In recent years, rising stress and anxiety have led to burnout for many people as well as health problems such as adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue and a depleted immune response to viruses. In her book, Nature’s Remedies for Stress and Fatigue, medical herbalist Jo Dunbar draws on more than 25 years’ experience to share her expertise in treating these illnesses. Mainstream medicine often doesn’t have a straightforward answer for those struggling with exhaustion and stress. Jo’s healing approach involves dietary advice, reconnecting with nature and lifestyle changes as well as bespoke herbal prescriptions to support recovery.
SQUIRREL_13122521
You may also like
- Sue Stuart Smith on gardening and our mental health
- How to make working from home happier with plants
“I think there’s an epidemic of stress and burnout,” says Jo. “Unfortunately, you cannot bust your way out of it. The core healing is to consider the stresses and strains which may be causing your mind and body to feel so fatigued. Then you can start to heal with restorative herbs from your kitchen and garden.”
Here Jo recommends nine garden plants that may help ease fatigue and stress.
In the interests of safety, the herbs recommended here are given as very low doses. Jo defines a sprig as the length of a finger. When making herb teas, keep in the beneficial volatile oils by placing a lid or saucer on top of a cup while brewing. Ideally, consult with a medical herbalist before taking herbs.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
"Lemon balm is a very common garden plant that calms the nerves and lifts the spirits, so is good for a jittery, exhausted person. It is easy to grow in the garden or even a pot on your windowsill. Put a freshly picked sprig in a cup of boiling water. Cover with a lid or saucer until you are ready to drink (so that the precious volatile oils don’t waft away but are captured in your brew) then enjoy a light lemony infusion. While this is a calming tea, if you add a sprig of rosemary, it can be both calming and mentally refreshing. Avoid this herb if you have an underactive thyroid, as lemon balm is believed to decrease the production of thyroid hormone."
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
"Shakespeare said it when he wrote, ‘There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance’. Rosemary is believed to improve circulation to the brain, and can result in enhanced cognition, alertness and mood. Taking rosemary can be as simple as taking a herbal tea (a sprig in a cup of hot water), or sniffing the essential oil. Jo says that she loves to combine rosemary and lavender essential oils in the bath. “If you’ve come home from work feeling wired and tired, a bath with rosemary and lavender will help to calm your yet refresh your mind”. When using essential oils, put them in a base oil first – a tablespoon of any oil from the kitchen (eg olive oil) and then add five drops of lavender and four drops of rosemary. Rosemary should not be used in any way if you have epilepsy, as it may trigger a seizure."
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
"Lavender has the opposite effect to rosemary - it seems to slow our reaction times and calm the red-alertness of the brain. People who have been stressed for a long time are too speedy. Their brains have forgotten how to slow down, and they feel over-stimulated and frazzled. In these cases, lavender is a blessing because it gives you a brain-break. It brings the peacefulness and quiet so craved by the tired but wired brain. One of Jo’s favourite home remedies which she recommends if you are jittery and can’t sleep is to mix a cup of half milk (whatever milk you like) and half water, warmed up with a little bit of honey, then float an entire lavender head in it. Drink at bedtime – it’s delicious and really comforting."
Read our expert guide to growing lavender.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Probably the most popular herb in Jo’s dispensary. “I would say that for 98 per cent of people it’s brilliant. It will help your brain switch off so that you can drop into sleep. However for a fraction of people, it makes you more alert. Valeriana officinalis self seeds very readily in the garden. Dig up a plant (which is not hard), rinse off all the soil, cut off the root, chop the root into tiny bits and leave to dry for three weeks. All you then need is a pinch of the dried root in a cup of boiling water - a little goes a long way. Again, put a lid on, or saucer on top. Give it 10-15 minutes, because a root needs more time to steep than a leaf, then strain. You can also buy valerian tea everywhere."
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
"Californian poppy is used to relax the mind and soothe nerve pain. It helps promote sleep, eases nervous agitation, and is particularly renowned for helping those who are sensitive to changes in the weather. I particularly like to use it for those who find sleep difficult because of pain. Just pick a flower, and drop it into a cup of hot water, along with a sprig of lemon balm."
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
"Sage is not called 'sage' for nothing, as it’s one another herb that helps with cognition. Combined with rosemary it’s great for brain fog. Put two leaves in a cup of water. Sage is also traditionally used to help with hot flushes in the menopause. It also has antiviral and antibacterial properties, and is traditionally used for the throat. When you get the first symptom of flu or a sore throat, make yourself a tea of sage and gargle."
Roman camomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
"Roman chamomile has a really lovely, sweet honey fragrance. It’s good for when you’re overwraught or distressingly overstimulated, as so many people are. A sweet little cup for someone who’s very anxious and upset would be a single flower of camomile, a single sprig of lemon balm and a few petals of red, fragrant rose petals (unsprayed) and a bit of honey if you want. The ritual in itself is peaceful."
Garden mint (Mentha spicata)
"Like rosemary, mint helps to clear the head, and it has been found now to have antiviral properties. For people who have IBS type symptoms, it can help to settle gassiness and bloating. Use a sprig of any garden peppermint or spearmint. You could also put a handful of mint and a handful of rosemary in a teapot, and then pour it into a bath to clear your mind."
Nettle seeds (Urtica dioica)
"Nettles may be seen as ‘weeds’, but their seeds are adaptogenic (adaptogens help our bodies manage stress and restore balance) and they contain Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. They brighten the brain as they may help with memory, cognition and brain fog, and can be used for people who feel mentally tired, jaded or worn out. At the end of summer, cut the stems from the female plants (which are thick with seeds that hang from the stems, more copiously than their male counterparts), tie them up with an elastic band, put in a brown paper bag and hang them up for a few days. Give the bag a good shake and all the seeds will drop off. A really nice way to use them is to add them to your salt grinder, so that you get a bit of benefit every day. The traditional way to use them is a teaspoon sprinkled over your porridge in the morning."
SQUIRREL_13122521
Jo Dunbar qualified as a medical herbalist in 1999, and has run a busy practice since then, having treated thousands of patients. She is the founder of Botanica Medica herbal apothecary and has a clinic in Hampshire.