In everyone’s life comes a time when we’re faced with an overwhelming feeling of loss.
The experience of grief while facing a big loss or life change is when we should try to support our heart to make sure we give ourselves some extra support and self-care.
Whether we have lost someone or something physical, or an idea, a dream, the sharp feeling of loss and broken heart still stings us and the feeling of disappointment can linger for a long time.
Rooted in nature, best herbal medicine for grief inherently encompasses and understands the matters of the heart, gently helping all phases and stages of grief and loss.
Even if the big change we’re going through is something positive, it can still be challenging for the heart.
Filled with hope inspired by this transition, we may be looking forward to it, but a part of us still could be scared.
It may happen that the thing that we are letting go in order to embrace this change is something very dear and important to us. The mixed feelings of excitement, joy and pain, sorrow and loss, could be all too much to handle.
Whichever a phase and period of life, herbs can help us both navigate the difficult times, as well as make wonderful times even more vibrant and joyful.
How Herbal Medicine Helps with Grief and Mends Your Heart
How to deal with grief?
During difficult emotional times, the physical heart also shows signs of pain and disturbance.
Heart palpitations, uneven heart rhythm, problems with the blood pressure are common at these times.
Much like compounds found in herbs, our body and emotions are connected synergistically.
We help both our physical body and emotional system when we try herbal therapy to support ourselves in going through a difficult period.
Herbs are not drugs. They are plants, which are, at root, only one thing: ecological modulators – both of large systems like the Earth and smaller ones, like our bodies. They act to move systems, irrespective of size, back to health, to re-establish homeodynamis – what some people, incorrectly call homeostasis (there are no static states in nature, only dynamic ones). And plants are extremely good at their job which they have refined over several hundred million years or so. Pharmaceuticals, which are a century old or so, are single molecules that force a change in the body of one sort or another. They don’t usually perform multiple actions. Herbs often contain hundreds of compounds that act synergistically.
Stephen Harrod Buhner
Grieving, loss,and adapting to change is a personal journey for each person in which complex emotions and hormones are involved.
The only way out is through – by really feeling where you are and being present with yourself and your needs.
Herbs can be a wonderful gentle support that makes us balanced, stronger, and more apt to deal with the present phase of life. Herbal medicine treats the physical symptoms, but it also helps coping with emotions of loss, grief, and disappointment.
It’s a lot easier to process your emotions if your heart is beating regularly and your breathing and digestion are working as they should.
When we feel vulnerable, it is important to help our nervous system. Herbs naturally benefit our nervous system, helping us feel relaxed and safe, so that we can sit with our heart, processing our deep emotions, without being overwhelmed by them.
Below you will find an overview of the best herbal medicine for grief which you should include as a part of your transition and healing process.
These natural remedies to help with grief can become your best friends on the path of heart healing.
Hawthorn – Natural Heart Tonic
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a heart tonic, which means it brings back vitality and balances any heart problem. It’s one of the best herbs for dealing with sadness and loss.
Hawthorn vibrant red berries give us an impression of health, life, and exuberance.
This amazing plant lowers high blood pressure and increases the strength of the heart muscle.
Loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components, hawthorn herb relaxes constricted blood vessels. It increases coronary artery blood flow, improves circulation, and helps with chest pain (angina pectoris), as well as cholesterol.
Another one of hawthorn health benefits is gently helping us with anxiety and nervousness.
In the context of emotional health, the hawthorn herb can be a great ally in giving strength and energy to a wounded heart, which makes it a great natural grief remedy.
It helps us find our way back to a warm heart space, filled with love and compassion, our “default heart setting”. By giving us the strength to deal with our emotional pains, hawthorn helps us choose and do what’s best for ourselves.
Hawthorn is always found in any herbal medicine healing problems of the heart, both physical and emotional, such as feelings of grief, sadness, and loss.
Motherwort – Lion’s Heart Through Grief Stages
What’s in a name?
Motherwort (Leonarus cardiaca) tells us a lot about itself by its name alone.
People often describe drinking motherwort tea feels like being hugged by a mother!
So, if you feel like you could use a hug, a cup of motherwort can be incredibly soothing.
