Herbal support in times of stress and anxiety

Holly Poole-Kavana Little Red Bird Botanicals www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com IG @littleredbirdbotanicals

 Nervines  Adaptogens  Nature connection Nervines: that have an effect on the nervous system

Stimulants: coffee, kola nut, tea, prickly ash Relaxants: passionflower, skullcap, , blue vervain, chamomile, hops, , betony, hawthorn, lavender Tonics / neurotrophorestoratives: skullcap, milky oats, ashwagandha, St. John's Wort, holy basil, reishi, gotu kola Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis mint family

 Safe, gentle, and delicious

 Calming and mood elevating

 Cooling: specific for symptoms of hyperthyroidism and sympathetic excess (anxiety, heat, heart palpitations, insomnia)

 Antiviral: specific for herpes virus infection but also useful in upper respiratory infections

 Very easy to cultivate. Use in tea, tincture, glycerite. Shorter shelf life than most other dried . Passionflower Passiflora incarnata passionflower family

 Calming, antispasmotic,  Specific for people who think too much or have obsessive circular thoughts (incl. with insomnia)  Used to ease drug/alcohol/tobacco withdrawl Use caution with barbituates and -- may have an additive effect Cultivation: easy to grow, sprawling vine, prefers full sun  Preparation: fresh tincture, dry for tea, eat fresh flowers! Skullcap lateriflora Mint family

 Calming tonic, anxiolytic, restorative  Indicated in conditions involving shakes/tremors  Combine with milky oats, passionflower to support drug, alcohol, and nicotine withdrawl  Helpful in oversensitivity, such as waking up to small noises, movements, etc  Preparation: fresh plant tincture, dry plant for tea  Cultivation: cool, moist, part shade. Harvest when flowering Calming, bitter nervine Blue Vervain Verbena hastata Relieves tension Verbenaceae Useful in anxiety with a sesnation of tension in muscles, GI tract, or mind

Tincture, tea, or glycerite (very bitter flavor

Easy to grow in gardens-- scatter seeds in fall/winter for spring germination Rose Many Rosa species Rosaceae

Support for healthy grieving

Lifts the spirits

Harvest petals when flowers are open and vibrant

Use in tea, elixir, glycerite Milky Oats Avena sativa

 Neutral/warm, sweet  Restorative, calming  Indicated when the nerves are frayed or burnt out; supports normal function in the nervous system and adrenals  Use in situations of chronic sympathetic excess (long-term fight-or-flight pattern) Cultivation: plant in early spring for June harvest; harvest unripe fruits containing white fluid Mimosa Albizia julibrissin

Cooling, moistening, relaxing Bark: calming, grounding Flowers: mood elevating Helpful in emotional stress, grief, heartache Tincture bark fresh or dry; tincture flowers fresh Invasive tree: no need to cultivate! Adaptogens

Help support appropriate nonspecific stress response-- adaptive energy to respond to multiple stressors Normalize function in the body by strengthening nervous system, immune, and endocrine functions Often balance or regulate HPA axis patterns (theoretical) TCM: Qi tonics; Ayurveda: Rasayanas Combine with other herbs to support or modify their effects (nervines, digestive support, etc) Ashwagandha Withania somnifera nightshade family

Calming adaptogen Energetics: warming Calming to anxiety while stimulating to general energy/ metabolism Regulates cortisol Stimulates thyroid (enhances T4 concentrations) “somnifera” means sleep-bearing Specific for fatigue with anxiety and insomnia, especially in cold-bodied people and/or iron deficiency Ashwagandha Withania somnifera nightshade family Cultivation – long season (start indoors) – Allow space for digging its prolific roots Watch for grubs and beetles Part used: roots Harvest and preparation – Dig roots after first frost (with fruits on plants) – Tincture fresh or dry; dry roots for decoction – Take with fats to maximize absorption – Dosage: 1/2-1 tsp powder daily, tincture 1mL 3 times daily Holy Basil (Tulsi) Ocimum tenuiflorum Mint family

Sweet, aromatic, warming Specific for people who feel overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted Can lower blood sugar Aromatic and bitter components support good digestion Helpful in brain fog from fatigue Holy Basil (Tulsi)

Cultivation – Start indoors for maximum growth – Harvest regularly when in flower – Thrives in summer heat Parts used: leaves, stems, and flowers •Preparation: Dry for tea; tincture fresh or dry Reishi Ganoderma lucidum, G. tsugae

Adaptogenic mushroom Calming to the mind and heart Hypotensive (lowers blood pressure) Normalizes immune system function (low immunity, autoimmune heat, allergies) Specific for exhaustion with hypersensitivity, sympathetic excess, immune dysregulation Reishi

Cultivation – On logs: oak, maple, hemlock – Common forest mushroom for wildcrafting

Preparation – Must be boiled: double-extract, broth, decoction, etc. – Dosage is relatively large: ¼ oz to 1 oz per day in decoction; 4-15 mL double-extract daily Gynostemma Gynostemma pentaphylum Jiaogulan, Sweet leaf Cucumber family

Cooling, calming adaptogen Contains at least four gypenosenosides identical to those in ginseng Immunosupportive, calming, antioxidant Mildly lowers blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides Gynostemma Gynostemma pentaphylum Jiaogulan, Sweet leaf Cucumber family

Part used: leaves Cultivation: very easy. Spreading vine, annual or perennial depending on climate, vigorous growth Harvest through the growing season as leaves mature Preparation: tea, capsules; 1-2 tbsp of dried leaf per day as a tea Additional stress support: Connection with plants and nature Tending plants

 Cultivate a garden  Volunteer at a local urban farm or garden  Tend wild plants in your neighborhood  Care for street trees (contact DDOT arborists or Casey Trees)  Allow spaces within your influence to be wild  Save and share seeds Tending the garden at Common Good City Farm

Gratitude practices Expressing gratitude is good for your mental and physical health! People who research this have found the following benefits for people who express gratitude:

 Improved self-reported happiness  Improved self-esteem  Improved perception of physical health  Facilitates relationships

My favorite study title: An Upward Spiral Between Gratitude and Humility Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2014 Kruse, E., J. Chancellor, P.M. Ruberton, S. Lyubomrisky “Our results suggest that humility and gratitude are mutually reinforcing.” Ancestral connections Humans in every part of the world have had ongoing relationships with plants since before the origin of humans. Take some time to think and ask:  Which plants did your ancestors have relationships with?

 Which plants do(es) your culture(s) Owen Taylor (@seedkeeping) have relationships with? and Chris Bolden-Newsome tell amazing stories about the seeds they  Which plants are important to your save and the cultural connections people have with plants. Their podcast family and/or other communities you is called Seeds and their People are a part of? Additional stress support: non-herbal

 Regular eating to avoid getting hangry  Regular sleep cycle  Stress management, breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and other calming practices Community, laughter, joyful activity Time spent in nature Little Red Bird Botanicals Community Apothecary

▼ Locally-grown medicinal herbs ▼ Herbal wellness appointments ▼ Acute care / Covid19 appointments ▼ Handcrafted herbal products ▼ Classes, workshops, & plant walks

Open Wednesdays 4-7pm or by appointment 2437 15th St NW DC in the Josephine Butler Parks Center

Contact: www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com [email protected] (202) 726 1924 (no texts) Instagram @littleredbirdbotanicals Herbal CSA May-November 2020

Memberships are available for the coming season www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com/herbal-csa