Five Mood Enhancing Herbs

There are several herbs that can help to enhance mood and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some of the most popular mood-enhancing herbs include:

St. John's Wort: This herb has been used for centuries to treat mild to moderate depression and anxiety. It works by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood.

Ashwagandha: This herb has a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine as a natural remedy for stress, anxiety and depression. It works by modulating the activity of stress-related neurotransmitters in the brain and also helps to support the adrenal glands. I have never grown it before, so this year I am experimenting.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herbaceous shrub from the nightshade family, native to India, Nepal, and Northern Africa. Also known as Indian ginseng, or winter cherry.  They are traditionally cultivated for their roots. These slow-growing plants can reach up to 3 feet in height and be kept as perennials in USDA zones 7 and higher. They also produce edible bright orange-red berries similar to tomatillos.  In my area of Zone 5 I can grow it in a pot or treat it as an annual.

Ashwagandha grows best in full sun (6 hours or more).  It can tolerate some partial shade, but it will have a slower growth rate and take longer to reach maturity, which takes 170 days.

The ideal temperature range for growing Ashwagandha is between 68°F and 95°F. This plant does not tolerate frost. You can cultivate it as a perennial in USDA zones 7 to 12, but in zones 4 to 8, you can grow it as a summer annual.

If you live in a cooler climate, plant Ashwagandha seeds indoors and move the plant to your garden only when temperatures are consistently above 59°F. 

Passionflower: This herb has been traditionally used to treat anxiety and insomnia. It can help to promote relaxation and reduce feelings of nervousness.

Lemon Balm: Has a bright, lemony scent and flavor that's perfect for spring. It's also a natural mood booster, making it great for those days when you need a little extra help to shake off the winter blues.

Sage: This herb has been used to improve mood and cognitive function, and has been traditionally used to treat anxiety and depression. Sage has been found to have a positive effect on mood and cognitive function.

It's important to note that these herbs can interact with certain medications, so it's best to consult with a healthcare professional before trying any new herb. Additionally, if you have severe depression or anxiety, it is important to seek professional help.

It is also important to note that some herbs may have some side effects and should be used with caution and under the guidance of a proper healthcare professional.

Serenity Bath Tub Tea - Bath Blend of the Month

This is a large recipe of bath blend that allows you to make enough to use for yourself and for gifts.  The herbs are chosen for their relaxing qualities.  

Lavender - in addition to being relaxing and soothing due to its scent. Lavender is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiseptic which makes it perfect treatment for damaged skin.

Chamomile - soothes nerves and aids relaxation while reducing redness and irritation to the skin.

Comfrey - this cure-all herb with extreme anti-inflammatory properties aid the repair of skin.

St John's Wort - a mood regulator, great for help stemming depression and anxiety.

Jasmine - this is a relaxation herb through scent and skin absorption that will aid sleep.

Lemon verbena - has sedative properties which make it perfect for relaxation and it is also good for treating illness and stress.
 

Serenity Bath Tea

 1 cup lavender buds

½ cup St. Johns Wort

½ cup chamomile

½ cup comfrey

½ cup jasmine flowers

½ cup lemon verbena

8 drops lemon essential oil

8 drops lavender essential oil


Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and shake to combine. Use 1/4 cup of mixture in a cotton muslin bag or coffee filter tied with string.  Makes about 12 bags

To Use: Steep one bag in 1 cup of warm water for then pour that liquid into the bath.  Soak and relax.

LaSalle County Historical Society and Illinois Valley Herb Guild Garden - National Garden Month

It is rare to find a public garden that is only there to be an herb garden. I find one every now and then but most gardens we visit have herb gardens as part of a larger garden, rather than the main focus of the experience.  The garden I am focusing on today is just an herb garden.  It focuses on many useful aspects of herbs but it is only an herb garden.

taken March 2015, the garden is still asleep

Located near the one room school house of the LaSalle County (Illinois)Historical Society I have visited this garden many times starting in 2015.  I took photos of it when it was still dormant and cold in March, another time in June during early growth in a rain storm and finally in 2016 when it was the end of the season in October.

This garden is maintained by volunteers so sometimes when I visit it is overgrown and untrimmed, but it is obviously well cared for by the Illinois Valley Herb Guild. 

taken 6-25-15

The Guilds’ herb garden is planted in a traditional homesteading style in four beds defined by the major uses for which the plants were grown in the 1800s. Dyes, Culinary, Medicine and Fragrance are the themes used in the garden.  I like the four-square design and plants included.  I think all the plants used in the garden have roots in the 1800s, but I think not all would be found on the 'frontier.'  But I am not certain what definition of frontier they are using, so I could be wrong. 

Since this garden is only about 12 by 24 feet, constructed with a center X path dividing the plot into 4 rectangular beds.  There is no need for a tour, so instead I thought I would show some of the variety of plants they have in the garden.  

Taken 10-28-16 

This garden was planted probably around 2010 and as a result has some age and many of the plants have reached some spread and have taken hold in their locations and flourished.  It is a joy to walk through and see the plants and touch the scented leaves.  A booklet was published detailing many of the plants in the garden back in 2011 and you can get it from the LaSalle County Historical Society in Utica, Illinois.

I love the groupings and the way the plants are labeled.  I think someone made the labels by hand.

