natural mood stabilizers/stress reducers? - Page 2

[MamabearTo4]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

. She also mentioned the differences between "flavored waters" (aka teas) and healing infusions (much stronger). She was recommending healing infusions in the above manner.

This is a great li'l tidbit! Did she happen to give you a great source for the infusion?

[sprouthead]

Originally Posted by chkpea

is this just will power or did you take a supplement to offset your cravings? I think this could be a huge culprit of my mood/negativity/stress/edginess. Would love to stop but not sure if I have the will power to stop. How soon did you notice a difference?

I'm not sure if this was addressed to me but I will take a stab at it

I use a combination of will power and substitutes.. I still eat raw honey, stevia, and maple syrup, and I found that when I have a strong sugar craving, peanut butter toast (natural, sugar free peanut butter!) goes a long way in helping me curb the craving! When there's just something sweet around that I want, I picture my horrible acne and I remember a horrible migraine and I ask myself if it's really worth it- so far, it hasn't been. HTH!

[KD's Momma]

I use Bach's Rescue Remedy and Bach's Olive

[sunmamma]

agh! sorry mamabear, I tried to reply the other day and after typing between diaper changes and helping my 5 yr old with something I lost the post!!:

I like Organic India as a source for Holy Basil tea, you can also buy it bulk from them, they have a website. It is lovely! I also really like the New Chapter brand super-critical extract supplement. It is more of a heavy hitter than the tea. The tea, however, is good for the whole family and has immune boosting properties as well.

another thing I wanted to mention is Rhodiola. Though I notice a strange phenomenon with that vs. Holy Basil. Seems as though there are holy basil people and Rhodiola people. This is all anecdotal, of course, but I notice if one does not work out for a person, tho other usually does. I, for example, do not care for Rhodiola at all! It makes me feel....egdy. Holy Basil rocks my world howeer, and I have friends who are the exact opposite. (but Rhodiola does not balance your chakras!)So, if hb isn't your thing, you could try Rhodiola.

Now, one last note, I have found New Chapter to be a superior source for these herbs. Om organics(which is also organic india) would also be a good source for the Tulsi(hb). You get what you pay for, so I don't reccommend sacrificing quality when it comes to putting things in your body.(man, those guys at New Chapter shoud hire me!) but really, and this comes to you from someone who has worked in hfs for 15 yrs!

[sunmamma]

rescue remedy is great too!:

[vioburn]

This thread is really timely for me. I've got really bad TMJ and need something to help control my stress/anxiety levels, since the more stressed I am, the worst the TMJ becomes.

Can you grow Holy Basil? Would you use the leaves for the tea?

I'm also going to give the Rescue Remedy a try. I may actually have some of that around my house.

As for cravings, when I've cut back on sugar or caffiene or anything I crave, I drink peppermint tea. It cuts the craving for both my DH and me.

ETA: One thing that has helped some with my stress/anxiety is lavender. I put a few drops of lavender EO on a cloth and put it in my pocket. Whenever I feel the stress coming on, I pull out the cloth and take a big whiff. It's a good quick help, but doesn't last very long.

[sunmamma]

you most definitely can grow holy basil and use the leaves. I have heard it is very common for families in India to grow hb in their house for a house blessing of sorts.

[FluffiB]

I have been feeling like this for years, and I recently discovered that it was all due to yeast (candida) overgrowth!

Yes, cutting down on sugar and other foods that feed the yeast kills off excess yeast. But depriving myself while I'm vulnerable just didn't sound good.

I started taking over-the-counter, natural anti-yeast supplements, and within a day my mood was better, and my energy level skyrocketed. I've been taking Nutrition Now Yeast Defense. It's a pretty weak formula, but it did the trick. Make sure to start slowly - yeast die-off symptoms are not fun to deal with.

Here's more info on yeast overgrowth:

http://www.womentowomen.com/digestio...h/candida.aspx

I also started taking Omega 3 supplements. I think it's good for stabilizing moods. And I think you need to take 400mg, but it has to be balanced w/ Omega 6, but if you eat out a lot or eat processed foods you're getting plenty of Omega 6.

[sagemomma]

well i'm trying out kava kava, we'll see how it works. wish me luck, if this doesn't do the trick i'll probly try holy basil.
by the way anybody know anything about hops/valerian. it's a blend that was available at the vitamin shop i went to .

[AprilDaisy]

I've researched this several times and this time bought a blend of herbs (passionflower, motherwort, catnip, and kanna). I mainly did this for hubby and other friends that were looking for an alternative. Hubby tried it last night and said yes, it mellowed him, cut the edge off, but is different of course. I think I need a few more test subjects before I decide if it was a good idea or not and if I should market it.

I did take note of the Holy Basil mentioned here though. It'd be cool to see how that works also.