Repairing the Damage of Stress on the Nervous System with Clinically Proven Alternatives

June 2000 Healing News

Ayurvedic school and hospital open in London

Infectious diseases are dangerously on the rise

News Media blasted for reporting bias

Distortion in media coverage of prescription drugs

Update on Thomas Navarro

Organic farming is profitable

Reclaiming our health

Suicide and genes

Americans do not drink enough water

Repairing the damage of stress naturally

Free Wellness E-Zine

Fighting Stress

Repairing the Damage of Stress on the Nervous System with Clinically Proven Alternatives

By John Douillard, D.C.

Recent studies attribute 85% of all disease to stress-related factors. In America, 14 million people suffer from anxiety and 30% suffer from chronic to severe insomnia. There are many causative factors to the degenerative effects of stress on the nervous system. These can range from an unhealthy diet and lifestyle to insufficient sleep and exercise. Identifying appropriate lifestyle changes must and should be done on a case-by-case basis. There are, however, many stress-fighting and neuro-restorative herbs that can provide immediate relief and rejuvenation for the side effects of stress.

When the body is under stress, the nervous system responds by increasing sympathetic activity, which creates nervous restlessness, hyperactivity, anxiety, muscle tension, cardiovascular stress, and intestinal cramping, to name a few. IF the stress is prolonged, the adrenal and pituitary glands produce hormones, which provide emergency relief, at a price. This process produces chemical waste, which degenerates nerve cells and causes free radical damage systemically in the body. Certain botanical medicines, through a process call trophorestoration, can rejuvenate and restore the nerve cells from the damages of stress. The nervous system must first be relaxed and nerve centers sedated. The nerve tissues are then tonified with astringent and restorative herbs. This process is followed through resetting the nerves by stimulating and enhancing systemic circulation.

Passion Flower
Passiflora incarnata

In Europe, extracts of passionflower are common in commercial preparations for nervous stress, restlessness, sleep disorders and anxiety. In the UK alone, there are more than 40 sedative medicines sporting extracts of passionflower. Despite considerable research, the active constituents causing these effects are still unconfirmed. The major compounds are glucosyl flavonoid derivatives, cyanogenci glycosides, volatile essential oils and indole harman alkaloids. The harman alkaloids and flavonoids have a tranquilizing effect, yet occurrence is variable and largely depending on the stage of development of the plant, making quality control at harvest paramount.

Passionflower is a proven medicine against the woes of stress. It is anxiolytic and increases sleep duration without hangover. It is analgesic, and decreases motor activity that can contribute to stress-related myospasms. It lowers transient blood pressure, and nervous tension that can cause nervous tachycardia and heart palpitations. When combined with hawthorn berries, passionflower is effective in reducing stress-related digestive spasms such as gastritis and colitis.

Skullcap
Scutellaria lateriflora

Skullcap is one of the most effective nervine, sedative, antispasmodic, and astringent restorative herbs for the nervous system. Skullcap has been used traditionally for epilepsy, insomnia, anxiety, neuralgia, nervous tension, and was used to treat and prevent the nerve cell degeneration of rabies, hence the nickname: "maddog weed." It is also thought to have an affinity for rooting out the deep, fiery, emotions of anger, jealousy, and hatred, while opening the heart and calming the mind.

Skullcap is a member of the mint family, with active flavonoids (scullarein, wogonin, isocutellarein and baicalin), bitter glycoside pigments, and tannins. Scutellarein has confirmed sedative and antispasmodic qualities. Recent studies indicate that the anti-inflammatory properties of skullcap come from its inhibitory activity on the enzyme sialidase: sialidase facilities silica acids, which increase in certain disease states and stress.

Kava Kava
Piper methysticum

Kava Kava is a natural anxiolytic and sedative herb. It is a non-toxic substitute for the potentially addictive and/or life threatening benzodiazepines or tranquilizers. It has been shown to successfully treat anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, memory loss, and delayed reaction times. Unlike tranquilizers, Kava Kava restores balance to these stress-related conditions without any depressed mental functioning and without losing clinical effectiveness over time. The active kavalactones have been shown to modify reception domains and work directly on the limbic system, addressed deep-seated emotional imbalances that may be causative factors in many stress-related disorders.

Benzodiazepines bind to specific receptors in the brain, usually resulting in y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) potentiation and consequent sedation. These actions may be responsible for the side effects and loss of effectiveness associated with continued drug use. Kava Kava works more subtly and neither loses effectiveness nor creates stupor with continued use.

Oats
Avena sativa

Folk medicine records report centuries of use of oats as a remedy for nervous exhaustion, sleeplessness and nerve weakness. It is an established nerve restorative, tonic and nerve stimulant that works particularly well for overworked and overstressed people. For nervous dyspepsia and stress-inducted peptic ulcers, oats are a must. It is an excellent remedy for the relief of stress-related occipital headaches evidenced by the accumulation of toxic phosphate metabolites in the urine.

Oats are rich in minerals such as iron, zinc and manganese. The flavonoids, saponin, carotenoids, B vitamins and chlorophyll derivatives make oats a fundamental food for the trophorestoration of the nervous system.

Hawthorn
Crataegus oxyacantha

Hawthorn is a notable cardiotonic that improves cardiac performance and output while decreasing peripheral vascular resistance. It is therefor a circulatory stimulant that normalizes cardiovascular functioning by providing anti-arrhythmic and hypotensive properties.

Hawthorn is an astringent herb with active flavonoids and oliogomeric procyanidins, which tonify cardiac muscles while lowering heart rate. Due to its powerful free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties, hawthorn actively protects connective tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, from the degenerative effects of stress.

Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla

Chamazulene and matricin are major components of the volatile oil of chamomile. It has pain relieving, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and mild sedative properties, which are essential in the restoration of nervous tissue.

Chamomile has a specific affinity for the digestive system and gastrointestinal tract. It is specifically indicted for the inflammation and ulceration of the intestinal wall that occurs due to excessive stress.

Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris

Mugwork is a healing herb and calming tonic for the nervous system. The Anglo-Saxons listed mugwort as one of the nine sacred herbs. It purifies circulatory and nerve channels, providing tonifying effects to the nervous system.

Hops
Hummulus lupulus

Hops provide an undisputed sedative effect in empirical medicine but the basis for this action is not yet fully understood. Hops are clinically effective for nervous excitability, restlessness, and sleep disorders.

Peppermint Leaf
Mentha piperita

It is said that to know all the properties of peppermint is to know the number of fish that swim in the ocean. In Chinese Medicine, peppermint stimulates the flow of qi (energy) in the body. In addition to its stress fighting, analgesic, and anti-spasmodic properties, it acts as a nerve stimulant in the trophorestorative process of the nervous system.

Dr. Douillard, is an Ayurvedic physician and runs the LifeSpa in Boulder, CO (303) 442-1164. He is also the author of Body, Mind, and Sport.