June 2, 2022 | 92 minutes, 36 seconds
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In this episode of the Ayurveda Meets Modern Science podcast, host John Douillard, DC, CAP, interviews David Winston, RH, on herbs for occasional anxiety and low mood.
David Winston is an herbalist and ethnobotanist with 53 years of training in Chinese, Western/Eclectic, and Southeastern herbal traditions. He has been in clinical practice for 46 years and is an herbal consultant to physicians and researchers throughout the USA, Europe, and Canada.
Winston is also the founder of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library, dean of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies, president of Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc., founding member of the American Herbalist Guild, a teacher, and an author.
Learn more about Winston on his website.
Treat the Person Instead of the Disease
One of Winston’s top herbal recommendations is to treat the person instead of the disease. What does this mean? Looking at the diet, lifestyle, sleep, community, and spirituality of a person to figure out what is out of balance. From there, it’s much more effective to target and treat the imbalance.
Each of us is made differently, so our treatment should be specialized. So the more you can match the energetics of the herb to the energetics of the person, the more successful you’ll find treatment.
Here are a few herbs that Winston recommends to help relieve occasional anxiety and low mood, plus a few brain boosting herbs.
See also How Ayurveda Works: We Treat You, Not Your Symptoms
St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort can be used to help balance low mood, but it’s not the be-all and end-all solution. It is more well-known for its use in nerve relief and is best used for GI-based SAD and Hepatic depressions.
Melatonin
Melatonin from sunlight helps fuel our bodies with energy for the day, helping us access rest at night. Most Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors, not getting enough melatonin. If you’re not getting enough melatonin during the day it can lead to poor sleep, which then directly effects your body, mind, and mood negatively.
See also The Longevity Benefits of Melatonin + the Science on How Much to Take
Mimosa Tree Bark
Mimosa tree bark is a great mood elevator, best used for chronic grief, post-traumatic stress disorder, and broken hearts. (It is contraindicated for bipolar disorder.) Mimosa bark combined with hawthorn berries and flowers, and organic rose petals is the best combination for occasional anxiety and low mood, specifically stagnant depression.
Nootropic Herbs
Nootropic herbs are known to boost cognitive function, specifically attention, memory, and mood. These herbs can ultimately aid in balancing occasional anxiety and low mood as well. Here are some common nootropics and what they can help with:
- Skullcap or Ashwagandha: helps with restlessness and anger
- Passionflower: helps calm anxious minds and constant mental chatter
- Black cohosh: helps with menopause, grumpiness, and stabilizing moods
- Turmeric: helps support mood brain and low mood
What an amazing interview! Thank you so much for providing this. So much wisdom shared so freely, this kind of experience instills hope and anticipation along my herbalism path. I took notes but want to watch this again. Thank you David and John for your insights and enthusiasm!