Herbs for Everyone: Bitter Nervines

Amidst the constant onslaught of herb and supplement marketing many of us experience these days, it is easy to be overwhelmed by all the options. Many companies offer one-size-fits-all miracle remedies that promise to address everyone's health challenges with a single product. Truly holistic herbal care makes no such promises. In optimal circumstances, we would craft individual protocols and custom remedies for each person who seeks holistic care. But unfortunately, not everyone has access to individualized herbal care.

This dilemma leads us to wonder, is there any middle ground between mass market cure-alls and personalized custom formulation? Are there classes of herbs that would benefit most people, no matter what health challenges they face? The answer is yes, there are. When I look through my recommendations for clients, two patterns emerge: digestive bitters and relaxing nervine blends are the formulas I dispense the most.

While it may be obvious why relaxing nervine blends are needed by so many, given the stress of living in these times, the need for digestive bitters may be less intuitive. A full discussion of the benefits and importance of digestive bitters demands more space than this piece allows. Suffice it to say that digestive bitters help us slow down and eat more mindfully, and the bitter flavor stimulates digestive secretions and helps us get more out of our food.

Bitters formulas always contain warming carminative aromatic herbs as well. These herbs, many of them used as culinary spices, further support digestion and assimilation of nutrients while also stimulating circulation to deliver nutrients to all our tissues. The simple addition of a digestive bitters formula to one's routine can be profoundly transformative.

Part of the reason bitters can be so helpful is that many of us suffer from digestive issues caused by constant stress. Stress hinders healthy digestion by keeping the sympathetic branch of our Autonomic Nervous System activated. Bitters stimulate the parasympathetic branch, telling our nervous system it's time to slow down and eat.

While a bitter herb like Gentian or Dandelion stimulates digestion and supports liver function, they do not relax the nervous system overall. For that we need bitter herbs that are also nervines, i.e. they have an affinity for the nervous system.

So, if most of us could use the medicine of digestive bitters, and most of us could also use a relaxing nervine blend to counter the impact of living in these challenging times, is there a way we can do both with one formula?

Again, the answer is yes! Within the class of relaxing nervines there are bitter nervines and pungent, aromatic, carminative nervines — representing both qualities we need to make energetically balanced digestive bitters.

The key principle

To make a digestive bitters blend that also supports the nervous system, combine bitter relaxing nervines, aromatic nervines and/or nervines that are both bitter and aromatic.

Bitter nervines

• Motherwort — Leonurus cardiaca

• Skullcap — Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria incana

• Betony — Stachys officinalis, Betonica officinalis

• Bugleweed — Lycopus americanus, Lycopus virginicus

• Blue Vervain — Verbena hastata

• White Vervain — Verbena officinalis, Verbena urticifolia

• Evening primrose — Oenothera biennis, Oenothera speciosa

Aromatic nervines

• Lemon balm — Melissa officinalis

• Garden sage — Salvia officinalis

• Rosemary — Salvia rosmarinus

• Tulsi — Ocimum tenuiflorum

• Bee Balm — Monarda fistulosa, Monarda didyma, Monarda citriodora

Aromatic and bitter nervines

• Chamomile — Matricaria recutita

• Hops — Humulus lupulus

• Lavender — Lavandula angustifolia

• Orange peel — Citrus x sinensis

• Catnip — Nepeta cataria

Start with these proportions

To make a tincture formula or tea blend that supports digestion and the nervous system simultaneously, start with the following proportions and alter to taste:

Bitter nervines — 3 parts Aromatic nervines — 2 parts Bitter and aromatic nervines — 1 part

Make sure the bitter flavor is noticeable!

Drink a cup of tea or take 2 dropperfuls of tincture or glycerite before meals or 2-3 x a day.