All of us are looking for ways to relieve the stress of daily life. Although a lot of medicines are easily accessible, you might want to consider switching to something natural! Here you can find suggestions for eight herbs that relieve stress!

Find Out About Healthy Remedies That Can Help You Relieve Stress!

For many of us, stress became an inseparable part of our daily lives. Most of us are overwhelmed with work, taking care of kids, and trying to somehow squeeze in some social activities.

As if that is not enough as it is, this year’s situation with COVID – 19 pandemics made things even worse. The insecurity about jobs and health concerns for ourselves and our loved ones contributed to us being under more stress.

Many people resort to various natural remedies in an attempt to relieve stress a bit! Undoubtedly various things can help, from workouts and meditation to different kinds of medicines and supplements. However, the fact is that a lot of drugs do come with some side effects, which makes people avoid using them.

On another hand, although we rarely think about it, nature often offers solutions for various issues. On that note, we would like to say that there are plenty of plants that can help relieve stress and anxiety naturally.

Nevertheless, when you don’t have a lot of knowledge about herbs, you might be puzzled when it comes to figuring out which ones can be good for your needs and where to find them. To help you out, we compiled this list of fascinating plants that can help you relieve stress.

Herbs That Relieve Stress

1. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha, scientifically known as Withania Somnifera, is a plant from the nightshade family. It is an old medicinal herb, classified as an adaptogen, which means that it is quite effective when you are looking for a way to relieve stress and anxiety [1].

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study on a total of 64 subjects with a history of chronic stress, shown that the treatment group that was given the high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract exhibited a significant reduction in scores on all the stress-assessment scales on Day 60, relative to the placebo group [1].

Besides that, it has various other health benefits – for example, it helps reduce blood sugar level, increase muscle mass, reduce cortisol, etc. You can find it also under the names Indian Winter cherry and Indian Ginseng.

2. Lavender

Lavender oil, lavender soaps, lavender in food – all this gives the impression that lavender is everywhere, doesn’t it? Well, there is a good reason why this herb from the mint family is so popular. The most popular products are, of course, essential oils frequently used in aromatherapy.

The oil helps you relax and relieve stress fast. It is also effective for treating anxiety, fungal infections, depression, allergies, nausea, eczema, etc.

A study has shown that lavender effectively ameliorates generalized anxiety comparable to 0.5 mg/daily lorazepam [2]. Alleviation of anxiety and mood improvement was reported in thirty-six patients admitted to an intensive care unit, who received lavender oil (diluted to 1% concentration) aromatherapy [3].

3. Peppermint

Image of Pepperming Leaves — Peppermint leaves

Hearing about peppermint makes you think about chewing gum, doesn’t it? Indeed, it does, but there is much more to peppermint than you might think. It is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint, and you can find it in oils, leaves, and capsules (peppermint oil – peppermint capsules).

This herb has calming effects, but also various other health benefits. If you need to relieve emotional stress after a long day in the office, the best thing is to make a hot bath with peppermint bath products.

A clinical study reported that inhalation of peppermint essence had a significant effect on the attenuation of anxiety in heart attack patients [4]. Another clinical trial showed that peppermint aromatherapy can attenuate the anxiety before colonoscopy [5].

4. Chamomile

Image of Chamomile Flowers — Chamomile Flowers

Chamomile is an ancient herb used for medicinal purposes. Even our grandmothers knew about chamomile’s health benefits. Various studies corroborate the claim that this daily like flower helps with relaxation, and thus it is considered to be one of the best natural remedies to relieve stress.

It can also alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as insomnia. The recommendation is to drink chamomile tea before bedtime.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, patients with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were given chamomile extract for 8 weeks. Researchers observed a significantly greater reduction of anxiety compared to the placebo-controlled group [6].

5. Passionflower

Passionflower (Passiflora Incarnata) is a climbing plant that grows in South and Central America and the southeastern United States. It has been used for a long time as both cooking and medicinal herb.

It is mainly popular as a sedative. It is taken orally to treat problems like insomnia, anxiety, adjustment disorder, etc. Some findings show that it can be effective for treating conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic pain, diarrhea, etc.

A Double‐blind, Placebo‐controlled Investigation of the Effects of Passionflower Herbal Tea on Subjective Sleep Quality has shown great results for people consuming Passionflower tea before sleep [7].

6. Turmeric

turmeric root and powder — Turmeric Root and Powder

We can imagine that the idea of turmeric makes you think about mouthwatering curry. It is not surprising as turmeric has been used in Indian cuisine for centuries, and it is responsible for that vibrant yellow color and marvelous taste of various dishes.

It, however, is also considered to be one of the herbs that relieve stress. As you know, chronic stress can damage structures of the brain. The most interesting aspect of turmeric is that it can reverse some of these changes.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 56 individuals with major depressive disorder was published in June 2014 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Affective Disorders 167(2014)368-375. Results showed that supplementation with Curcumin (turmeric’s active ingredient) succeeded in reducing the overall symptoms of depression, functioning as an anxiolytic as well when taken over a period of 8 weeks [8].

7. Jasmine

Image of Jasmine Flowers — Jasmine Flowers

Jasmine is a plant that can live both indoors and outdoors. It has a nice, sweet fragrance that has been shown to relieve stress and improve the quality of sleep.

It is also used for relaxation so you can find products such as jasmine essential oils, Indian incense sticks, etc. Lighting incense at the office can help you relieve stress at work.

You may want to check this study on the effects of jasmine oil inhalation on brain wave activities and emotions

Kava Kava

Kava kava (short, kava) is a plant native to the Pacific islands. It is a crop whose root is used in drinks that have sedative, anesthetic, and euphoric features. When translated it means intoxicating pepper. Inhabitants of Pacific islands drink it at social events and for medical purposes.

The ingredients of kava, called kava pyrones, affect your brain the same way as alcohol, so it is an excellent remedy to relieve stress and anxiety naturally.

Many randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have shown that Kava reduced anxiety during short-term administration [9].

Bottom Line

As you can see, there are plenty of herbs that relieve stress. These plants we listed here are not the only herbs that relieve stress. Mother nature has a plethora of herbs that help living better lives.

However, if this topic interests you, you can research to learn more about herbal remedies for stress, anxiety, etc. Do you know some other plants that we forgot to mention? Feel free to mention them in the comments section below.

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8 Healthy Herbs That Relieve Stress Backed by Science