Drink a stronger cup of motherwort tea and observe what is happening to your body – you might notice a warm and cozy feeling or it may bring up some other positive sensation. This is a great way to understand how a particular herb works specifically for your own body.
Motherwort herb is also great for mothers who feel like they could use some support and take off the “supermom” cape at times. It also has positive effects on moms dealing with the “empty nest” syndrome and the sad complex emotions that transition can bring.
One traditional use of motherwort plant is to help reduce rapid or irregular heart rate caused by stress and anxiety.
This happens very quickly after taking motherwort in and can be a powerful benefit for someone who feels their heart beats frequently due to tension and anxiety. Drinking motherwort tea can greatly relieve someone who fears that anxiety can turn into full panic mode.
Its latin name – Leonarus cardiaca – means lion’s heart, and is indicated for feelings of grief, anger and upset. Naturally, motherwort plant is said to give the heart of a lion – calm, yet strong.
If you are going to grief stages or through a transformation that feels scary or challenging, the motherwort herb is a great companion to support you along the way.
Ursolic acid, leonurine, and flavonoids are specific compounds in motherwort that have heart-protective effects. Leonurine is also anti-inflammatory and helps with anxiety and depression.
Motherwort also benefits the reproductive system. It helps regulate periods, especially absent periods related to stress and anxiety. It relieves PMS tension and discomfort.
Most menstrual cramps are partially due to inadequate circulation in the pelvis. Motherwort may help calm menstrual pain by both reducing spasms in the uterus and improving blood flow to the pelvis, which makes it a must-have herb for women’s health.
So, while we are in the process of grieving or change or any kind of heavy heart space, motherwort nurtures both our hearts and our uterus, giving us a boost in finding creative solutions and life energy needed to heal the heart and reorganize our life.
Many herbalists consider motherwort to be the best herb for “gladdening and strengthening the heart”, a wonderful herb to support us through any grief stages.
Dandelion Root – Herbal Medicine Resilient Warrior
If you think of dandelions – what’s one word you would use to describe them?
We hope resilient is high on that list.
They grow everywhere and anywhere! There are so many articles on how to get rid of dandelions, including harsh chemicals, yet no one really succeeds.
Dandelions always find their way. They grow out of concrete, in tiny cracks, wherever a bit of earth is available, raising their defiant little heads, as proud tiny suns.
The main dandelion benefit is in the fact they are adaptogens. They help our body adapt to outer world and to manage stress successfully.
They make us more resilient, so the reoccurring highly charged situations are less difficult and we become more stable facing these.
Adaptogen herbs help us conserve and rebuild energy and can be used long term (actually, that’s when they work best), so they are a natural remedy for stages of grief and loss.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), liver is connected to anger, while kidneys are related to fears.
Dandelion Root helps clean our blood, kidneys and liver, thus helping us release and process all the emotions.
It also helps our body clean and detox from heavy food, caffeine, medication, and lack of movement, all of which can make us depressed.
Dandelion Root is used primarily for problems related to the liver and is used to treat alcoholism, allergies, anorexia, appetite loss, candida, depression, dizziness, fatigue, hangover, headache, hypertension, hypochondria, hypoglycemia, obesity, osteoarthritis, ovarian cysts, and premenstrual syndrome.
Apart from the obvious health benefits for the matters of heart, this herb is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It helps lower cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, inflammation, helps proper digestion and weight loss, boosts the immune system and is great for your skin and bones.
Dandelion fosters spiritual openness and encourages letting go of fear, boosting the trust in one’s own ability to cope with life. It is very beneficial for those who love life, but can overextend themselves at times.
Talk about an herbal all-rounder!
Listen To Your Heart
These energizing and courageous herbs could be included in your best herbal medicine for grief, loss, and big life changes.
You can take these herbs as individual teas or make a mix to take them together – you know, as a support team!
Each time you start sipping from your tea cup, or take a drop of some herbal tincture, gently put your hand on your heart and consciously dedicate the best nature’s medicine to it.
We guarantee your heart will feel this and will be thankful for taking that moment to listen to it and add just a bit of extra love it so rightfully deserves –
As the one giving you this life…
As the one making you feel alive…
As the one making this journey of life worth it.
