Stress is coming at us constantly on a local level: family, job, traffic. There is frustration, restlessness or complete exhaustion, depression, and anxiety.

I wanted to remind you today that it is possible to bring regulation to your nervous system. While there are many mindfulness practices and tools that can help you regulate your system,
I wanted to focus on recommendations for herbal teas and tinctures
that are easy to find in grocery stores near you.
Herbs have been used for centuries to support the nervous system,
reduce stress and improve sleep.

Here are my favorites:

1.  Hibiscus and Hawthorn Tea – this is a wonderful combination to nourish and support the heart. It is good for the heart physically as well as emotionally. It can help ease a broken heart and sadness from grief and loss and also be a great tea to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. Make up a batch to keep in the fridge for these warm days.
2. Rose Hips and Hibiscus Tea  – this tea is also a nourishing tea to the heart and spirit. Rose hips moves Qi and stuck feelings to help balance our emotions.
3. Reishi Mushroom with Rooibos Tea – Reishi mushroom isn’t the best tasting tea on its own but this one is mixed with rooibos tea to give it a better flavor. Reishi is wonderful to strengthen lungs/immunity as well as calms the mind and spirit. I take Reishi in a pill form to help calm my mind before bed.
4. Stress Ease Lemon Verbena Mint tea – this tea contains lemon verbena and skullcap which are used to reduce irritability, improve mood, and reduce stress. I haven’t tried this one yet so not sure how it tastes but if you like citrus and mint, this should be a divine combination!
5. Holy Basil/ Tulsi Tea – Tulsi is a wonderful herb to reduce stress. There are many different brands at the grocery store. I like the Organic India Tulsi Original but they also have other ones that are more targeted for sleep as well.
6. Albizia/Mimosa – this herb is known as the “tree of happiness” and is very helpful for depression and grief. The flower is used to elevate mood and the bark of this plant brings more grounding. My personal favorite tincture that contains mimosa is this Texas Medicinals Sweet Mimosa Grief Elixir – I used it regularly after a friend passed away unexpectedly to help me cope with her loss. I still reach for it when waves of sadness linger.
7. Chamomile* – this herb is so common, sometimes we forget about it. It’s in most sleepy time teas but can also be used during the day to reduce anxiety and stress if taken at a lower dose. *avoid if you have severe ragweed allergy
8. Passionflower  – this herb is a nervine relaxant herb which soothes and calms the nerves. It can have mild effects with a lower dose and more sedating with a higher dose. Passionflower is also used a lot in sleepy time teas but can be used during the day to reduce anxiety and stress if taken at a lower dose. Passionflower is the best for circular thinking and rumination, especially at night. I love this passionflower tincture from Texas Medicinals. I sometimes add a dropperful into a Topo Chico in the evenings or take it in a little bit of water before bed.
9. Lemon Balm – this herb is great for depression mixed with anxiety and helps sleep. Lemon balm is also common in sleep aids but again, if taken at a much lower dose, you can get the benefits of the stress relief without the drowsiness. I personally have a lemon balm plant in my garden (definitely keep it in a pot bc it is a runner plant like mint and will take over!). I love making this lemon balm pesto and having it for tea as needed.
10. Milky Oats & Blue Vervain – Milky oats is one of the safest herbs to nourish and restore a burnt out and depleted nervous system. Blue vervain is a wonderful herb to relieve stress & anxiety. It is more bitter as a tea so I love the combination of these herbs in this tincture from Texas Medicinals.
11. Gan Mai Da Zao Wan – Pax Tea*– this formula is great for anxiety, worry and overwhelm with the sadness of this world. *Contains gluten!
12. Free and Easy Wanderer + Rose Petals – this formula is based on a classic Chinese Medicine formula to reduce stress with rose petals added to increase circulation and reduce tension.

These are mostly Traditional Medicinals brand teas – I love their mix of eastern and western herbs and that they don’t use stevia or any other “natural flavors” in their teas.Yogi Brand teas are also good but they often have stevia added.Experiment with these herbs the next time you go to the grocery storebut always read the labels!If you’d like to find some other delicious and functional blends, I highly recommend visiting Earth Commons in East Austin or Herb Bar.

📸: Mimosa flower by Sümeyye CandanIf you feel like you need more support, please reach out for an appointment.
Acupuncture is a wonderful tool to regulate the nervous system and I can guide you on specific herbal recommendations.