There are times in life when all you can do for a loved one or your self is to simply comfort. Times of shock, grief, bereavement, you don’t really know what to do, and there is precious little anyone can say at times like those.
A cup of a soothing herbal tea that’s not too strong, can help. Herbal tinctures put into a little bottle and given every half an hour or so, can help in big ways to calm a grief stricken person and help them to cope with any tasks that demand their mental attention.
The key is to have a little of, not too much of anything, but a little of any of the following comforting herbs. If the need is great, have them more often, up to once every 15 minutes, but keep the dose light.
Herbs for Comfort
If you can, find out what the tendencies of the person you are making the treatment for, are. Some people are at risk of a heart attack, some have terrible headaches, some women hemorrhage, some have digestive upsets or constipation, some cannot sleep, some cannot be mentally alert, some lose their appetite, some are manic and could use mild sedation.
You don’t need to go too deep into it, just follow instinct. All of these, any of these will help as anyway the whole body works together.
The first thing to do is raise basic vitality as that’s half of the job done. Their body will be able to do what has to be done if basic vitality is back up.
Alfalfa Seed for those who feel cold more than warm
For everyone of all ages. Simple basic comforting. One spoonful of the seeds boiled for 2 minutes and steeped for 5 minutes will make two cups of light gentle tea. The tincture can be used 30drops to 100ml of water and given 20 drops every hour or so, even more often is just fine.
Barley Seed for those who feel uncomfortably warm
For those feeling congested, like they can’t breathe, like they’re suffocating, barley seeds, 2 spoonfuls will make a nice comforting energy boosting calming tea.
St. John’s Wort – Hypericum Perforatum
For those feeling stretched beyond toleration, tight, and ‘cannot take anymore’, this herb helps.
It is especially helpful when the person’s sense of hope is at a low, when everything looks dark and dingy. When the will to live is stretched very thin.
5 drops to a cup of water, or half a t-spoon of the herbs steeped in hot water for 5 -10 minutes.
Bamboo Leaf
This is for those whose physical reaction to grief and shock is hair loss and related manifestations of a sudden loss of vitality like tired skin, “too drained to sleep”, loss of sexual energy or libido, just cannot go on with normal life activities anymore.
Bamboo leaf tea or extract is a gentle but powerful supporter of the spirit and opener of vision.
Heather
Calluna Vulgaris – energizes those who need very much to keep the big picture in mind while dealing with grief or a tragedy, for who the current situation as traumatic as it might be, is part of a process that started a long time ago and will take a long time to resolve.
For those whose current sorrow is not just about the current situation but things thi hat have snowballed one after another for years and decades maybe. For who it’s not so much about accepting the situation but about comprehending what the situation means for their lives, about who they are.
Things deeper than the current situation – Heather helps the soul and body acclimatize to changes that come with deep deep life change.
White Willow Bark
Famous as a pain-killer (the original source of aspirin), White Willow is for those who cannot face the pain, who have been in the habit of looking away from their tragedies and just moving on without grieving enough. The emotional pain hangs about as pain in the body.
White Willow helps those who find it hard to express their grief. This shows up in high blood pressure sometimes, bloodshot eyes, head aches, back aches, knotted nerves and so on.
Hibiscus
For those with physical weakness, of the anemic sort. “No strength to cry”, they breathe deeply only once every other minute because they’re so heart tired. They’re just waiting for either external help or whenever their body slowly recovers. They manage to go about mechanically, but very tired most of the time.
Their appetite is poor and in general they’re doing poorly dealing with things, just managing the bare minimum. Long term damage to their life interests can be prevented by supporting them with Hibiscus tea or tincture.
It helps women who hemorrhage in reaction to shock or grief, children who aren’t able to digest food properly as have anemic tendencies as a result, men who have had severe blood loss or been exposed to chemical poisoning that has made it difficult to process food properly and make new blood like before.
In general if they’ve gone pale, and can’t seem get the red back in the face, Hibiscus will help.
If Hisbiscus isn’t available where you are, Rosehips comes close, combined with any of these – Beetroot, Blackstrap Molasses, Pomegranate Molasses.
It’s about helping them recover from the impact the situation has made on their blood-making processes.
Scullcap
This is for those who cannot sleep because of grief, because of worry. Or for those experiencing that just for a day or two even.
For those who need their wits about them, and have to do a million things, but can’t seem to rest enough to clear their heads, Scullcap help the nervous system unwind from being tense and taut and relax enough to get some rest and regeneration.
5 drops of the tincture in a cup of water is a strong enough dose for most. Lesser for children, and a little more if you feel you need it.
St. Ignacius Bean
Ignatia Amara is a poison in doses more than a drop to 100ml. But in that tiny tiny drop, it brings immediate relief. It causes comfort immediately, it feels like a sudden cushioning in all directions. It releases heart spasms, nervous edginess, muscle tension. For use in emergencies, and for those with cardiac (heart) pains, spasms and so on. For those, long term heart muscle rehabilitation needs to be done sooner rather than later.
In a Nutshell
There are times when words and logic won’t do. Herbs can go where words can’t go. Herbs can help you cry, herbs can help raise your vitality to deal with the situation better, herbs can help prevent long term damage by stopping the body from going into heart attack, strokes and so on.
The first thing you need to know before making something for comfort, is, is the person who needs comforting feeling colder than usual or warmer.
For those who are feeling cold Alfalfa seeds are basic vital energy.
For those feeling uncomfortably hot, Barley seeds are basic vital energy.
For those feeling like they’re stretched beyond toleration, feeling congested, tight, feeling like they’re suffocating, St. John’s Wort.
For those who are losing hair, skin tone, and sexual energy or libido, Bamboo Leaf.
For those whose grief is not just about the current situation but encompasses decades or a lifetime of a snowballing effect, who need help seeing the big picture, Heather – Calluna Vulgaris.
For those who find it hard to express grief, who feel the pain in their bodies a lot, White Willow bark.
For those who are too tired to mourn, who have gone pale, for women who hemorrhage, Hibiscus.
If you can’t get Hibiscus, Rosehips with Beetroot, Blackstrap Molasses or Pomegranate Molasses will help.
For those whose brain is working overtime, who need to mentally unwind and rest, Scullcap.
To prevent heart attacks, strokes, out of grief, a drop of Ignatia Amara extract to 100ml of water, will give immediate relief. It’s a poison when taken in bigger doses.
If you need to get these herbs in a tonic for your self or a loved one or a pet, get me to make you a herbal treatment. If you can get your own herbs but would like help choosing among these and other herbs for a particular condition, consultation online could help.
