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Herbs For Relaxation

Updated on May 24, 2014

What Are Some Of The Best Relaxing Herbs?

You will find here a great list of herbs for relaxation that are perfectly safe to use in herbal teas, or for making aromatherapy oils, for adding to your bath, or simply for placing a few strands under your pillow for relaxing dreams.

Herbs have been used for thousands of years by people all over the world, due to their healing properties. Some are great revitalizers, others are there to cure insomnia, yet others are perfect stress relievers and relaxants.

And let's face it, in the hectic and stressful times of today there is nothing better than something natural (without any chemicals included) that relaxes the mind, body and soul.

Shown here is one of the herbal mixes I use in my bath for relaxation especially during the winter.

Herbs For Relaxation Sampler

Traditional Medicinals Relaxation Herb Tea Sampler - 16 Tea Bags
Traditional Medicinals Relaxation Herb Tea Sampler - 16 Tea Bags
If you don't want to mix your own herbs for tea, here is a ready-made tea pack that includes a sampler of 16 bags with herbs such as chamomile and lavender. There are 4 packs of each tea type: * Chamomile with lavender * Chamomile * Easy Now with a floral, apple and mint taste * Nighty Night with a minty, citrus and spice note
 

Are You Using Any Herbs For Relaxing In Your Daily Life?

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chamomile for relaxing
chamomile for relaxing

Chamomile - The Perfect Herb For Relaxation

Chamomile is maybe the very first herb I got to know as a small kid. Whenever I was at my grandparents over the summer when the school was out, I was given chamomile tea any time I had stomach cramps or aches, or any time I was feeling sad for whatever reason small kids might find themselves sad.

Also I remember two different types of chamomile that was growing nearby, a wild one growing nearby and another type that my grandma was growing in her herbal garden. Chamomile is smelling just so wonderful, especially when it's fresh!

Unless you are allergic to ragweed, chamomile is maybe the safest relaxing herb that can be given to kids. It is also widely used in hospitals and nursing homes for its calming and relaxing properties, as well as helping with insomnia and treating anxiety naturally.

Are You Using Chamomile For Relaxation?

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lemon balm
lemon balm

Lemon Balm - Relaxing And Healing

Lemon balm (also called Melissa) is another great relaxing herb. It has been used from ancient times to heal insect bites, calm the sour mood and relieve tension.

These days Melissa is still widely used especially for stress relief, for insomnia, for digestive problems, as well as for relief of anxiety and panic attack symptoms. It works for all these problems due to its mildly sedative properties, as well as its content of eugenal, which is a chemical that gets rid of bacteria, it is a muscle relaxant and antispasmodic.

You can grow it in your own herbal garden, indoors or outdoors. Also you can buy it dry in bulk (like in the picture attached) or in ready made herbal teas.

As for how to use is - you can either apply it on the skin for insect bites, for healing wounds, shingles, cold sores and fever blisters, or you can consume it, internally, in teas, tinctures or even in food flavoring. It's also a great addition to essential oils for aromatherapy.

How Do You Feel About Lemon Balm?

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Would You Use Herbs For Healing And Relaxation?

How Do You Feel About Using Herbs As Alternative Healing Remedies?

valerian seeds
valerian seeds

Valerian Root - The Perfect Herb For Relaxation

Valerian (also called Valeriana officinalis), especially the valerian root is something of a weird plant. The reason is because it works so well! I mean I used to say the chamomile works great, but valerian beats it by a mile.

It works by removing the effects of stress on the body without any side-effects of its own. Many people call it a miracle plant, and with good reason. It has a dual action. On one hand, it suppresses nervous activity in the body, and on the other hand it stimulates the central nervous system. In effect it balances out quite nicely.

I remember a friend of mine have 3 cats. They were going crazy for valerian. Whenever my friend had valerian capsules or something else made of valerien and they smelled it, they were trying to snag it out of her hands all the time. I have no idea what in this plant made them so attracted to it, but it was really interesting watching them chasing her to get the valerian from her hands!

Do You Have Any Experience With Valerian Root?

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passion flower
passion flower

Passion Flower For Inducing Sleep And Relaxation

Passion flower is great for relaxation and for inducing sleep. It is the perfect cure for insomnia. For me it works for relieving my tension headaches. I get lots of them, and unless I take pills, passion flower is what really helps me the natural way.

It is an overall gentle herbal sedative plant, which has a relaxing effect on the central nervous system. It's not addictive so you can use it whenever you need to.

A well known muscle relaxant, it also helps with anxiety and panic attacks. If you have the so-called restless leg syndrom, passion flower is known to help.

It is one of the plants that can induce a feeling of sleepiness so it should not be used when driving or operating any kind of machinery - or when you want a sharp mind.

How About Passion Flower?

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lavender
lavender

Relaxing Lavender For Everyone

Whenever I smell lavender, I remember my grandma. One of her rooms was always smelling of lavender and I really loved this smell. It still brings pleasant memories to my mind.

However I've also used lavender regularly for various things. Of course, it is well known as a stress reliever. But I've also used successfully lavender essential oil in natural perfumes I created a few times, and I boiled lavender tea to use in my relaxing baths. I've even sewn my own lavender small pillows that I placed under my regular pillow to ease my insomnia, and help me have pleasant dreams.

This plant is really an all-around calmer and relaxer, which is used in a multitude of ways by everyone.

It has also antiseptic and anti-inflamatory properties, which is one of the reasons why the lavender essential oil is so precious to many people. It has even been found that lavender repels insects, which is great because we no longer have to use those awful smelling sprays and products to keep mosquitoes away.

Lavender Oils, Flowers And Other Calming Products

But I Bet You Love Lavender!

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herbal tea for sleep
herbal tea for sleep

Making Mixed Herbal Teas

While these 5 herbs are the ones I am mostly using, I do use occasionally other herbs as well. For example I"ve been known to make teas and concoctions from herbs such as lemon verbena, rose, ginger, catnip and rosemary.

I also make various herbal tea mixes for calming and relaxing. In order to make your own tea, you need to know the properties of the herb, so that they complement each other, and not cancel each other out.

Here is a recipe of a mixed herbal tea that I make on a regular basis before going to sleep.

1 oz Lemon balm leaves

1 oz Chamomile flowers

1 oz passion flower (green parts)

2/3 ounces St Johns Wort

Mix the herbs, steep 2 tbs of mixture in 1 cup boiled water. Then cover for about 10 minutes and then strain. I don't use any sweeteners, but my hubby uses a teaspoon of honey in it. Try it with or without and see which one tastes better for you.

Of course you can buy ready-made herbal teas that have already the right herbs and plants included. Some people prefer this because it is less work (doesn't need straining) and there is no research involved as to what herbs to add to the recipe.

Visual Instructions On Making Herbal Teas

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