Supporting the Nervous System
Our Nervous System is the body’s electrical wiring. Often, when we feel fried or like we want the lights off and nap time on, it’s because our Nervous System is tapped. We can Support our Nervous System daily in small ways that make a huge difference. We currently are going through Mercury Retrograde, Mercury rules the Nervous System. We can work in conjunction with Mercury Retrograde by reprogramming the nervous system during the transit. Retrogrades can be the more internal experience of a planet, so we can recreate our Nervous System to benefit us.
Our Nervous System is a collection of nerves and neurons that signal the whole body. The nervous system connects our major bodily organs, the sensory neurons that allows those organs to act and our voluntary and involuntary actions. So it has a major role in our overall wellness. We can support optimal function of our Nervous System with various practices, herbs and the way we react to the world around us.
Radical Rest
The First and simplest thing we can do when we are feeling tired, stressed or taxed is rest. We all need time for recuperation. It may feel impossible but we can all try to schedule rest and more sleep as we do any other appointment. Naps aren’t just for kids, 20 minute naps in the middle of the day can help your body rest so you have enough energy to go through the rest of your busy day.
Practices for the Nervous System
Sometimes we all need a little extra support. You can choose to work with a practitioner to help strengthen the nervous system.
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle type of alternative massage that uses gentle touch to palpate the synarthrodial joints of the cranium. It often feels like someone hit the reset button on your mind, it clears your thoughts and allows you to leave feeling lighter. It is said this therapy may relieve symptoms like headaches and neck pains by stimulating movement of the fluids in and around the Central Nervous System. It can also support a parasympathetic tone that releases tension of the Vagus Nerve.
Breathwork is an ancient practice known to combat stress. By practicing deep abdominal breathing you naturally lower blood pressure and stimulate the relaxation response in the body. Regular practice of breathwork can help fight overactive stress response and allow the body to relearn how to recover from stress. More complex breathwork techniques taught and guided by instructors can help support a more somatic way to release long held stress and trauma from the body.
Massages have a calming effect on the whole body. When certain points of the body are massaged it stimulates the nerves and sensory receptors along the spine bringing the message of balance to our brain. As we relieve the tension in our bodies, it releases from our minds as well.
The Vagus Nerve
The Vagus Nerve is the longest and most complex of the 12 Cranial Nerves. Stress and over stimulation of the Vagus Nerve can create a low vagal tone which can lead to higher stress response, anxiety, depression, fatigue and gut issues. But there are herbs we can regularly work with to help tonify our Vagus Nerve for optimal function!
Herbs that have cyanogenic glycosides tend to be the best for tonifying the Vagus Nerve especially when combined with herbs that contain volatile oils rich in esters.
These are our favorite Herb Combos to Strengthen the Vagus Nerve:
Elderberry + Lavender - We may know Elderberry as our Immune System Hero and its no secret that Lavender supports the Nervous system. Working with these herbs in 3 week cycles can help support a strong Vagus Nerve, Immune system and overall health in the body. You can take these herbs as a tea, tincture or syrup. Our Partner, Potions by Liri, uses this Combo of Herbs in her Elderberry Syrup which is in stock at Indigo.
Yarrow + Mandarin - Yarrow benefits the vagus nerve by calming heartbeat and blood pressure, it stimulates a bout of relaxation so the Vagus nerve can have a moment to breathe. The oils from the mandarin skin induce better parasympathetic tone and unlock tension from the body. The bitter action of these two herbs together help the pancreas work better which supports the Vagus Nerve as well. You can work with these plants as tea, tincture or syrup.
Herbs for the Nervous System
Nervines - Nervine Tonics help provide relief to tense or over taxed nerves. They tend to remedy the sympathetic nervous system. They provide the nervous system all the key nutrients it needs to work properly while stimulating relaxant and sedative effects on the body. Some Nervines are listed below, you can take them as tea or tincture. Many of these herbs are available at Potions by Liri.
Skullcap - This herb positively impacts our Nervous System by stimulating specific neurotransmitters that calm the nerves. Specifically helpful for those with anxiety, insomnia, migraines or tinnitus.
Milky Oats - At a certain stage in the growth of the Oat plant, there is a week where oats release this white milky residue. This milky residue contains everything your nervous system needs to rebuild over taxed nerves. This plant is like a reset button.
Passionflower - This herb increases the gamma aminobutyric acid in the brain. This chemical helps lower unnecessary brain activity which helps you feel more relaxed while also having a mild sedative reaction.
Adaptogens - These herbs provide the long term support and aid to be able to change your mind and body’s response to stress overtime. It often takes three months of daily use of adaptogens before your body changes while before that you may start to feel more calm. Adaptogens stimulate a small stress response in the body and then help you recover from it. Think of it like muscle training. Overtime your body rebuild your stress response to be stronger and more resilient than it has been before.
Ashwagandha - This plant has become very mainstream over the past few years for good reason. The reason it is such a hero to the nervous system is because it has the power to regenerate nerve cell and dendrite growth throughout the brain and body.
Tulsi - The star herb of Ayurveda. Tulsi first stimulates stress then relaxes the body. By doing this it blocks corticosterone levels to stay elevated in long term stress.
Schisandra - This berry regulates function in the cerebral cortex. It also reduces excessive cortisol release. It is also considered a beauty herb, so it helps you feel lovely inside and out.
Keep it Simple
Along with all of these practices and remedies we have to go back to the basics. Make sure you drink enough water, sleep 8 hours a night, eat healthy and exercise. These are the most important components to a healthy nervous system. We can also change how we respond in stressful situations. As situations occur take the time to pause and ask yourself some of these questions:
Before I react, I ask myself: is it worth the impact it will have on my nervous system?
How does it feel inside my body?
What sensations am I aware of?
What can I become more cognizant of within me?
After asking yourself some of these key questions then begin to respond. See if this changes how you respond to stress knowing that a pause will better impact you, the situation and your nervous system.
This Mercury Retrograde all of us here at Indigo will be taking small steps to better support our Nervous System and we hope you do too. And as always we are here to support you all anyway we can.
Written by: Liridona Duraku, an herbalist, intuitive and ancestral guide living in Brooklyn, NY. You can book a virtual reading or healing session with Liri through Indigo. She also offers mentorships on creating a spiritual practice all your own. Visit our website to learn more about her services and book a session with her.