taken every day if you wish, but you will find that you don’t need it as you have used it for a while.
A dropperful of St. Joan’s/John’s wort tincture is the remedy to reach for when you are on edge and feel like anything will push you over it. The dose can be repeated safely several times an hour if needed. This nerve-nourishing and nerve-strengthening herb relieves the immediate anxiety and helps prevent future distress as well.
Herbal tranquilizers are safer than prescription tranquilizers, but are best reserved for occasional use. Valerian is the best known. Because its action can be quite strong, it is best to begin with a five-drop dose, which can be repeated every 10-15 minutes until you are calm (and probably asleep). To avoid addic- tion, use valerian root as a tea or a tinc- ture, not in capsules, and take it for no more than three weeks. Skullcap tincture is less addictive and often more effec- tive. The dose is 10-20 drops of fresh plant tincture or 1-2 dropperfuls of dried plant tincture. Skullcap can also be sleep inducing, but it is rarely habituating.
Exercise is a ready remedy for over- whelming anxiety. If you feel like running away from it all, running or skating or walking briskly might be the very thing to do. Fifteen to twenty minutes of heart-pounding exercise will use up your excess adrenalin and “eat up” your stress.
Extreme fear or anxiety may lead to hyperventilation. If you are breathing rapidly and shallowly and feel spaced out you can:
1) breathe into a paper bag until normal breathing resumes or 2) hold your breath (you can actu- ally put your hand over your nose and mouth) for a count of 20; then breathe out as slowly as you can.
Calcium keeps the nerves steady. A glass of warm milk is an old wives’ trusted ally for relieving anxiety. Stinging
aspiremag.net
nettle is an excellent source of calcium when brewed as an infusion; one cup can contain as much as 500 mg of calcium. Oatstraw infusion is also loaded with calcium, with one cup containing up to 300 mg. Soy beverage can have the opposite effect - that is, it may increase anxiety - due to its ability to disrupt thyroid functioning and interfere with calcium metabolism. One herbalist who consumed large quantities of soy “milk” and soy protein bars wound up in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat and severe anxiety. If you think you are lac- tose intolerant, drink no more than four ounces of milk at a time, or use yogurt instead of milk. (Yogurt is generally free of lactose.)
Of course, you don’t want to do all these things at once! But you could join a yoga class, use nettle or oatstraw infusion daily, and have a bottle of motherwort or skullcap tincture handy for times when you are exceptionally anxious. By working with strengthening herbs and exercises, you not only relieve the bothersome symptoms but also improve your overall health. That’s the Wise Woman Way.
This article is an adaptation from Susun’s best-selling book New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way available through
www.ashtreepublishing.com.
Susun Weed, author of the Wise Woman Herbal series, is an extraordinary teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an extensive knowledge of herbs and health. Ms. Weed is the voice of the Wise Woman Tradition, empowering women worldwide to reclaim their health and wellbeing through knowledge, simply and safely. Visit:
www.wisewomanbookshop.com
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