7 Herbs to Naturally Heal Adrenal Fatigue When Feeling Anxious

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

If you’re battling chronic stress, your adrenals are likely taking a hit. Get some relief from adrenal fatigue with these calming adaptogenic herbs to give your body a break.

Let’s face it: Some weeks are so stressful that we need an entire weekend of not leaving the house (or the bed, for that matter) to recover. However, if you find you’re feeling run-down, overly anxious, chronically fatigued, and stressed more often than not, you might have adrenal fatigue.

Read on to discover what adrenal fatigue is, and how herbs can help you get back to feeling energized and healthy.

What Is Adrenal Fatigue?

Although there is no official diagnosis of adrenal fatigue in the medical community, natural health practitioners recognize adrenal fatigue as a “burnout” of your adrenal glands due to chronic stress.

Your adrenals are two small glands that sit above your kidneys and are part of your endocrine system. They are responsible for producing a large number of hormones that are crucial to our day-to-day functions.

One of the major hormones your adrenals regulate is cortisol, also referred to as the “stress hormone”. Normally, a certain amount of cortisol release is a good thing, as it helps regulate our circadian rhythms.

However, if too much cortisol is released during times of chronic stress, it can overload your adrenals. The resulting symptoms typically include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Autoimmune conditions
• Hair loss
• Brain fog
• Low libido
• Depression
• Muscle loss
• Weight gain

Stress doesn’t have to be just physical for it to affect your adrenals – it can include psychological and emotional stress as well.

Here are a few stressful experiences that may cause your adrenals to work overtime:

• Death of a loved one
• Work stress
• Lack of sleep and insomnia
• Poor diet and too much/not enough exercise
• Environmental toxins and pollution
• Financial hardships
• Negative relationships

Again, while the mainstream medical community doesn’t recognize adrenal fatigue as an official diagnosis, studies show that long-term stress does indeed alter adrenal function, and that chronic fatigue and adrenal function are related.

How do Herbs Help Adrenal Fatigue?

Luckily, certain herbs have properties that can help support your adrenals and keep stress under control.

Many of these herbs are referred to as adaptogens. They help adrenal fatigue by increasing your body’s ability to adapt to stress through increasing mental and physical endurance. They also protect your cells from the damaging effects of too much stress.

Studies show that adaptogens help increase resistance to external toxins as well as boost immunity and protect your brain from free radical damage brought on by excess stress.

The molecules in many adaptogens also have a similar structure to compounds that help inactivate your fight-or-flight system – the one that’s active during times of stress.

Other herbs on this list work as mild sedatives to help calm your nervous system, which can help give your adrenals a break from constant stress. You can use these with adaptogen herbs for a combined effect.

7 Herbs to Naturally Heal Adrenal Fatigue

Many of the herbs that can help ease adrenal fatigue have been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Read on to see how they work, and which one might be best for you.

1. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha , also known as “Indian Ginseng”, is a plant native to the drier regions of India and northern Africa. Its roots are the most common part used for herbal preparations. Studies show ashwagandha is a broad-spectrum adaptogen, meaning it rejuvenates your body and protects it from stress on multiple levels.

This herb is great for increasing mental and physical energy, boosting your immune system, reducing stress, and reducing damage caused by stress.

How to Use It: The most popular way to take ashwagandha is by a supplement, but you can also brew your own tea. Add two teaspoons of dried ashwagandha root to three and a half cups of boiling water and boil for 15 minutes, then strain and drink a quarter of a cup daily. In addition, you can also add the powdered form to smoothies. Dosages vary when it comes to powders, so start small with about ½ teaspoon at a time.

2. Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola is an herb that grows in the northern mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. Its root is also the main component used for its adaptogen properties.

This herb is best used if adrenal fatigue is causing you to feel physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Studies show it boosts mental performance and the ability to concentrate as well as physical performance during exercise.

How to Use It: Rhodiola can be taken in pill form, as an extract, or in powder form. Try adding ½ teaspoon of Rhodiola powder to your daily smoothie or coffee.

