Herbs for Stress Part 2

Stress is often amplified for those of us who are neurodivergent due to having more vulnerable nervous systems. Here are some herbs that can help you build more resilience to life’s stressors over time.

Anybody feeling stressed out? I’m just going to assume that’s a yes. It’s great if you can actually reduce your stress load, but we all know that isn’t always possible. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m just coming out of a 9 day period of intense stress that was completely unavoidable that had me totally bent out of whack. Thankfully I’m on the other side of it now. And thankfully I had a lot of herbs on hand to help me ride out the storm...

In my last post I covered nervine herbs that are helpful in times of acute stress. Today, I want to look at a group of herbs called adaptogens. These herbs may or may not have an immediate effect, but will help you build your capacity to manage stress better over time.

A lot of the more famous adaptogens are not ones I am going to discuss today. Many of them can be very stimulating and it can be highly tempting to take them in order to be more productive when what you should really be doing is resting.

That may be fine in an emergency situation (let’s say your best friend is getting married in another country and you have to rally so hard to have the energy to get through the wedding weekend), but as an ongoing strategy it will only lead to burnout, which many neurodivergent people are already dealing with.

Instead, I am going to focus on the more gentle and restorative adaptogens that are also the most safe and beneficial. So let’s get started.

Tulsi - (Ocimum sanctum, O. tenuiflorum)
If you read my last post, you may remember that tulsi made it on that list as well. With tulsi, you do get both immediate relief and long-term benefits. This is a fabulous herb to go with if stress gets you craving things like sugar, alcohol, or compulsive use of drugs or alcohol. Or even if you are trying to cut back on something like cannabis and are having a hard time.

Try tulsi if anxiety tends to constantly weigh you down and you need a little lift. Or if stress tends to go to your gut and you tend to need some extra digestive support. Almost everyone likes the smell and taste, and it blends really well with other herbs that maybe don’t taste as great but you are taking for medicinal reasons. Tulsi will make it all a little nicer!

Think of tulsi if you are prone to getting stuck, which can be a common feature of autism, but can also be a feature of depression or simply tension in the muscles.
Tulsi is safe for almost anyone of any age, but if you are on medications that lower blood sugar, be aware that tulsi can amplify those effects, so be sure to monitor carefully under the supervision of a doctor.

Ashwaghanda -Withania somnifera
I highly recommend ashwaghanda if you are in perimenopause and especially if stress has a tendency to disrupt your sleep. This herb is all about cycles (menstrual, circadian, etc.) and helps you get back into our natural rhythms. If you are allergic to nightshades though, you probably won’t be able to work with it.

Ashwaghanda will help build up your parasympathetic nervous system, making it a strong ally for recovering from many kinds of illness, as well as burnout. If you tend to be depleted and exhausted, ashwaghanda can help. Ongoing autoimmune or chronic health issues can also be a place where ashwaghanda shines (and are times when more stimulating adaptogens would be absolutely contraindicated).

Astragalus - Astragalus membranaceus
If stress has a tendency to make you prone to getting sick all the time, astragalus is definitely one to consider. It will boost your immune system and help you ward off infections better, especially viral infections. This works both for prevention and if you are recovering from an illness (COVID, for example).

A few words of caution though--it is NOT advised to take astragalus during the acute phase of an illness, or while you are on any kind of immune suppressing medications.

Astragalus works best if you do a long, slow decoction. It is fantastic to add to things like bone broth that you will be simmering for many, many hours. If that isn’t realistic for you and a tincture is the only realistic way you can take it, look for (or make) a double extraction. Some of the benefits are extracted in water, others in alcohol, so with a double extraction you will get more full spectrum medicine. This still is not likely to be as effective as a long decoction, but it is absolutely better than not getting any astragalus at all!

Licorice - Glycyrrhiza glabra
So are you a lover or a hater of licorice? I totally love the taste of licorice, but there are plenty of folks who just can’t stand it. If you are one of those, I wouldn’t try working with it every day. You are just not likely to stick with it. This is another one of those herbs that works great in a formula, and just makes all the other herbs blend together really nicely.

But it does a lot on its own too. Licorice is helpful when stress has led to adrenal exhaustion. For that reason, it is another herb that’s appropriate when approaching menopause, because that’s when the adrenals actually start producing estrogen instead of the ovaries. If you’ve already been under a lot of stress and suddenly your adrenals have a whole new job to do that they’ve never done before, they might get cranky!

Licorice can help.  It is particularly suitable for folks with a dry constitution--prone to constipation, dry coughs, eczema and psoriasis, etc. It does raise blood pressure, but for those of us with EDS and/or POTS, that can actually be a good thing! If you already have high blood pressure though, just stick with using it only in formulas and not by itself.

You can also get DGL licorice so that your blood pressure won’t be affected, but keep in mind that using it this way will primarily help GI issues (heartburn, ulcers, etc.) and will not give you the full spectrum of benefits that you may be seeking from an adaptogenic herb.

Reishi - Ganoderma lucidum
Reishi has been calling to me lately. That’s a good sign--if you start craving a particular herb (or fungi in this case!) or it’s coming to your mind or attention a lot, take notice and consider getting together :).

I think it is a very precious medicine for neurodivergent humans, particularly for calming over-reactive responses in the body and nervous system. It is THE best thing for when you haven’t slept and are feeling what I call ‘crazy brain.’ Like tulsi, I do think it has some immediate effects that you notice right away, in addition to help build and restore your adrenal function over time and your capacity to rest, digest and repair. You do have to work for it to get the best results. It gets quite potent when you do a very long, slow decoction over a number of hours (or you simply decoct the same slices multiple times). The taste is kind of terrible though, FYI, but in a way I have come to love.

There are other options that are beneficial, just to a lesser extent. You can get it as a tincture, but again, get the double extraction. If you go for capsules, make sure you get the whole fruiting body (not the mycelium alone).

And do be sure to buy slices rather than the whole mushroom. Unless you have a really good hacksaw and want to spend hours slicing it all up. Seriously, that is how hard they are and there are no shortcuts here.

If that all sounds like too much work, the one herb that is somewhat comparable is angelica. It is not technically considered an adaptogen, but I am not the only one who thinks maybe it should be.

Both reishi and angelica fill me with a sense of equanimity that makes me feel strong and capable and sane when things around me are insane. Highly recommended!

Reishi is considered extremely safe, but if you take a lot of medications you should talk to your doctor. A potential concern here would be blood thinners (they are the most problematic in terms of herbal interactions). Not that long ago, they used to say not to use reishi if you had an autoimmune condition, but more recently it has been clarified that it is immunomodulating rather than immunostimulating, so it is not a problem. It will lower your blood sugar, so pay attention if you are diabetic.
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Of course, adaptogens are only going to be one part of your toolbox for handling stress, but they can be quite powerful, especially when you are just feeling so overwhelmed and stressed out that you just want to crawl into bed and hide under the covers. Or whatever. Times are stressful, and we all need support. Herbs (and fungi!) are here to help!

​Note: This is not medical advice. I am a neurodivergent coach, educator and holistic herbalist, and I do not diagnose or treat any condition. The information here is for educational purposes only and to share my own experiences as an autistic woman.

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