There were several plants I had never grown before in the beds which allowed me to see the mature look of the plant as you rarely can in a nursery setting.  Lady's Bed Straw and Germander are historically interesting plants and to see them in a garden bed was a joy, especially since I have never grown them myself..

Flowering Lady's Bed Straw in June

Lady's Bed Straw is named so because it is thought to be the plant used in the Manger for the Baby Jesus. In the Galium family it is a cousin of Sweet Woodruff, and is another European introduced plant that grows well in Northern Illinois. When in flower they are highly fragrant and hold their scent while dry.  There is a chemical in Lay's Bed Straw that will curdle milk causing it to be used as an ingredient in the making of cheese.  The flowers can be used for making yellow dye and was used to color butter.  It is an all purpose herb which is perfect for a frontier garden.

Germander just getting serious in June.

Germander is used these days as a scented ornamental wreath plant, but traditionally it was used as a treatment for gout.  It is an Mediterranean plant and would have been brought to the US by European settlers. This is probably the creeping versus upright variety due to the short stature and it works as a lawn substitute and grows well in shade and with drought conditions.  I am thinking of adding it to my side yard which is both shaded and dry.  It flowers purple in summer.

Flowering from June to frost, this was enjoying the summer when I snapped this photo

Thread leaf tickseed was popular in 19th century ornamental gardens, but although you can use it as a dye in certain circumstances I think it was less a frontier herb as a landscape plant in more urban areas, especially along the east coast in the 1900s.  I love to grow this, but it is a serious self-seeder, so I put it in pots rather than in the ground to keep the seeds contained.

Clary Sage

I got the best picture of Clary Sage I have ever taken while at this garden.  Even the one in my own garden never looked as nice as this one. Clary Sage is an old plant.  Used by the Quakers in PA, it is a perfect frontier plant.  The aromatherapy benefits include reduction of stress and anxiety.  It is also an anti-inflammatory herb and an antibacterial.

Winter Savory in flower in June

Winter Savory is always a good edge plant and this garden placed on the edge.  I suspect someone came by and trimmed it up shortly after I took this photo.  Winter savory takes on a nice shape if kept trimmed.  And being a perennial it only gets better with time.

St John's Wort flowers look bright even on a cloudy rainy day.

This plant flowers around the Summer solstice in June, (near St. John's Day on the 24th) which is how it gets the name St. John's Wort.  The flowers make a great herbal tincture that is red in color rather than yellow as the flowers might suggest.  The infused alcohol can then be used to treat various ailments, including anxiety and depression.   Historically it was believed to be a panacea that could cure almost anything.

Sorrel going strong in October

French Sorrel is an herb I have never grown.  Considered one of the bitter herbs, it was used by the Egyptians and the Romans to impart a bitterness or acidity to foods, much like we do with lemon juice today.  It can be eaten as a green, with a taste similar to a sour green apple it is in nice counter part to other sweeter foods. 

Flax in October, not tall enough to harvest

Flax is also part of the garden, but my guess is this plant would not have been in the garden as much as it would have been in a field nearby.  Flax was grown extensively in Illinois as a crop for making linen fabric.  To process flax you need a good flowing water source.  This garden is right along a canal which makes it a great place to grow flax but more abundance would give you the flax you needed to weave into cloth.  The process for making fiber from flax to create linen is very harsh and hard on people and the environment, so once cotton was more easily available Flax was abandoned as a cash crop.

taken 10-26-16

After my second visit we stopped in the nearby museum and I picked up a little booklet called "The LaSalle County Historical Society's Settler's Herb Garden" which details photographically many of the plants in the garden with a short one or two sentence description of the use of the plant.  The only thing the book is missing is a bit of information on why they chose the plants they did for the garden, as I am curious.

This garden is near Seneca, Illinois, where my husband and I intend to retire and raise herbs in the next few years, so I will be visiting this garden again, and I recommend you do as well if you are ever along the I&M canal or the Illinois River near Starved Rock.  The address of the museum is 101 E Canal Street, North Utica, Illinois and the garden is east of the parking area beside the one-room school house building.

Herbal tincture for mood - weekend recipe

Recently I used an herbal tincture made with brandy to flavor the brownies I took to the Garden Club meeting.   That tincture was made with meadowsweet which is wonderfully sweet and a great addition to baked goods.

Tinctures are a great way to extract the healthy goodness from herbs in to an alchohaol base or melstrum (much like you make vinegars.)  You can then take the tincture as “medicine.”  If you are old enough you may remember that cough syrup always had some alcohol in it. 

The recipe I am sharing today is a tincture I first learned in the Essential Herbal Magazine.  It is a wonderful blend to help lift winter spirits.  I get crabby and sad when the sun stays hidden for long lengths of time, so this blended tincture was perfect for me.  I put a teaspoon of the blend into my tea each morning then have more when I get home each day.

Mood Lifting Tincture by Mary Graber
To prevent or ease the winter blues, take 1/2 -1 tsp. three times daily.

100-proof vodka/brandy
2 parts hawthorn berry, plus flower and leaf if available
2 parts lemon balm
1 part St. John's wort
1 part milky green oat tops

Place the herbs in a lidded jar and pour in enough vodka/brandy to cover.  Steep the herbs for several weeks in the vodka/brandy and strain prior to use. If you are in a hurry to use this, give it a week to steep and strain out only what you need for a couple days at a time.