3. Astragalus

Astragalus is an adaptogen herb native to the northern and eastern regions of China where it has been used for its adaptogenic properties in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years.

When it comes to combating stress, astragalus is particularly effective at boosting your immunity, which is crucial because excess stress can hit your immune system hard.

Take astragalus when you’re feeling extra run-down due to stress, especially if you feel the signs of a cold coming on.

How to Use It: Pour 8 oz of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of dried astragalus root. Steep for 10 minutes, strain and serve. Drink daily. Alternatively, you can supplement by taking the recommended dosage of capsules listed on the label.

4. Chamomile

Chamomile is considered one of the most ancient herbs known to mankind, with its use dating back over 5,000 years.

While it’s not an adaptogen, it does have mild sedative properties that help relax your nervous system, ease anxiety, and promote restful sleep.

Chamomile is best used when you’re feeling overly anxious or “wired,” due to stress and racing thoughts.

How to Use It: Brew your own tea by pouring 8 oz of boiling water over 1 tbsp chamomile flowers. Steep for 10 minutes, strain and serve.

5. Ginseng

Ginseng is another adaptogen herb and fleshy root that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Like other adaptogen herbs, it helps your body adapt to stress, but it really shines when it comes to improving your cognitive functioning.

Studies show that ginseng can help improve concentration and calmness – two things you definitely need when battling adrenal fatigue. Take it if you’re feeling mentally fatigued.

How to Use It: Ginseng can be taken in capsule form, following the dosage guide on the label (the average dose is between 200-400 mg daily). Alternatively, you can brew your own tea by steeping four slices of ginseng root in two cups of just-boiling water for 10 minutes. Sip daily.

6. Lavender

Lavender is a purple flowering herb known for its sedative effects on the nervous system. Studies show it is an effective treatment for patients with an anxiety disorder who experience restlessness and disturbed sleep.

Use lavender when you feel overly anxious or have trouble sleeping.

How to Use It: You can either make a lavender tea by pouring 8 oz of boiling water over 4 tsp lavender flowers. Steep for 10 minutes and serve. Alternatively, you can diffuse lavender essential oil throughout your home and inhale it for similar benefits.

7. Licorice

Licorice root (yes, this is where licorice flavor comes from!) is yet another adaptogen herb native to Europe and Asia.

Studies show it can actually help regulate cortisol levels, the stress hormone that is all over the place during adrenal fatigue.

Take licorice root as a standard adaptogen to help balance your cortisol levels. You’ll also likely to feel better rested when you supplement with licorice since cortisol plays a large role in our sleep and wake cycles.

How to Use It: You can take licorice extract in capsule form, or make a tea by pouring four ounces of boiling water over one teaspoon of dried licorice root and letting it steep for five minutes. Sip daily.

Watch this video – Adrenal Fatigue + 7 Adaptogen Herbs to Overcome it

The Bottom Line

Herbs are extremely beneficial when it comes to naturally helping your body overcome adrenal fatigue. Try some of these adaptogens, along with a lavender or chamomile tea when you’re feeling anxious, to help give your adrenals a break and get back to feeling like your old self.

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

10 Natural DIY Tea Remedies to Relieve Common Ailments

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

If it’s something that ails you, chances are, there’s a tea to treat it.

With more and more exposure shedding light on the beneficial effects of roots, barks, leaves, and flowers of the Ancient World, the fuller our tea canisters are likely to become.

The ancient remedies of the East, including tea recipes from Ayurvedic literature and Traditional Chinese Medicine, have made their way to the West, where their beneficial effects have now been proven in numerous scientific studies.

Have a look below at the top ten tea remedies you need to know to help relieve many common ailments. Cheers to a hot cuppa!

Top 10 Tea Remedies

Most of these recipes are for single servings, however, don’t be afraid to double or triple the recipes if you want some extra sips throughout the day.

1. Stress-Less Tea

This tea is chock full of leaves and flowers that work to soothe frazzled nerves and put a cap on your stress levels. Just the chamomile alone contains flavonoid compounds like apigenin that have been proven to act as a mild sedative to reduce anxiety, calm nerves, and control hysteria.

