Low mood is rarely just in the mind. A brain that isn’t getting enough blood flow, a thyroid running low, a liver and bowel holding onto waste, a body worn out from a long stretch of stress: any one of these can leave a person flat, foggy and discouraged. A good mood formula works on all of them at once. It lifts the mood itself, eases the anxiety that often rides along with it, and feeds and clears the body that the mind lives in.
What a Good Mood Formula Contains
A good formula for a low mood might contain these six herbs:
- St. John’s Wort, 4 parts. The lead herb. It is long used for mild to moderate depression, helping keep more of the brain’s own mood chemicals active.
- Kava Kava, 2 parts. Eases anxiety and muscle tension and brings relaxation without dulling the mind. Unlike many calming herbs, it settles stress while letting you stay alert.
- Uva Ursi Leaf, 2 parts. Supports the kidneys as an elimination organ, helping the body clear waste and ease bloating and water retention.
- Hawthorn Berries, 1 part. Improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to the heart and the rest of the body, the brain included.
- Yellow Dock, 1 part. Supports the liver and gets the bowels moving, so waste leaves the body instead of circulating back through it. It also helps the body absorb iron.
- Kelp, 1 part. A rich natural source of iodine, the raw material the thyroid needs. A thyroid running low brings on fatigue, apathy and brain fog that can look exactly like depression.
“Parts” can be any measure you like, as long as you use the same one for every herb. By weight, that’s 4 ounces of St. John’s Wort, 2 each of Kava and Uva Ursi, and 1 each of Hawthorn, Yellow Dock and Kelp.
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.
How Much and How Often
- For serious issues: 1 tablespoon twice a day.
- Always with Echinacea at this level. The work these herbs do in the brain creates die-off, and Echinacea supports the body through it so there’s no backlash from the higher dose.
From my own experience, this dose has been very useful during times of emotional crisis.
After a Panic Attack
This formula pairs well with the nerve food formula I wrote about in Food for a Frayed Nervous System. When a panic attack strikes, reach for the nerve food first; it acts as the brake that brings the heart rate down and breaks the panic. Once the panic has passed, the body is left exhausted and depleted, and that is where this formula comes in. It keeps the leftover anxiety from building back up and lifts you out of the low that follows.
- Take the nerve food first, then wait 15 to 20 minutes before taking the mood formula.
- Keep taking the mood formula steadily for two to three days afterward, even after you feel fine. That gives the nervous system time to rebuild its reserves, so the anxiety doesn’t rebound.
This is shared for educational purposes, from my own study and experience. It is not medical advice.
