It is a biological signalling state…
Although we say that we ‘feel stressed’, we are not really describing an emotion. Rather we are describing an experience; the shifts in our physiology which occur when our bodies are trying to maintain integrity while experiencing a threat. It can be really uncomfortable, and it can also have physical consequences. I think there are three types of stress on our body, and each comes with its own pattern, and each could be approached differently.
But for each type of stress our adrenals, nervous system, immune system and metabolism get adjusted accordingly as the body prioritises survival, then stabilisation and lastly long-term repair. I like to use herbs, not as ‘anti-stress’ agents trying to blunt a normal physiological reaction to life’s pressures, but to help the body cope with the aftermath and return the body as quickly as possible to a healthy, resting state.
Under stress the body can cause a rapid heartbeat to get the blood to our muscles to help us respond quickly and run. Our blood can thicken, in response to the possibility of a wound so that we do not bleed to death. Our digestion will pause so as not to use up the energy we will need to escape. In chronic stress fertility and our immune response can be inhibited, again to preserve energy. That’s why women can lose their normal cycle and we experience more infections when under chronic stress, and possibly A-type personalities could experience more heart attacks…
And one thing that herbs cannot do [neither can orthodox medicine either] is to remove stressful situations from the lives of our patients, whether they are abusive partners, children suffering with addiction, or the constant threat of violence or war. Our job is to help people cope with the circumstances that they find themselves in.
- Acute physical crises: immediate danger, injury, shock or any sudden threat. In this state, the body’s not trying to heal; It is trying to survive. Rapid nervous system activation produces adrenaline release, fast heartbeat, and constriction of certain blood vessels. With the thickening of the blood, the immune system would be primed to react in anticipation of possible injury. Heightened coagulation helps prevent blood loss, inflammation would help repair the wounds.
We do not try to blunt this response, because this physical response to a sudden physical crisis is necessary. If we need to run then we need what our body is doing. Herbal support would instead focus on helping our system leave this state of emergency as soon as possible to return to the normal resting state.
We would use nervine relaxants such as Melissa and Skullcap, both of which can moderate the heightened adrenaline driven over-activation, especially if the acute physical crisis is of short duration. Hawthorn can help the heart recover from the fast heartbeat, circulatory stimulants and relaxants like Rosemary and Ginger and Yarrow can restore normal blood flow after vasoconstriction. Digestive aromatics such as Angelica can help digestion return to normal. We can also use Frankincense, Turmeric and Chamomile to calm down unnecessary inflammatory priming.
Our aim is quite simple: help the body to return to baseline once the danger has passed.
- Chronic physical challenges: famine, homelessness, chronic illness, constant underlying physical threat from an abusive partner creates a different physiology. Here Cortisol stays too high for too long, then flattens which disrupts our normal circadian rhythm keeping us from a normal sleep pattern, and then not surging in the morning to give us energy to start the day. Our thyroid output may drop, and our metabolism slows, our immune systems can become erratic, and our digestion is also affected.
This is the physiology of long-term adversity
Using herbs we need to nourish, not sedate. Adaptogens come into their own here; Ashwagandha and Codonopsis both can help restore natural cortisol rhythms without trying to stimulate a tired physiology. Milky oat seed and nettle seed can nourish overworked endocrine and nervous systems that have been under constant strain, and nettle [both seed and tea] can provide the mineral building blocks which we need for metabolic recovery. Bitters such as Gentian can stimulate the digestion to improve nutrient uptake, and we can support a normal sleep rhythm using herbs such as Passionflower and Californian Poppy, while Milk Thistle will support the function of our liver to aid efficient nutrient ‘processing’.
Chronic physical stress requires nourishment, rebuilding and metabolic support.
- Psychological and emotional disruption: relational instability, isolation, and uncertainty will all create physiological changes that affect our health. Over-thinking and over-reacting emotionally keep the body in a semi-threatened state. Social isolation can itself become a biological threat signal [individuals separated from the herd are vulnerable].
Here we use herbs that can modulate the nervous system response. Herbs that ‘calm’ nerves, such as Lemon balm, Passionflower, Chamomile; herbs that can support emotional ‘steadiness’ such as St John’s Wort; herbs that can structurally support frayed nerves such as Oat Straw; herbs that are neuroprotective and reduce nerve inflammation like Saffron; herbs that can shift the body out of chronic cardiovascular tension such as Hawthorn and Motherwort; and gentle adaptogens that may provide overall balance and motivation such as Schisandra.
Stress is not a single state, and herbs are not the single solution. If we can start to understand the type of stress that is driving physiological change then we can better choose herbal actions that could help the body recover and rebuild.
NB: Just out of interest I ran this article through an AI checker, and it came out as 34% written by AI. Annoyed, as AI had not been involved at all, I ran it though Claude and said, ‘what bits of this do you think are AI?’ and it highlighted some. So, I took those bits out and changed it all to see if the percentage went down and ran it through the AI checker again. This time it was 67% AI. So, I went back to Claude and complained and said that I had written it all myself so why did it show up as originally 34% AI? The response? Claude informed me and I quote; ‘My real recommendation: stop running your own original writing through these checkers. They’re not fit for this job…’ and that sentence is the only part of the article that was written by AI….
For all its usefulness, what a mess AI sometimes makes of our world.
