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Mar 6, 2011

Herbal Stress Relief


Controlling Stress Levels with Herbal Stress Relief

Stress is the number one killer in the United States. It has been found to directly influence heart health, obesi Stress is the number one killer in the United States. It has been found to directly influence heart health, obesity, depression, and has been proven to lower the responses of the immune system.
There many different ways to alleviate stress.
One of the most healthy ways to do so is to deal with it in the time honored practice of herbal remedies. For centuries herbs have had their place in healing. Today, what has been termed eastern medicine or new age and alternative medicine is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. These are not miracle cures or treatments where a magic wand is waved and you immediately are healed. While with some of the teas, you may feel an immediate relief, others will require time to build up in your system. Whenever possible, do not to place yourself right back in the same situation that bred the stress to begin with. For many that is not an option, so here are some herbal remedies to help combat stress.
Some of the most well known herbs for reducing stress are:Fresh Herbs.
  • Valerian
  • Passion Flower
  • Skullcap
  • Hops
  • Chamomile
  • Kava Kava
  • Catnip
  • Lavender
  • Peppermint
  • St John’s Wart
Some foods to avoid to reduce stress:
  • caffeine
  • Sugar
  • white flour products
  • and junk food

Herbal Teas

All of the herbs listed above can be made into a tea, which is one of the easiest whys to prepare them. They can also be added to you food dishes as the are all safe to eat. They can be blended in different quantities. They are also easy to come by and inexpensive if you can purchase them in bulk. I know that Vitamin Cottage carries them in bulk at the back of the store. Try them all to see which ones you prefer. You can use the following recipes as a guideline to develop your own tea. These teas should be taken before bed to aid in sleep.

White Yarrow Tension Tea

This is also good for headaches and backaches
  • 1 T. White yarrow
  • 1 T. Skullcap
  • 1 T. Boneset
  • 1 t. Psyllium seed honey
  • Distilled water
Add the white yarrow, skullcap, and boneset to one pint of water. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Strain. Add 1 Tablespoon of this liquid and 1 teaspoon of psyllium seed, (you can add flavoring of your choice) to one cup of boiling water. Drink every thirty minutes until relief is achieved.

Sage Stress Tea

  • 1 teaspoon of Sage
  • 1 cup boiling water
Pour boiling water over Sage. Steep 5 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey.

Remedy for Stress resulting in stomach aches

Equal parts dried ginger and sugar, mix well. Take 1 teaspoon as needed for stress. This can be taken alone or added to a tea.

Lemon Stress Reduction Tea

  • 1 C. Lemon balm leaves
  • 1 C. Linden leaves (Chamomile may be substituted if needed)
  • ¼ C. crushed Valerian root
  • 1 t. crushed Ginger root
Mix together, store in glass jar with tight lid. Steep 1 Tablespoon in 1 Cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain, sweeten with honey.

Orange Rosemary Ginger Stress Tea Recipe

  • 2 ½” long slices of Ginger root
  • 1 3” sprig of fresh Rosemary
  • 1 T. fresh orange zest (grated orange peel) or an orange slice can be added to the cup.
  • 1 whole clove
  • 1 whole star anise
  • Honey
Steep in 1 cup boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes (cover cup while steeping to keep active chemicals in cup). Strain, sweeten with Honey.

Vanilla Lavender Stress Tea Recipe

  • 1/2” Vanilla bean (with seeds removed) or ¼ t. of vanilla extract
  • ½ t. Lavender
  • ¼ t. Catnip
  • ¼ t. Chamomile
  • ¼ t. Passion Flower
Pour boiling water over herbs, cover, let steep 5 to 10 minutes. Strain, sweeten with honey.

Ginger Mint Stress Relief Tea

  • 1/2 t. Lemon Balm leaves
  • 2 t. fresh Peppermint leaves or 1 T. dried peppermint leaves
  • 2” fresh Ginger root, sliced into 1/2” long slices
Pour boiling water over herbs, cover, let steep 5 to 10 minutes. Strain, sweeten with honey.
It is important to establish a bedtime routine, yes just like when you were a child. A routine will cue the rest of your body that it is time to wind down and allow the herbal teas to reach their maximum potential. All of these herbs can be purchased at most vitamin stores, or natural specialty shops.

Delicious Stress Relieving Teas for Sale

If you Do not have the time to make your own teas, or would rather take a supplement, the following products have shown some promise:
  • Relora Max Stress Relief & Weight Control – Magnolia officinalis bark, Phellodendron amurense bark Sells for approximately $80.00 plus Shipping and Handling
  • Bach Rescue Remedy – Rock Rose, Impatiens, Clematis, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum. Sells for approximately $11.00 to $19.00 plus Shipping and Handling
  • Dr. Whitaker’ss Stress Melts – Suntheanine , PharmaGABA. Sells for approximately $14.00 to $55.00 plus Shipping and Handling
  • PureCalm – Lemon Balm, Lavender, Passion Flower. Sells for approximately $35.00 to $70.00 plus Shipping and Handling
  • Bu Nao Wan – Angelica Dang Gui, Sour Jujube seed. Cistanche Stem, biota Seed Gaastrodia Rhizome, Chinese Senga Root, Juglans Seed, Arisaema, Acorus Rhizome, Lycium Friut, Succinum Resin, Dragon Tooth, Schizandra fruit. Sells for approximately $10.00 to $30.00 plus Shipping and Handling

What Else can you do?

OK, that was the easy part. Now to complete your anti-stress campaign, you need to get some exercise to help vent pent up feelings, and increase heart rate which will help burn off a good portion of your stress. If this is not an option for you, Try to get into meditation, most areas now have at least one practitioner. Exercise and diet are other factors in how well you will deal with stressful situations. Learning to breath properly is another tool you can utilize if the war against stress. Some insurance companies have come to the conclusion that alternative medicine practices are an effective way to treat the overstressed and will cover some of the activities mentioned here. It would be a good idea to talk with the person in charge of human relations (HR) where you work to see if any of it would be covered under your plan. If it is not, some alternative medicine providers offer sliding fee scales.

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