About this episode
The pandemic has got all of us in a heightened state of alert. The news changes fast, stories come and go before we can fully process them, and every day there’s another set of statistics that are hard to mentally translate into real human lives. It’s stressful. Even if we’re not actively doomscrolling through Twitter, this background noise of fear and worry is elevated. So, this week, we’re sharing some of our favorite herbs for COVID anxiety – for any kind of anxiety, really, but specifically the ones we ourselves have been relying on lately. Ryn has been making a daily tea for himself with st john’s wort and friends, and has found it helpful in steadying out emotional peaks & valleys. He’s also been making sure to get some preparation of marshmallow in every day, because as a person with a dry constitution, it’s easy for him to get frazzled and frayed when anxiety is elevated. And when things are most acute, he’s turned to kava for a quick and comprehensive relaxant effect, often in the form of a rich hot chocolate blend. Katja finds herself turning to motherwort these days. It’s an herb we often turn to when we need help holding or building up emotional boundaries, and she’s recently found it helpful to put some boundaries around anger. Not to eliminate it – anger is important and can be helpful – but to direct it appropriately. She’s also been working with blue vervain as an anchor point to her daily tea blends, an herb which can help decouple the concepts of self-worth and productivity, and let her set down some mental burdens. And, she’s turned to linden , our favorite ‘hug in a mug’ herb, to help build emotional resilience through compassionate offering. Lessons learned from trees are lasting. If you’re feeling edgy and unsettled lately, try out some of these herbs for COVID anxiety and see if they don’t help you out! And remember, none of this is about suppressing or turning off ‘bad’ emotions, it’s about helping you move through the flow of emotional states more smoothly. Whether its these herbs or your own personal allies, turn to them: the plants will help you. As always, please subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen, so others can find it more easily. Thank you!! Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas. Support the show You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!