Psychological & Emotional First Aide

I had to share this incredible document. A lot of times these types of articles feel super repetitive. This document felt as though I wrote it. I've never seen anyone talk about Calamus Root in this way and its exactly how I feel! Same with Wood Betony. I wanted to add a couple others I love that were not listed:

Blue Vervain: Blue Vervain is most commonly described as the herbal companion for 'Type A' personalities and I have to agree. That said, I am not Type A and I reach for this herb on occasion. My personal go-to's for anxiousness & stress are more physically grounding than mental. And Blue Vervain is most definitely a mentally grounding herb. I put it in a similar but less drastic category as Mimosa & Anemone. This category is not just the tightly wound, perfectionist traits of Type A, but also folks that are easily & quickly triggered and can enter fight or flight in a second. Blue Vervain can help bring those feelings of panic to a halt!

Anemone: Ah Anemone. What a mysterious and powerful plant. This plant had the same allure to me as Ghost Pipe, but Ghost Pipe is so very rare that I do not often have the right opportunity to use it (remind me to tell you all about my experience with Ghost Pipe). Anemone is also a wonderful candidate for panic states. If you experience heightened states of panic frequently, I would recommend Mimosa. If you don't experience it on a regular, predictable basis, Anemone is a good sort of "rescue" remedy to have on hand. Please note that you only need 1-5 *drops* of Anemone tincture to feel the effects. Anemone can feel quite euphoric & dreamy when taken without panic. I have used it to help me reach a deeper state of meditation & dream work. Here's a great write up from Seven Song - https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0505/7347/6027/files/Herbalists-View-Anemone-for-Panic-Attacks.pdf?v=1706053261

Mimosa: This is one of my absolute favorite remedies. And this fast growing plant is incredibly abundant... overly abundant even, so please look into growing it in your region before planting. It is so beautiful and so fragrant that it begins boosting serotonin even before ingesting it. This is my #1 recommendation for folks with PTSD. You can use the flowers & the root bark. They work very similarly but the flowers, in my opinion, are more more uplifting and melancholy whereas the root is more sedative and... physically calming. They can absolutely be used together. I feel like both of them offer stability for the mood and this is huge for folks experiencing prolonged depression, ADHD, BPD & PTSD. This is another big grounding one and can really help pull folks out of a panic state. 

Passionflower: Passionflower is one of my most used herbs for the effects of stress and anxiety (paired with skullcap). Passionflower & Skulllcap both have been such great companions for me because they're not only amazing for calming an anxious mind and easing mental stress, but being nervine herbs, they also have mild pain relieving properties and therefore help relieve physical stress. Passionflower being an antispasmodic also helps specifically with PMS related stress & pain. Both of them are what I recommend for folks who experience the effects of anxiety more so in the body than the mind. This may appear as restlessness, weakened immune system, pulling muscles frequently and waking up sore regularly (me me me!).

Is there anything you would add? Have you experienced the loving friendship of any of the plants in the document or that I mentioned?