Best Herbs For Stress Relief

It's no secret our modern lives are largely driven by stress. Managing work, kids, partners, homes, pets and personal lives isn’t easy. If you feel you're busier than ever, but still can't seem to get everything done, making it through each day can leave you feeling burnt out, exhausted, and on edge.

While you can’t just make stress magically disappear, you can learn how to manage it naturally. People have used various healing plants and herbs for centuries, several of which are superior for alleviating stress. 

Incorporating the best herbs for stress relief into your regular wellness routine can work wonders to reduce stress and ease anxiety, offering the support you need so you can enjoy your life from a calm, centered space. 

Top 6 Herbs For Stress Support

1. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is a popular Ayurvedic herb that's been used for thousands of years to maintain overall wellbeing and improve vitality. It’s a what's known as an adaptogen, a natural substance that helps the body adapt to stress and encourages homeostasis. 

In Sanskrit, ashwagandha translates to “smell of the horse,” highlighting the herbs aptitude to increase strength. It is sometimes referred to as “Indian ginseng.”

The stress-relieving properties of ashwagandha have been widely studied. Research shows ashwagandha is a “multipurpose herb” that contains anti-inflammatory, adaptogenic, neuroprotective, memory-enhancing, stress-relieving, sleep-inducing properties. 

There are two main reasons it's suggested to be so powerful for relieving stress. For one, it significantly decreases levels of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. , It also reduces hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which controls the stress response in the body.

2. Tulsi / Holy Basil

Holy basil tea has been one of my favorites to slowly savor on a regular basis for years. Tulsi, or holy basil, is another important Ayurvedic herb used for thousands of years as a powerful tonic for mind, body and soul. The herb is considered sacred in Hinduism and commonly worshipped as the “Goddess of Devotion.” 

It's is a well-known antioxidant that can help fight free radical damage, and contains a complex chemical composition. The nutritional profile of holy basil is composed of vitamins A and C, zinc, iron, chlorophyll and several phytochemicals. Much like cannabis, it's also packed with terpenes like caryophyllene, myrcene, linalool and more.

Several studies support the stress-relieving properties of holy basil. The entire plant is considered an adaptogen, and research shows it can help the mind and body adapt to several different types of stress including: physical, chemical, metabolic and psychological. 

It protects organs from chemical stress (environmental pollutants and heavy metals), physical stress from excessive physical exertion, metabolic stress through normalization of blood glucose and pressure levels, and psychological stress with its anxiolytic properties.

There’s some research to indicate that holy basil’s anti-anxiety and anti-depressive properties are equal to that of Valium and prescription anti-depressants. In one study, participants that took 500mg of holy basil extract daily experienced less stress, anxiety, and depression and felt more social. 

3. Passionflower

Passionflower is native to the Americas, where it was traditionally used as a sedative. Today it's widely used for sleep and anxiety support. Passionflower tea has become part of my regular evening wellness routine, because it works so well to help me release the day and get a good night's sleep. 

It's stress-relieving properties are connected to its efficacy for increasing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, a neurotransmitter that slows down the brain and has calming effect on body and mind. Naturally boosting GABA levels can be really beneficial for stress, as it shows to contain antidepressant and sedative-like properties.

While there’s little actual research on the effects of passionflower for sleep, one study found it showed short-term benefits for healthy adults who had mild fluctuations in sleep quality. It’s perfect herb for the occasional sleepless night, especially if stress is what’s making it difficult to sleep.

4. Kava

Kava is another one of the top must-have herbs for stress relief. This tropical plant grows best on Pacific Ocean islands, and it’s been used traditionally for centuries amongst island tribes in ceremonial gatherings and cultural rituals. 

Today, kava is widely used for its calming, relaxing effects and its pain relieving properties. There are even a handful of kava bars across the country designed with the relaxed kava culture of the Pacific islands, where customers can sit, sip and enjoy increased feelings of calm, relaxation and joy.

Kava’s positive effects on the mind are created by substances it contains known as kavapyrones, which have well-known psychotropic properties. The most common are euphoria and relaxation. Higher doses of kava increase dopamine and stress is connected to low dopamine levels, making it easy to understand why it’s considered one of the best herbs for stress.

Like passionflower, kava positively influences GABA receptors. It’s anxiolytic properties and calming mind/body effects have led researchers to suggest using kava as a natural treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

5. Chamomile

Chamomile is one of the oldest, well-studied, and widely used herbal medicines that exists. It’s full of beneficial bioactive compounds and packed with antioxidants, both of which lend to the innumerable health benefits chamomile contains.

Considered one of the best herbs for stress relief, chamomile is famous for envoking a serene sense of calm and relaxation. It’s commonly used for stress and anxiety, working as a mild sedative to soothe frazzled nerves. 

If your stress is causing you to lose sleep, sipping on chamomile tea may help soothe you into a satisfying slumber. Chamomile contains an antioxidant known as apigenin which binds to certain brain receptors that encourage sleep and ease insomnia.

Chamomile is frequently used as part of a holistic therapy for anxiety, depression and insomnia. Research highlights its potential as a treatment for general anxiety disorder (GAD). While its unknown how chamomile works as an anxiolytic, it’s believed it’s the way the herb affects GABA, serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin neurotransmission in the brain.

6. Hemp

As one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world, hemp has a rich history of medicinal use. While banned for nearly a century, hemp has made a huge comeback and CBD has stolen the spotlight with its stress relieving properties. 

In a groundbreaking 2015 review, researchers found existing preclinical evidence “strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” 

I’ve personally discovered that consistently using CBD seems to take things down a notch, instilling a greater sense of calm that allows me to approach life from a centered space that isn’t so stressful despite what’s going on around me.

Last Thoughts On The Best Herbs For Stress Relief

Nature really does offer everything we need to thrive and live our best lives. Taking a holistic approach to health is a multifaceted endeavor that involves utilizing natural therapies known to support stress and increase wellbeing.

Implementing some of the best herbs for stress into your regular self-care routine can help soothe the demands of everyday life so you can better enjoy the journey.