Herbal Remedies to Beat the End-of-Winter Blues

Winter can throw the mind-body balance out of whack, causing a myriad of unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. The botanical world offers many ways to lift your mood, boost energy, and calm your nerves.

Many plants contain natural substances that can help our brains produce and utilize mood-balancing chemicals; these include adaptogens (which balance and energize), and nervines (which calm, soothe, and nourish the nervous system). Consider integrating some of these herbal allies into your daily routine.

Also known as Indian ginseng or winter cherry, ashwagandha has been used by traditional practitioners for centuries as a tonic to boost energy and reduce stress and anxiety. As an adaptogen, it’s most often relied upon to help maintain a strong immune system and restore overall balance and well-being.

Many teas contain ashwagandha, so you’ll easily find one that offers the flavor profile you enjoy most. Not a tea drinker? Supplements providing a pre-measured dosage of ashwagandha are a convenient option. Smoothie and protein supplement lovers may prefer to measure and add their own ashwagandha, available in bulk powder form. Also available as a tincture.

Native to Mexico, this flowering vine is an adaptogenic superstar that helps relax the central nervous system, which in turn helps ease symptoms of mild depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Warming and stimulating, damiana may be precisely what you need to improve your focus, lift your mood, and defrost your fingers and toes. Damiana is most often enjoyed in tea blends. It’s also available in loose leaf bulk form, so you can enjoy it on its own, or combine it with other favorite herbs and spices to create a uniquely personal tea medley. 

A mild adaptogen and relaxant herb, gotu kola has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Though a member of the parsley family (also known as Asiatic pennywort), gotu kola is native to the tropical marshlands of Asia, where its calming effect is valued. Other benefits have endeared it to those who suffer many of the complaints of a winter too long, for it helps to support blood circulation in the lower extremities and improve memory and focus. 

On its own, gotu kola has a sweet, slightly bitter and herbaceous taste; blended with other herbs it imparts a pleasantly distinctive, yet milder flavor. Tincture, teas, and pre-measured supplements containing gotu kola are easy methods of ingestion.

The oldest known medicinal plant in European herbal medicine, hawthorn berries have been relied upon for centuries to help alleviate stress, lower blood pressure, and support people coping with grief and heartbreak. These nutrient-rich berries range from yellow to dark red and have a tart, tangy sweetness, which makes them especially enjoyable in a tea or tea blend (though all parts of the plant, leaves, flowers and berries, are beneficial).

You can also take hawthorn berry supplements in a convenient pill form. Whole berries are often used to make baked goods, jams and jellies, while hawthorn berry powder can be mixed in drinks, smoothies, or incorporated into desserts.

This sweet, lemon-flavored herb is a revered member of the mint family that has been cultivated for over 2,000 years. Its botanical name is derived from the Greek word for bees, and true to its nomenclature, lemon balm is a bee magnet. Antioxidant rich, lemon balm also helps soothe nerves, promote calm and restore healthy GABA levels. (Gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA, plays a major role in controlling anxiety, stress and fear.)

While a strong mug of lemon balm tea has been reported to help lessen anxiety for hours, it is also available as a supplement. Lemon balm’s calming benefits offer topical advantages in body moisturizers, skin toners, and lip balms. And when you need to ease heightened emotions or tensions, simply diffuse lemon balm essential oil into your living space, or add a few drops to your steamy bath.

Also known as basswood or lime tree, and often referred to as a hug in a mug, linden has been relied upon in many cultures for its ability to help calm anxiety and lower blood pressure. From late spring to early summer, the towering linden tree bears an abundance of fragrant, tiny white-yellow flower clusters. These heart-shaped flowers are extremely delicate, so an elongated feathery bract forms at the base of the flower cluster to protect it and aid in seed dispersal. The bract is considered part of the flower structure and is harvested with the flowers and buds.

Linden flowers produce a slightly sweet aromatic scent with a hint of citrus, making them perfect for a gentle wellness tea or as a fragrant and effective ingredient in DIY lotions. Its sweet aroma is a relaxing break for mind, body, and spirit. Rich in mucilage, linden also helps alleviate chest and throat tightness and sinus issues (another unfortunate side effect of long winters) and is used in many of our most popular cough and cold remedies.

For folks who must multi-task during the darker winter months, oatstraw is the restorative herb for you. Also referred to as milky oats, oatstraw is considered a nervine, meaning it has a calming effect on the nervous system; this can be helpful for managing stress and mood swings, while also offering a cognitive boost.

Oatstraw is the green top of the oat plant, harvested when the seed is at the milky stage, before it's fully ripe. Our oatstraw tops are picked at the best times for maintaining potency; they have a soft and mellow, mildly grassy and slightly sweet flavor, as well as a fresh scent, free of any musty notes — perfect for making an herbaceous wellness tea. Mix it with red raspberry leaves or dried lemon balm for a relaxing and flavorful hot beverage. DIYers will appreciate the soothing qualities milky oats adds to their homemade lotion and bath product recipes, too.

Passion flower is widely known to induce whole body, mind and spirit calm. This climbing vine, with uniquely ornate white and purple flowers, may help relieve symptoms of winter blues, or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), thanks to its chemical composition. These compounds interact with the brain’s GABA level, which is responsible for promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and easing you into a restful sleep.

Passion flower tea features a rich, earthy flavor that’s savory, rather than sweet; its nourishing flavor is reminiscent of a distinct broth, not in any way in need of sweetening. You’ll also find passion flower a leading ingredient in many calming tea blends, supplements (including gummies), and body patches, as well as an herbal tincture.

Known as The Herb of the Sun, St. John’s Wort’s bright and beautiful little yellow blossoms were traditionally harvested on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, St. John’s Day. It is one of the most popular medicinal herbs in the United States, with its primary use being to balance and improve the mood, especially in cases of SAD, and to help those suffering with insomnia.

Brew a cup of St. John’s Wort tea with the plant’s loose leaves and flowers to enjoy its unique herbaceous and floral notes, followed by a refreshing lemony aftertaste. Thanks to its mood-enhancing qualities, St. John’s Wort is a frequent companion in calming, balancing, and uplifting tea blends.

A sacred plant from India used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, tulsi (also called Holy basil) is an adaptogen that can help balance your metabolism, uplift your spirits, improve mental focus, and enhance overall vitality. Studies have shown that Holy basil may reduce levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, making it useful in managing the emotional challenges often associated with the winter blues.

On its own, tulsi’s flavor is nothing like the herb basil, with which it is sometimes confused; rather, it’s light and minty with a slight clove-like taste. An abundance of tea blends with tulsi are also available for your enjoyment, making it easy to find one that pleases your palate. Supplements as well as an herbal tincture containing tulsi are convenient for non-tea drinkers.

And finally, reap the benefits of Holy basil essential oil as aromatherapy in your living or work space; add it to a steamy bath, or mix into your DIY body-care products for topical application; its sweet, spicy aroma is ideal for comforting the mind during emotional crises.

*Before using herbal remedies, especially if you are pregnant or already taking other medication, discuss its suitability with your healthcare provider.