Years ago, after a class lecture, a grandmother came up to me desperate for help. She had taken in her grandchildren after a very difficult situation at home, and the youngest, still quite small, had become an extremely disagreeable child. At night she would tear her bed to shreds in her sleep, and the school was ready to bar her from after-school care, which her grandmother needed in order to work.
I prayed for direction, and this formula came strongly to mind. I knew it was restorative and good in a crisis, but I’d never thought to use it quite this way. The grandmother agreed to try 10 drops before bed. The next morning the child woke to a bed that barely needed the sheet straightened, came into the kitchen, and politely asked for hot chocolate. Her grandmother told me you could have knocked her over with a feather. The child asked for her drops every night after that, at the same 10 drops, for a long stretch of time. Years later I ran into them again. She was in her late teens by then, calm and sweet.
The herb doesn’t do all the work; there’s always deeper emotional healing a person has to do for themselves. But sometimes a child’s mind just needs help calming down enough to cope with what it can’t yet begin to comprehend.
What a Good General Nervine Contains
This one is five herbs, in equal parts:
- Skullcap Herb, 1 part. One of the most trusted nervine herbs, used to calm nervous tension and quiet a racing mind without dulling mental clarity.
- Hops Flowers, 1 part. A gentle sedative herb, used to ease restlessness and support deep, restful sleep.
- Valerian Root, 1 part. Traditionally described as giving an almost exhilarating sense of calm, and especially valued for supporting women through the emotional swings of the monthly cycle.
- Gentian Root, 1 part. One of the most bitter herbs there is, used to support digestion. It’s here because a settled digestive system and a calm nervous system go hand in hand.
- Black Cohosh, 1 part. Long used to support hormonal balance and ease the nervous tension that comes with hormonal shifts.
“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s simply equal ounces of all five.
How It Works
This is a quieting combination for the nervous system. It settles the mind and eases the transition into sleep, and it lets you wake up alert and clear rather than groggy. It has also been used to ease the agitation of addiction recovery, and to support calm and focus in children and adults who struggle with restlessness, hyperactivity or trouble settling their attention.
When menopause brought on a hard case of insomnia for me, I tried a good many things. Of the herbal supports, this formula proved the most effective.
Emotional First Aid
This formula has a second, very different use: emotional first aid during a crisis. At a lower daytime amount it won’t cause the drowsiness the full bedtime amount can, but it takes the sharpest edge off overwhelming emotion. I have seen firsthand how it lets the mind process the changes while keeping the emotions from cascading out of control. It shores up emotional strength and keeps a person from sliding into hysterics.
The sting of loss will come to all of us at some point. Pain, when embraced as a teacher, can uplift and ennoble as the heart and mind find the inner strength to rise above and move on. The discovery, the gift, is that you are more for having passed through the fire.
Putting It Together
Put the dry herbs in a glass jar and pour in 80-proof vodka. Once the herbs have settled, you want about 60% herb sediment on the bottom and 40% liquid on top. Shake the jar every day. The traditional timing follows the moon, from the new moon to the full moon, about two weeks. I prefer to let my extracts sit a full three months, which makes them good and strong. Then strain and bottle the liquid.
The same herbs made into a salve are an excellent aid for nerve pain. Fully extract them in extra virgin olive oil in a 150-degree oven for three hours, swap the spent herbs for fresh ones, three times through in all, and thicken the finished oil with beeswax.
How Much and How Often
- For sleep: 2 to 4 droppersful in a hot cup of tea at bedtime.
- For emotional first aid during the day: ¼ to ½ teaspoon, or 20 to 30 drops for someone very petite.
Body size makes a real difference in how much of any formula a person needs, so adjust the amount to what actually works for the person. The only adverse effect I’ve seen is sleepiness at the higher amounts.
Choosing Among the Nerve Formulas
I keep several formulas for the nerves, and each has its own personality:
- The nerve food formula: feeds and rebuilds a worn-out nervous system; my go-to for anxiety and panic.
- The general nervine (this post): a strong calming and restorative formula for sleep, and for emotional crisis in lower daytime amounts.
- The two sleep formulas: one that lets the body grow drowsy, and one that calms the whole body, restless legs included.
This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.
