Herbal KnowledgeDec 1, 2022

5 Herbs You Need To Know For Daily Calm*

Amidst all the chaos in the world, it can be hard to find moments of calm and serenity. Fortunately for us, we have many wonderful herbal allies on our side to help calm and restore our nervous systems when life feels especially challenging. Plus, using these herbs in a liquid herbal extract format makes it even easier to help you find relaxation on-the-go, wherever you are. Read on to discover 5 herbs you need to know for daily calm.*

Illustration of Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha

Withania somnifera

One of our most popular and beloved herbs, Ashwagandha is well-known for its calming adaptogenic properties. Not only can the root help promote a balanced response to stress, it also offers traditional support for calm energy. Ashwagandha carries a long history of use in Ayurveda and continues to be highly revered throughout the world today. As our day-to-day stressors have changed over the years, Ashwagandha continues to help us “adapt” and provide stress support for work, school, parenting, and everything in between.*

Fun fact: we now grow all of the Ashwagandha we use in this extract on our Certified Organic farms in southern Oregon. The root is harvested at its peak of readiness, then carefully shade-dried to retain its full color and aroma prior to extraction.

Illustration of Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis

As we like to say: when you’re in need of some extra calm, there’s Lemon Balm! This classic garden herb provides daily calming support for nervousness and over-excitement. Although it is calming to the nervous system, you can take it any time of day, making it the perfect herbal ally to provide relaxation on hectic days and soothe busy minds. For anyone who has tried our Lemon Balm before, you know how tasty this liquid herbal extract is, making it even easier to get that nervous system TLC when you need it most.*

We grow all our Lemon Balm on our own Certified Organic farms and always use the fresh herb to make our tincture (just around the corner at our extraction facility). Lemon Balm is also a wonderful option for the kiddos to help provide gentle calming support for those frenetic feels.*

Illustration of Skullcap

Skullcap

Scutellaria lateriflora

This traditional nerve-soothing herb provides mellow mood support when you need it most. With a long history of use, the common name “Skullcap” actually alludes to the flower’s resemblance to old helmets and helps us remember that this herb supports the “skull” area of the body by calming the mind. As a traditional relaxing nerve tonic, Skullcap is a great foundational herb for restoring and toning the nervous system. It can be taken daily over long periods of time or used to soothe restless moments.*

All the Skullcap we use in our extracts is grown on our Certified Organic farms and extracted fresh after harvest. Its signature small blue or purple “helmet-shaped” flowers grow beautifully in meadows and woods during the summertime. Once you get to know this unique herb, it will easily become a staple in your home herbal cabinet and maybe even your garden too!

Illustration of Wood Betony

Wood Betony

Stachys officinalis

Believe it or not, there is an old Italian proverb that says: “Sell your coat and buy Betony”. Wood Betony has a very long history of traditional use for supporting the nervous system, and it used to be so highly revered that folks might literally have sold the coats on their back to buy Betony! Wood Betony has had many periods of “popularity” over the ages, and we are here to help its comeback.*

A truly special herb, Wood Betony is actually the oldest planting at the Herb Pharm farm. We first planted Wood Betony in 1995 and moved the plot to its current location in 1998 where this beautiful perennial continues to proliferate to this day.

Illustration of Reishi

Reishi

Ganoderma lingzhi

While technically a mushroom and not an “herb”, Reishi carries many virtues and a long history of traditional use throughout Asia. In fact, the first known recorded text that mentions Reishi was estimated to have been written over 2000 years ago! In traditional Chinese herbalism, Reishi is revered for nourishing the heart and strengthening “Qi and blood”. Reishi even carries the nickname “mushroom of immortality” due to its many wonderful uses.1 The stillness of the forests where Reishi grows in the wild alludes to the inherently calming nature of this mushroom.*

Our Reishi is sourced from its native environment in China. We are committed to only using the Certified Organic dried whole fruiting bodies, grown on wood logs and/or chips. We never use Reishi mycelium grown on grains like rice.


[1] Upton, R. (2006) American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium on “Reishi Mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, Standards of Analysis, Quality Control, and Therapeutics”.

Introducing: Our New
Herbs on the Go: Daily Calming Spray™

While you can certainly work with any of these herbs individually, we decided to combine these 5 need-to-know herbs into 1 fabulous formula. Meet our Daily Calming Spray. This calming adaptogen and nervine blend is designed to soothe, calm, and stabilize our stress response system and nervous system.*

Think of it like your own personal “serenity in a bottle”. Formatted in an easy-to-use spray bottle, you can spray this formula directly in the mouth without needing to dilute it in water or juice first, making it even easier to find your calm wherever you go.*

GET CALM