Posted by verne on November 5, 2006, at 3:04:20
In reply to What in this tincture is brightening my mood?, posted by circusboy on October 31, 2006, at 12:47:14
I've tried tinctures, teas, and even smoking most of the herbs on your list.
The only two on the list that I still use are skullcap and mugwort. Skullcap is calming yet enlivens the awareness ("Yoga of Herbs") whereas Valerian Root sedates and dulls the senses.
California Poppy is probably the strongest sedative on the list. The tea knocks me out but sleep is fitful and there's a bit of a hangover. I'm thinking about trying smaller doses.
I like anything in the artemesia family which includes Mugwort and Wormwood. My head always feels clearer. Both are calming in a subtle way too. Wormwood is stronger and too much can cause a headache.
From my personal experience, Kava Kava (and I've tried huge doses) never did a thing for me. I finally realized, too, that Passion Flower was no better than Valerian Root. I even tried strong tinctures and "buds". The result was just agitated grogginess. I was too sedated to stay up yet unable to sleep.
I really wanted Passion Flower to work after I had read all the hype. It sounded like the perfect herb for my mixture of depression and anxiety. The jury was out for a long time as I tried different brands, drank various teas, and smoked the buds in my water pipe. The verdict is in and I've abandoned further experimentation.
Chamomile is the most popular sleep aid in Europe but I just feel hot, sweaty, and queasy after even one cup of the tea. It is a strong diaphoretic which is enough to keep me up anyway.
Skullcap and Mugwort have always treated me right and help me with mood and sleep both. I also use Feverfew (Nature's Way Premium caps with the purple label), and Yellow Dock.
Feverfew is famous for curing the worst headaches - even migraines, but I use it for anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
Yellow Dock is a major blood cleanser that reduces "toxic heat" in the body. According to Yoga of Herbs, it "clears and promotes cerebral circulation". Somehow this translates into another very subtle calming herb for me.
Like you, I'm still trying various herbs and mixtures. I think I have some Gaia brand stuff too. I recently gave vervain a second tryout but the tea was simply undrinkable. (maybe just too strong) I keep trying albizzia flowers once in awhile and notice little. The bark powder does even less.
I think Rhodiola is a keeper. I'm usually taking it with Relora and Hoodia though so I'm not sure what's doing what. Some, or all of these herbs, seem to have an anti-depressant quality. I was positively high one morning when I took those three herbs in addition to Feverfew.
I hope to start keeping better notes once I've been off booze for awhile. Nothing works right until I've been off alcohol at least a week or two.
Verne
poster:verne
thread:699313
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/700514.html