Question:
I suffer from mental health problems and as part of my treatment attend
a gardening group. Today we were discussing about having some
plants/herbs that helped with stress relief/relaxation/stimulate the
senses/ but are not overly clued up on this.
The garden itself is small and we have a greenhouse for cuttings etc.
We thought of lavender and rosemary but i would be most grateful for
other suggestions that i could take back to my gardening group next week.
Answer:
I found this:
"Aromatherapy is an important component in holistic approaches to ease
symptoms and support the healing associated with the sense of smell, most
often, using essential oils and other medicinal plant and fruit compounds.
Essential oils added to bath water are a great way to use aromatherapy. The
heat from the bath water helps the oil penetrate into the skin and
bloodstream, as well as releasing the oilıs aromatic molecules for entry
through the nose. Unlike other senses, molecules from something you smell
actually come in contact with the brain through a personıs olfactory
receptors. Because of this, Essential oils are known to influence the
brainıs chemistry, hormone production, and stress levels. When using
essential oils in the bath, itıs best to not use any type of soaps because
they can hinder the oilıs absorption into the skin. Studies were conducted
using different aromas in a group of depressed men, it was found that the
smell of Lavender has a calming effect and boosts the brainıs production of
Serotonin, while the smell of grapefruit stimulates the brain to produce
natural painkillers called Enkephalins. There are approximately 40 different
essential oils and many different types of herbal extracts used to reduce
stress. Some of them are lavender, chamomile, hops, dandelio, grapefruit,
burdock root, sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, ginger, basil, rosemary, and
juniper. They are used for treating stress and stress-related ailments, for
invigorating the body, and for promoting well being."
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.com/bn_bathshower_Bath_time_Oasis.htm
Then there's the good old St John's Wart - which I love in my garden.
It seems to be effective against depression, but should not be taken in
combination with conventional drugs. I guess whatever is planted for
use as stress relief or anything else should not be used without solid
medical advice, anyway.
I was also going to add that gardening itself is a pretty effective way
of relieving stress... in my experience anyway :-)
I have a gorgeous (un-named) pink rose in the garden, a deep sniff of
which magically removes all stress from my brain. I've grown sweet
peas for the first time this year and their scent has also been
wonderful, you can't help but be happy smelling them. Not only that,
but they were so easy when I was expecting fussy.