Combining chamomile’s anxiety-reducing powers, with the relaxing effects of skullcap and catnip, will add extra potency to your cup to help you release excess tension. Brew it whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious.

Stress-Less Tea

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Soothe frazzled nerves with this stress-busting tea made with chamomile and rose buds.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 1 t chamomile flowers
• 1 t catnip leaf
• 1 t skullcap leaf
• 1 t rose buds
• 1 t raw honey (optional)
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil then remove from heat. Add all the ingredients except the raw honey and let the tea steep for 3 to 10 minutes. Once steeped, strain the leaves and flowers, and stir in the raw honey. Pour into a mug and sip.

2. Bloat-Be-Gone Tea

The peppermint in this tea has been used for generations to helps ease digestive discomfort, bloating, and even relieve the pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Chamomile further acts as an antispasmodic, helping to soothe cramps; while ginger root soothes any inflammation in your digestive tract and helps lessen nausea.

Fennel seeds round out the recipe to help reduce cramping, bloating, nausea, stomachaches, and even acts as a gentle laxative

Bloat-Be-Gone Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Soothe cramps and even lessen nausea with this tea blend of peppermint, chamomile and fennel.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 1 t dried peppermint leaves
• 1 t chamomile flowers
• 1 t crushed fennel seeds
• 1/2 t dried cut ginger root pieces
• 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 8 ounces water
• Raw honey to sweeten (optional)

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, then add all ingredients minus your honey. Let steep for 10 minutes, then strain, and stir in the honey. Sip as needed.

3. Cold-Crusher Tea

Both echinacea and elderberries have been shown to not only act as potent immune boosters to help prevent colds, but are also excellent at reducing cold symptoms and shortening cold duration.

One study even showed this combination of echinacea and elderberries “can be as effective as the conventional antiviral medicine oseltamivir” for early treatment of the flu.

Combining these with the antibacterial and antiviral powers of raw honey, gives this tea extra cold-fighting benefits

Cold-Crusher Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Boost your immune system with this antibacterial and antiviral flu-fighting concoction!

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 2 t echinacea roots or flowers, dried
• 1 t dried elderflowers or elderberries
• 1 T raw honey
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, then add all ingredients minus your honey. Let the tea simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat. Strain away the leaves and add raw honey. Serve.

4. Headache Relief Tea

Skullcap is considered a nervine, which in short means that it works magic on conditions involving the nerves, which includes headaches. It does this by acting as a nerve relaxant and an antispasmodic, which can help improve blood flow and reduce the tension that may make migraines worse

Headache Relief Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Skullcap acts as a nerve relaxant and helps improve flood flow in this headache-fighting tea.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 2 t dried skullcap
• 8 ounces water
• Optional 1 t dried peppermint

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, then add the skullcap and, if you’re using it, peppermint. Let steep for 5 minutes, then strain and serve. Breathing in the fragrant peppermint aroma can also have a soothing effect.

Optionally, you can add 1/4 cup or more of almond milk to this recipe. Not only will it help sweeten the tea, but almonds are also high in magnesium, which has been shown to help prevent and treat migraines

5. Sleepy Time Tea

As you know by now, chamomile is a master at relaxing your nerves and has as a mild sedative effect, which can help you finally catch some zzz’s.

Combining it with passionflower, lemon balm, and valerian root takes this effect up a notch to help promote restful sleep in even the most sleep-challenged.

In fact, valerian root itself was found to double the chance of “sleeping better” as compared to a placebo

Sleepy Time Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

The combination of chamomile with passionflower, lemon balm, and valerian root will help promote restful sleep in even the most sleep-challenged.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 2 t dried chamomile flowers
• 1 t dried lemon balm
• 1 t dried passionflower
• 1/2 t dried valerian root
• 8 ounces water
• Optional raw honey to taste.

Instructions:

About an hour before bedtime, add all of the ingredients to just-boiled water. Let the tea steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with raw honey to sweeten.

