I spent a lot of cash !!!

Some people are totally sold on natural herb solutions.
They didn't do much for me, but that is meaningless considering everyone's chemistry is different.
Believe it or not, I found hi-quality multi vitamins to be a help with your problem.

St. Johns Wort helped me calm down some, but I had no associated sleep problems.

One thing that may help you is to find a good health food store whose employees are actually knowledgeable in natural herbs.

Our local GNC's are staffed by kids who know absolutely nada !!!


Also, don't sell modern Doctors short. A good one, like mine, can do you a world of good without pumping you full of Xanax.
Cheers, Dave
Our local Ma & Pa owned health food store has been a big help.
They know what helps and can get you going in the right direction.
 
#5
Have you tried a tea made out of dried orange (tree) flowers? Sometimes they sell these in Mexican grocery stores. It think they call it Asares. Something like that.
It can help you relax.

Also there is the "body scan" where you relax all the muscles in your body one by one. And for anxiety it's useful to put your attention on your finger tips and toes (don't laugh). Getting your attention away from your "core" and from the thoughts in your brain. Sounds crazy but actually it's helpful. Don't forget to breath slowly as often and long as you can. Breathing rate affects the heart rate - they go together.

Good Luck!
 
#7
rosanne said:
Have you tried a tea made out of dried orange (tree) flowers? Sometimes they sell these in Mexican grocery stores. It think they call it Asares. Something like that.
It can help you relax.

Also there is the "body scan" where you relax all the muscles in your body one by one. And for anxiety it's useful to put your attention on your finger tips and toes (don't laugh). Getting your attention away from your "core" and from the thoughts in your brain. Sounds crazy but actually it's helpful. Don't forget to breath slowly as often and long as you can. Breathing rate affects the heart rate - they go together.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I'm not laughing -- mediation is no joke. I really need to look into that. I'll look around for the Asares as well, or at least do some research.

And thank you gents for the other suggestions.
 
#9
Jus' saying.
 

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#10
First, congratulations on seeing that drink is not a helpful option. Alcohol is an inhibitor of higher brain functions, not an inhibitor of bad feelings. If you're happy (like at a party) you act uber-happy. If you're bummed or anxious, you act uber-bummed or uber-anxious. In all cases, it won't help, and often results in a bad case of Stupid Syndrome.

That said, I'm going to go with i_got_a_mohawk. 45 minutes of free weights every other morning and 45 minutes of walking every evening literally saved my life about two years ago. The problem, of course, is that anxiety and depression work mightily to keep from you doing this, so you have to find that initial motivator to get you going at it. I found that loud, aggressive music (Amon Amarth, Dethklok, The Union Underground) helped me to throw the weights around. If you've never done free weights, start low (like 5, 8, and 10 pound weights) and work up from there. You don't need a big-ass expensive set or a gym membership. I have a cheap bench and a set of 20 and 30 pound weights and that's been all I've needed (since I reached the 20 and 30 level) for years.

And remember that literally everything, good and bad, is temporary.

Stay strong.
 
#13
I don't think Pot works the same everytime. So what you need is a good activity! Besides playing bass. You need to work out, get yourself tired and go to sleep like a baby!

Personally I ride Bikes...Road bikes, mountain bikes.

I have anxiety and anger issues, not a huge issue...but it does affect me in some way...As soon as I put my foot on the pedal....everything disapears! It really does. Of course, you got to get back to your regular life...By the time your all tired of all the exercise, drink a cup of tea (no caffeine) and go to bed!

Sure, you can try loooots of other physical activities.
 
#18
hbarcat said:
Check out hop cones. Hops are the vines with cones that are used to make beer bitter. Tea made with hop cone flower calms nerves and promotes sleep - without any drug type side effects. I grow my own hops for brewing beer and I often make hop tea before bed.



Hops are also used in herbal medicine in a way similar to valerian, as a treatment for anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia. A pillow filled with hops is a popular folk remedy for sleeplessness. Hops may be used alone, but more frequently they are combined with other herbs, such as valerian. The relaxing effect of hops is largely due to a specific chemical component: dimethylvinyl carbinol - Wikipedia

Hops - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Invalid Link Removed



I'm harvesting mine this weekend and I always have more than enough for my own use. If you want some, PM me with your address and I'll send you a small packet of hops in the mail.
Click to expand...

Any more info on hop tea? As a brewer, I've been meaning to work on something like this. I have some whole hops in my freezer....


One herbal I'd really suggest is melatonin before bed. It makes for some very realistic dreams, but the increased REM sleep is very beneficial all around.
 
#19
I can give you a fair few bits of advice.

1. Homeopathic medicine is hooplah. I don't really want to get into a debate over that, but rest assured that the chemistry, biology, numbers game isn't on their side.

2. Marijuana, while it helps many with what ails them, is no miracle drug. Couple that with its being illegal... You get the idea.

2A. There is no miracle drug/treatment.

3. Not all prescription or over the counter sleep aids are bad, and many companies are moving toward "addiction free" prescriptions.

4. Before I tried any medical help, I would try to meditate and establish a regular sleep pattern. Having both of those will do wonders for your body, and your natural ability to combat stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness.


Good luck!
 

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