I suffer from mental health problems and as part of my treatment attend
a gardening group. Today we were discussing about having some
plants/herbs that helped with stress relief/relaxation/stimulate the
senses/ but are not overly clued up on this.
The garden itself is small and we have a greenhouse for cuttings etc.
We thought of lavender and rosemary but i would be most grateful for
other suggestions that i could take back to my gardening group next week.

Thank you for any help you can give me.


--
http://fightaidsathome.scripps.edu/
http://folding.stanford.edu/

On 17/8/06 12:48, in article , "Tim"
wrote:

I suffer from mental health problems and as part of my treatment attend
a gardening group. Today we were discussing about having some
plants/herbs that helped with stress relief/relaxation/stimulate the
senses/ but are not overly clued up on this.
The garden itself is small and we have a greenhouse for cuttings etc.
We thought of lavender and rosemary but i would be most grateful for
other suggestions that i could take back to my gardening group next week.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

I found this:
"Aromatherapy is an important component in holistic approaches to ease
symptoms and support the healing associated with the sense of smell, most
often, using essential oils and other medicinal plant and fruit compounds.
Essential oils added to bath water are a great way to use aromatherapy. The
heat from the bath water helps the oil penetrate into the skin and
bloodstream, as well as releasing the oil¹s aromatic molecules for entry
through the nose. Unlike other senses, molecules from something you smell
actually come in contact with the brain through a person¹s olfactory
receptors. Because of this, Essential oils are known to influence the
brain¹s chemistry, hormone production, and stress levels. When using
essential oils in the bath, it¹s best to not use any type of soaps because
they can hinder the oil¹s absorption into the skin. Studies were conducted
using different aromas in a group of depressed men, it was found that the
smell of Lavender has a calming effect and boosts the brain¹s production of
Serotonin, while the smell of grapefruit stimulates the brain to produce
natural painkillers called Enkephalins. There are approximately 40 different
essential oils and many different types of herbal extracts used to reduce
stress. Some of them are lavender, chamomile, hops, dandelio, grapefruit,
burdock root, sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, ginger, basil, rosemary, and
juniper. They are used for treating stress and stress-related ailments, for
invigorating the body, and for promoting well being."
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.co...time_Oasis.htm

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Sacha wrote:
On 17/8/06 12:48, in article , "Tim"
wrote:

I suffer from mental health problems and as part of my treatment attend
a gardening group. Today we were discussing about having some
plants/herbs that helped with stress relief/relaxation/stimulate the
senses/ but are not overly clued up on this.
The garden itself is small and we have a greenhouse for cuttings etc.
We thought of lavender and rosemary but i would be most grateful for
other suggestions that i could take back to my gardening group next week.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

I found this:
"Aromatherapy is an important component in holistic approaches to ease
symptoms and support the healing associated with the sense of smell, most
often, using essential oils and other medicinal plant and fruit compounds.
Essential oils added to bath water are a great way to use aromatherapy. The
heat from the bath water helps the oil penetrate into the skin and
bloodstream, as well as releasing the oil¹s aromatic molecules for entry
through the nose. Unlike other senses, molecules from something you smell
actually come in contact with the brain through a person¹s olfactory
receptors. Because of this, Essential oils are known to influence the
brain¹s chemistry, hormone production, and stress levels. When using
essential oils in the bath, it¹s best to not use any type of soaps because
they can hinder the oil¹s absorption into the skin. Studies were conducted
using different aromas in a group of depressed men, it was found that the
smell of Lavender has a calming effect and boosts the brain¹s production of
Serotonin, while the smell of grapefruit stimulates the brain to produce
natural painkillers called Enkephalins. There are approximately 40 different
essential oils and many different types of herbal extracts used to reduce
stress. Some of them are lavender, chamomile, hops, dandelio, grapefruit,
burdock root, sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, ginger, basil, rosemary, and
juniper. They are used for treating stress and stress-related ailments, for
invigorating the body, and for promoting well being."
http://www.womenshealthcaretopics.co...time_Oasis.htm

--

Then there's the good old St John's Wart - which I love in my garden.
It seems to be effective against depression, but should not be taken in
combination with conventional drugs. I guess whatever is planted for
use as stress relief or anything else should not be used without solid
medical advice, anyway.

I was also going to add that gardening itself is a pretty effective way
of relieving stress... in my experience anyway :-)

Cat(h)

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

The message
from Tim contains these words:

I suffer from mental health problems and as part of my treatment attend
a gardening group. Today we were discussing about having some
plants/herbs that helped with stress relief/relaxation/stimulate the
senses/ but are not overly clued up on this.

Great idea.

Camomile tea can help insomnia, and lavender can help restlessness
during the day or night. Hops also help sleep; put dried hop flowers and
lavender flowers inside a small bag and keep it on the pillow. Hops,
camomile and lavender are all easy to grow in an outdoor garden but it
will take you a summer season to grow a crop.

... and the leaves of Lippia citriodora make a calming 'tea'.

Jennifer

On 17/8/06 18:05, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

snip

and then there is Cannabis sativa

That's seriously unfunny Martin. We know more now about the effects of
Cannabis on the brain and perhaps you should be reading something about it.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

I have a gorgeous (un-named) pink rose in the garden, a deep sniff of which magically removes all stress from my brain. I've grown sweet peas for the first time this year and their scent has also been wonderful, you can't help but be happy smelling them. Not only that, but they were so easy when I was expecting fussy.

bob

Hi
Amost anything pleasantly scented would be good, but one of my favourites is lemon verbena, which has a wonderfully pure lemon scent, much better than lemon balm, which is a very coarse plant by comparison. Lots of mints are good, and as Bob has said, roses, especially the old fashioned shrub rose type or David Austin's English roses, have glorious scents to take away stress. And don't forget sight and sound - watching a beautiful graceful plant shimmering in a breeze can be very soothing - Japanese maples are good for this, or the taller grasses. What about touch? Certain plants just invite stroking, grasses again or cushion forming plants, such as the lower growing thymes.
Good luck
Deborah