6. Sore Throat Tea

Instead of reaching for the ice cream when you’re suffering from a sore throat (I know, the cold feels so good), try this bacteria and virus-fighting tea instead.

The enzymes in the raw honey will help soothe your sore throat while fighting bacteria, while the chamomile will help reduce inflammation.

Lemon juice and cinnamon also have antibacterial and antiviral effects, making them a great addition to help knock out the root cause of your sore throat 

Sore Throat Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Soothe your sore throat, fight bacteria and reduce inflammation — all in one health-promoting tea!

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 1 t chamomile flowers
• 1 T raw honey
• 2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Dash cinnamon
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, then pour into a cup. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and raw honey. Stir and sip as needed.

7. Anti-Inflammatory Tea

An entire novel could be (and probably has) been written on the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric.

From Crohn’s disease and IBS to arthritis and cancer, turmeric and its potent component curcumin have been shown to have positive anti-inflammatory effects.

The other ingredients in this recipe, such as ginger, are also well-known for their ability to reduce inflammation

Anti-Inflammatory Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Ginger and turmeric join forces to reduce inflammation, which can help alleviate the effects of Crohn’s disease, IBS, arthritis and cancer.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 1/4 t ground turmeric powder
• 1/4 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1 t raw honey
• Dash black pepper (for increased absorption)
• Dash coconut milk
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to almost boiling, then remove from heat. Add all of the ingredients minus the honey. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, strain, then serve after stirring in the honey.

8. Skin Detox Tea

The key to radiant skin starts from the inside. Specifically, clear and glowing skin is a sign of a healthy liver and adequate minerals and antioxidants.

This tea covers each of those bases, with dandelion root helping to improve liver function so you can detox heavy metals and other skin-dulling toxins, while nettles give you a dose of skin-loving minerals and antioxidants.

Rosehips round out this recipe, which contain antioxidants and carotenoids, beta-carotene and lycopene, alongside vitamin E.

These help to enrich the skin and prevent further damage from sunlight and environmental pollution.

Skin Detox Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Clear and glowing skin is a sign of a healthy liver and adequate minerals and antioxidants. This tea covers it all!

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 2 t dried dandelion root
• 2 t dried nettle leaves
• 2 t dried rosehips
• 1 t raw honey
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, then add all ingredients minus the honey. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes, strain, then add honey and sip.

9. Cooling Tea

If you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, and night time sweating, look no further than sage and alfalfa.

These two leaves have been shown to reduce these symptoms, with one study showing that symptoms “completely disappeared” after participants started supplementing with them

Cooling Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Banish menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, and nighttime sweating with this healing sage and alfalfa tea.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 1 T fresh sage leaves or 1 t dried sage leaves
• 1 t dried alfalfa
• 2 t lemon juice
• Raw honey to taste (optional)
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, then add all ingredients, minus the honey. Let the tea steep for 15 minutes, strain, then add honey and sip.

10. Energy-Boosting Tea

When it comes to increasing energy levels, be it physical or mental, ginseng is one of the best tonics you can take on a regular basis.

It has been shown in numerous studies to help boost energy levels and help your body respond better to stress, which relieves some of the fatigue you might feel as a result of a stressful lifestyle.

Green tea is also an excellent energizer thanks to its caffeine content, and has even been shown to help with weight loss

Energy-Boosting Tea Recipe

Recipe by Megan Patiry

Get a physical and mental energizing boost with this ginseng tea.

Tools:

Tea kettle or strainer

Ingredients:

• 5 slices ginseng root or 1 T grated ginseng root
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 t green tea leaves
• 5 to 6 goji berries (optional)
• 8 ounces water

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add all ingredients and let the tea steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and serve.

Watch this video – Herbal Teas/ Natural Remedies for The Entire Family/My 7 picks

Written by Megan Patiry

Author Bio:

Megan is an inquisitive nutrition and wellness writer harboring an editorial love affair with the decadent and the nutritious. She is a dedicated researcher in all areas of ancestral health, a certified specialist in fitness nutrition, personal trainer, and professional almond milk latte addict.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook