As our collective consciousness continues to build and grow in it’s sensitivity, the anxiety that we are feeling both individually, as well as a collective, is growing and becoming more present than ever before. Here in Calgary, we are living near some incredibly strong vortexes at the base of the Rocky Mountains, which only heightens the energetic fields and connections that we are sensitive to.
Because of our heightened connection and increased sensitivity, we are beginning to feel other people’s anxieties, as well as our own; oftentimes, we are even unable to realize where ours ends and someone else’s begins. Things such as social media, high stress, and overworking ourselves can all play a role in the stress and anxieties that we are feeling.
Pranic Forest has a multitude of anxiety-easing products. Today, we are going to talk primarily about our tinctures; but, before diving into this post, we wanted to heed a warning that you be sure to check with your primary care doctors or specialists if you are already taking antidepressants or medication for anxiety and are considering supplementing with herbs. Often times mixing the two can cause adverse and opposite effects of what is desired, so please ensure that you ask your doctor. As herbalists working with alternative and herbal medicine, we are not able to diagnose or treat an ailment or disease, although we can provide relief for your symptoms. Again, please speak to your physician before mixing herbs with medication.
All About Tinctures:
It used to be said that tinctures are medicine for other herbalists; but, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. People are respecting the medicine of these small batch artisan tinctures more and more, because they are realizing that they do have very powerful medicinal properties. These tinctures carry a lot of prana (life force energy) whether it be because of the way that they’ve been harvested (either with planetary alignment or because they’ve been harvested, respected, and spoken to, which does actually boost a plants healing properties.
Our master herbalist, Amanda, actually grows, builds relationships with, and mindfully harvests catnip, lemon balm and St.John’s Wort for these tinctures.
Anxiety:
We have two tinctures at Pranic Forest to aid with anxiety, as well as two to aid with depression. We’re going to explain the differences between the tinctures, and then follow that up with some methodology and other frequently asked questions.
Lemon Balm with Kava Kava - lemon balm is part of the mint family, and it contains many different relaxation components. It’s a great sleep aid, and can also ease stress and promote relaxation and calm. The addition of Kava Kava, a root in the nightshade family, is also known for its relaxation properties, and aid with sleep and stress-reduction.
Catnip with Strawberry - this tincture also has many relaxation and calming properties; using the leaves and flowers, Catnip has many medicinal properties and can aid in reducing anxiety and improving sleep.
Catnip also contains nepetalactone, which acts as mild sedative.
Funnily enough, although the plant itself has calming and sedative effects, the root of the Catnip plant has the complete opposite effects, and used to be given to vikings before battle as a way to make them angry and agitated.
The addition of Strawberry, is to aid not only with the taste of the tincture, but also to add in some vitamin C and additional minerals into the blend.
Depression:
Then if we move onto Depression and Seasonal Depression, we can talk about the other tincture that we offer:
St. John’s Wort + Damiana - St. John’s Wort is one of the highest selling herbs on the market, and is known to aid in mild to moderate depression. Both St. John’s Wort and Damiana are flowering yellow plants that can aid in feelings of depression, nervousness, and general seasonal blues. These herbs have the medicinal properties to let through those happy thoughts and feelings that we are missing when suffering from depression or seasonal depression.
We also know and believe that the medicine of this plan extends beyond its internal compounds and also has to do with the colour yellow. Yellow is an extremely calming and happy colour, and it also ties in with the energy from the sunshine and the yellow pigment that we are often missing when we’re experiencing feelings of seasonal depression or wintery blues.
****It’s important to note that St. John’s Wort can decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives****
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the dosage?
The dosage for each tincture is listed on the individual bottles of any of the three tinctures we have shared above. They also have their own unique dose and frequencies.
How long do you take them for?
Most tinctures need to be taken for 2-3 months before you can begin to feel and notice their effects. It’s recommended with the three tinctures shared in this post, that you take them for 6 months, have a 2 month interim, and then reintroduce it into your system for another 6 month cycle.
If you are feeling a panic attack coming on, or are prone to anxiety and panic episodes, taking a tincture such as the ones listed above would be a great place to start.
If you are already in the midst of an anxiety attack, you’re going to want to turn to aromatherapy, such as our Kishar roll on oil for a more immediate calming effect (it contains Kava Kava). Aromatherapy and flower essence are the more fast acting methods of symptom relief, whereas using tinctures provides longer term maintenance, as the tinctures are able to get deeper down into your body and system over the course of the 3-6 months that you are taking them.
Please let us know if you have any tincture, anxiety, or depression questions for us! We would love to be able to help out with whatever we can.
Quick reference:
Tinctures for anxiety **currently only available in-stores
- Catnip with Strawberry
- Lemon Balm with Kava Kava
Tincture for depression:
- St. John’s Wort with Damiana **currently only available in-stores
Aromatherapy options: