When you think about nervines, most of the time, you don’t think about differentiating between actions. However, different types of nervines serve different purposes. There are several types of actions:
- hypnotics
- relaxants
- trophorestoratives
- stimulants
Hypnotics have the ability to induce a much stronger level of calm than nervine relaxants. These are generally used in more extreme cases of anxiety that include things like panic attacks and extreme insomnia that has not been helped with changing sleep patterns and other more mild nervines. These can even be used in cases of withdrawal. Hypnotics are generally used in larger doses which can cause a feeling of altered consciousness, which can be particularly helpful when working to manage pain.
Some Nervine Hypnotics:
- California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- hops (Humulus lupulus)
- kava-kava (Piper methysticum)
- passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
- skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) – best used as a powder or room temp infusion
- wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa, L. scariola/seriola)
To learn more about the other nervines, enroll in the Basics of Holistic Herbalism Course for $149
