It’s November and wintry weather will make its appearance soon. Already our bodies are adapting and can use a little help starting to acclimate to less vitamin D and colder temperatures. Being indoors more means that we are more likely to pick up illness and less sunlight means our mental health can struggle. Luckily mother nature provides many remedies. Below you will find my 3 favorite herbs for winter mental health wellness and the most effective ways to use them so you can get the most benefits from our plant allies and make this winter your best yet! Make sure to always check with your doctor, naturopath and/or local herbalist before adding any plants or supplements to your routine.

St. Johns Wort - Hypericum perforatum
I grow an abundance of this beautiful perennial in my herb garden and can’t wait for the little yellow flowers to pop so I can harvest and make tinctures and oil. This plant is an exceptional anti-viral, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-depressant and can assist with healing nerves. My first interaction with St. John’s Wort was after I had my wisdom teeth removed. A nerve was severed in my jaw and half my face was numb. Doctors told me that’s the risk of the surgery and that I would just have to learn to live with it. Luckily, I lived with a friend who knew the wonders of this plant. She recommended I put it on every day in my mouth, along the jaw where the nerve was severed. Within a couple months, I could feel my face again. I was so thrilled and every year from then on I made the oil and kept it in stock, just in case. Years after that experience a friend of mine had a terrible accident. A tree fell on him in the night, injuring his leg. He said the most excruciating part of his recovery was the healing of the nerves in his leg, so I gave him St. John’s Wort oil and not only did it bring him relief, he healed rapidly. So quickly in fact, that doctors were astounded by his recovery. I use these stories to illustrate the incredible power of St. John’s Wort. It is beneficial internally during the winter to combat seasonal effective disorder by increasing sensitivity to sunlight. It helps to boost mood, alleviate general anxiety, depression and tension. It’s anti-viral properties protect against influenza and it can improve sleep, which is key to staying well. The plant can be made in to a tea or used as a tincture. It blends beautifully with peppermint, sage or chamomile in tea. Do not use of you are pregnant or on anti-coagulants. It can interract with several types of drugs so don’t take without first consulting your doctor. Make sure to wear sunscreen when taking it since it increases sensitivity to the sun!

2. Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis

This easy to grow, delicious smelling (and tasting) plant is a must have in your garden or on your porch. It’s another great anti-viral, anti-depressant, anti-microbial and helper to the lungs during infection. Native to the Mediterranean, this plant now grows all over the world and it’s bright, lemony flavor can brighten up even the dreariest of winter days. It is helpful for colds, flu, chest infections, dry cough and asthma and can help bring down fevers. It is an ally for those who have stress, anxiety, irritability and depression. While St. John’s Wort can heal nerves, lemon balm protects the nervous system from free radical damage. Keeping our nervous system strong is vital to our overall mental and physical health in winter. If the nervous system is damaged or inflamed it can cause our our entire body to struggle. The plant is most commonly used in tea but can also be taken as a tincture or glycerite. It’s essential oil is especially good at lifting mood and enhancing a feeling of joy. I love adding the essential oil to some jojoba oil and rolling it on my wrists when I am feeling the shadowy, darker emotions of winter. The scent immediately brightens me right up! Blend the leaves with angelica, St. John’s Wort or nutmeg for depression.You can also use infused oil in a bath to calm the nervous system and relax any tension in the body.

3. Milky Oats - Avena Sativa

Milky oats are one of my favorite nourishing plants. Often used as a cover crop on organic farms, it not only restores the soil but it can restore our bodies. It contains the vitamin B complex, Vitamin A and C. It is so helpful when combating winter blues, although it is not usually the first one people think of. These yummy pods are a wonderful anti-depressant and are especially helpful for those who have suffered from S.A.D. for a number of years. If winter seems to loom darker and darker each year for you, turn to milky oats to help you sustain your mental health through the long season. Milky oats are the secret to building long term resistance to stress and managing the decrease in sunlight. It is also very helpful for those of us who spread ourselves thin with our many commitments and responsibilities. It will feed our nervous system and help us to recover when we’ve over committed ourselves or burned out. All too easy to do, but especially in the winter when we are using a lot more energy just to do day to day tasks. It is used most commonly in tea and pairs well with lavender, nettles, and burdock root. It can also be used in the bath to soothe the skin and calm the nervous system.

There are several other wonderful herbs for beating the winter doldrums including passionflower, pine, and lavender but the 3 above are my go to allies for staying mentally well in winter. While St. John’s Wort heals the nervous system and lemon balm protects it, the sweet milky oats regulate and feed it. These three plants can compliment each other by supporting our nervous system in different ways and when our nervous system is supported, all of our other systems are supported as well. This benefits our mental health on many levels and helps to manage to root source of our difficult emotions when earth is a little harder to live on. Our nerves make sure that messages from our brain flow quickly, efficiently and effectively to our muscles, organs and every cell in between. Keeping it strong is vital to feeling more joyful and less stressed and depressed during the winter.