The Practitioner's Corner                              
Essays By and About Practitioners

Healing Depression with Medicinal Plants

By Madelon Hope, Director of the Boston School of Herbal Studies

How many people today lead lives not of quiet desperation, but of openly admitted distress and fatigue? In response to these concerns, the pharmaceutical companies are engaged in massive marketing of psychotropic medications. What is less known is that plants can be our partners in healing the body, mind and spirit. Many of these plants share our environment and can be found by our houses, in our neighborhoods and in surrounding parks and conservation land.

Medicinal plants have been used for centuries, if not millennia, for healing emotional and spiritual imbalances. Traditional herbalists gather the aerial parts in the spring or summer, when the energy moves upward, and the roots more often in the fall, when the energy returns to the earth. For depression, the flowers, leaves and stems are generally used, with a few exceptions.

Unlike medications, which tend to mask or suppress symptoms, medicinal plants can actually nourish and sooth irritated nerve endings. Many plants enhance circulation and deliver to the tissues such nutrients as calcium, magnesium, the B vitamins and protein.

Because of their chemical complexity, herbs tend to have a number of healing actions. Many herbs that are helpful for the nervous system, for example, are beneficial for digestion and also help release muscular-skeletal tension and pain. This versatility is quite useful since people who are anxious and depressed often do have digestive disturbances as well as aches and pains. Sometimes, a single herb can seem like a veritable medicine chest.

Herbs for the nervous system tend to be either sedative (calming) or tonic (strengthening) or both. The popular St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum) is an example of an herb that has both actions. In late June and early July, its small yellow flowers can be seen almost everywhere around the Boston area, although it particularly likes to grow on lands bordering highways. (However, it is never a good idea to gather plants that grow near fumes).  Although commonly used for mild to moderate depression, it is also ideal for anxiety, irritability and nervous exhaustion.  It is particularly helpful for people who tend to be irritable and have short tempers. Since it is restorative to the liver, it improves digestion.  Inflammation in the digestive tract can affect our moods since all the neurotransmitters found in the brain are also found in the gut.

In medieval times, St Johnswort was placed over doorways or icons to protect against evil spirits. The flowers can be infused in oil and applied topically for all kinds of nerve pain.

A well known garden and ornamental plant, the Rose does not have a reputation these days for being medicinal - which is a shame, since it is extremely helpful for all kinds of health problems.  As one might expect, Rosa rugosa, the old fashioned rose, has traditionally been used for the healing of the heart. Rose petals in a tea or tincture are extraordinarily helpful for loss, trauma, and broken hearts.

Because rose petals are cooling, they are known to sooth fiery, irritable people and reduce hot flashes.  They also have a decongestant action on the pelvis and are helpful for women with PMS. As a diuretic, they are known to relieve fluid retention. Rose petals stimulate digestion and help fight infection in the intestinal tract.

Who isn’t happy smelling roses? The aroma of rose essential oil is used to dispel low spirits and relieve mental and physical fatigue. Finally, as many Victorian women knew, rosewater helps clear skin of blemishes and prevents or smoothes out wrinkles. The newer hybrid roses, however, do not have healing actions.  Roses sprayed with pesticides, of course, should never be consumed.

Oats (Avena sativa) are a wonderful tonic to the nervous system. Lovers of oatmeal will testify to how good it makes them feel in the morning, but few know that it can actually help restore their nerves. Oats are helpful for both physical and nervous fatigue and for insomnia associated with nervous exhaustion. It seems counterintuitive, but there are times when we can be too tired to fall asleep.

Oats are often used in formulas for addictions, particularly for people withdrawing from caffeine or cigarettes. When combined with Damiana (Turnera diffusa), an herb known for its mild aphrodisiac actions, oats are both mood uplifting and beneficial for low libido. Milky oats or oatstraw can be consumed in herbal teas and tinctures.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is found in damp meadows around Boston.  It is a tall plant with tiny bluish purple flowers that bloom along its arm-like branches. The flowers are gathered in mid to late summer. Blue Vervain was considered sacred by the ancient Druids and was used for protection and divination. Roman brides wore bouquets of the flower at weddings.

In modern times, Blue Vervain is known to calm nerves and ease tension.  It relieves such stress related problems as headaches, neck tension, and insomnia. I often think of it as the “workaholic” herb and it is a restorative to “driven” people who are prone to nervous exhaustion. As a bitter, it stimulates the liver and enhances digestion.  Blue Vervain is also cooling and helpful for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats. Use as a tincture or as a tea combined with other herbs. 

For “black cloud” depression, there is nothing quite like Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), a plant used by Native Americans and once commonly found in the great forests of eastern North America.  It is helpful for dark brooding states of mind – for depression with fear and dread, especially before menstruation. It is also used for postpartum and menopausal depression.  Recently, it has received attention as a hot flash remedy.  It is particularly indicated for whiplash because of its anti-spasmodic actions and seems to act as a cerebrospinal decongestant. Observers of the plant have noticed that its long stemmed white flowers are whipped back and forth by the wind.  Black Cohosh is a sedative to the nerves and a relaxant to the muscles. It is best used as a short-term remedy.  

In sum, medicinal plants can heal our bodies, sooth our souls and delight our senses. Learning about them deepens our connection to the earth, to the environment that we share with all plants and animals and to the healing energies of the green world.  In the process, we empower ourselves to take more responsibility for our own health and wellbeing. 

Madelon Hope is the Director of the Boston School of Herbal Studies where she teaches a seven-month Herbal Apprenticeship program and offers ongoing workshops. In her private practice in Arlington, MA, she combines psychotherapy and Herbalism and assists clients in healing from depression, anxiety, insomnia, food cravings, PMS and menopausal distress.  She can be reached at Phone: 781.646.6319. E-mail: herbstudies@earthlink.net Website: www.bostonherbalstudies.com