Weans’ brains: Teen edition

iii: Of Weeds & Weans

Weans’ brains: Teen edition

Joseph Nolan

Our brains have two great periods of development: babyhood and adolescence. During babyhood, we learn to use our senses and our brains adapt to the environments in which we are living. In adolescence, all the adult wiring is done; we learn about sex and adult society, and our brains finish their development. How old are you inside? 18? 20? 22? That’s when your brain finished developing. Of course, we mature— we add knowledge and experience —but our core selves, as defined by our brains, are fixed.

Now, if we cast our minds back a few years to adolescence, most of us will recall that this was a challenging time, even if we were lucky enough to hit it before the rise of social media. And adolescence is particularly difficult now, in the time of COVID and social distancing. Standard academic testing is suspended, jeopardizing years of effort; lockdown means stifling house arrest with family; sports, events, and activities are cancelled; community life is suspended; and time with friends is limited. Stress is high, and it is hitting my teenaged patients hard.

So, what can we do to help adolescents, preadolescents, and younger children, cope with normal and not-so-normal stress? How can we help their amazing, dynamic and adaptable brains to set themselves in healthy ways? Well, we can give them herbs.

Herbal helpers for the head There are many herbs which have beneficial effects on the brain. Some improve nerve conduction, others work on the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), some act on the pituitary or pineal glands inside the brain. There are anti-inflammatories and circulatory stimulants, and others that have no particular orthodox medical designation. One principle of traditional medicine systems, and something that I use often, are directional herbs. They have such a strong affinity for an organ or area of the body that they direct or focus the medicine on that part. So, for the brain you might add Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)— which improves circulation and memory —or Stachys betonica (Wood Betony) to a blend, concentrating the herbal actions on the head and brain.

For the purposes of home herbalising, the brain problems you are going to deal with mainly fall under the ‘stress’ umbrella. So, to back up for a moment, the ANS regulates our fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest responses. These two responses encompass a constellation of regulatory functions affecting almost everything happening in our bodies; circulation, digestion, breathing, eliminating, thinking, perceiving, healing, sleeping, sexual function, and countless other processes that go on within our systems. The ANS has two modes: fight-or-flight, termed the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS); and rest-and-digest, called the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). To try and make a long explanation shorter, when we are in an SNS dominant state, we are ‘stressed’. In a PNS dominant state, we are relaxed and at ease. And this is where the herbs come in.

For stressed young people, or indeed any aged people, you cannot beat Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm). For reasons which I hope are obvious, we want to be in a PSN state most of the time. Lemon Balm soothes an overexcited SNS, and supports the rest-and-digest function. Its wonderful, mild, ever-so-slightly floral scent and flavour makes the herb easy to take and appealing to young palates, even fussy or contrary ones. For anxiety and breaking the cycle of prolonged stress, Melissa is an excellent remedy. I give it to my patients during exam time, University admission time, and when competition at school becomes overwhelming. It is perfect, too, for hyperactive toddlers and children who struggle to calm down. Because Lemon Balm settles the ANS and promotes PNS dominance, it also helps with problems getting to sleep, and cramping, windy digestion. Lemon Balm is easy to grow, being in the Lamiaceae or mint family, and a tea made with the fresh leaves is nothing short of divine. You can use it in tea, tincture, aromatic water or hydrosol, and the eyewateringly-expensive essential oil. Because the essential oil is the essence of the remedy, any preparation you use or make will focus on it. You can use Lemon Balm essential oil in preparations like ointments and creams, as well as in diffusers or burners, and you can add it to oil for massage. It is quite efficacious against viruses of the Herpesviridae family, so Lemon Balm oil can be used topically for colds sores and shingles rashes. I see these two maladies with unfortunate regularity in high school students around the time of their exams, even more so with the coronavirus about.

Not to dissuade you from trying, but it doesn’t dry very well at home— acquiring a strange, fishy smell and taste. So, do be prepared to buy your Melissa herb. To preserve the herb’s oil content, drying quickly and at a low temperature is the best way, but it is difficult. Frankly, I have never managed it. When tincturing, add Melissa to alcohol for only a couple of hours, then remove and replace with fresh herb. Repeat until satisfied with the results. Lemon Balm aromatic water is an ethereal and beautiful thing. I have a tiny bottle of hydrosol received as a gift, from which I dole out to the worthy by the drop. If you are lucky enough to get some, adding a few drops of Melissa hydrosol to cool water makes everything right with the world. Taking the aromatic water this way is safe and efficacious for even very small children, helping to comfort, calm the mind, and raise the spirits. Lemon Balm is a versatile medicine, working equally well on its own as a simple, or combining with other anxiolytics like Matricaria recutita (Chamomile), and Rosa damascena (Rose).

Stachys betonica (Wood Betony, Betony) is an interesting herb, sometimes overlooked outside of herbalists’ circles. It has a strong affinity for the head, drawing anything put with it north to act on the brain and other structures. I use it especially for anxious teens, prone to migraines and headaches. I use it, too, for calming intense or over-stimulated young people. It is perfect before and after sporting events, presentations, performances or exams. Betony turns down the intensity, helping— like Melissa — to soothe the ANS and, if the event went badly, the herb aids in letting it go. Most of the unpleasant symptoms teenagers and children experience with an amped up SNS— restlessness, irritability and volatility, headaches, tired or strained eyes, difficulty getting to sleep —Wood Betony soothes away. Children and adolescents with neurological challenges, like ADHD and autism, suffer a lot of anxiety and frustration trying to negotiate a neurotypical world; Betony aids in regulating thoughts and emotions. The herb is native to Britain and easy to grow, putting up stately spikes of scalloped leaves and ridiculously cheerful racemes of bubble gum pink flowers. Traditionally, the flowers are made into a medicinal— and doubtless delicious — conserve for use year-round. These days, we use the aerial parts dried or tinctured, and the pleasant mild flavour— a bit like the smell of straw —is very well tolerated in medicines. Betony combines well with flavoursome anxiolytic herbs like Lemon Balm, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender), Chamomile, and Rose.

Everyone knows that Viscum album (Mistletoe) is poisonous, which adds a bit of a thrill to using it medicinally, but actually only the berries are toxic. The leaves and stems— the parts used in medicine —are quite safe in tea or tincture, and have a very mild, nearly undetectable flavour. The first thing about Mistletoe though, is that is looks like a neuron. To refresh your memory, a neuron has a little root-like terminal at one end which transmits its messages on to other neurons. The long thin middle part— the stem —is the axon, and the large hand-like end with many dendritic projections is the cell body, where the neuron receives messages from other neurons. Mistletoe, growing as it does from a small, rooty attachment on tree bark, is suspended in the air and grows into a round clump with a grouping of leaves and berries at the end of each stem. The resemblance to a brain is more than passing, and it is peculiar. Uncanny resemblances aside, Mistletoe is an excellent remedy for anxiety, and the many conditions with which anxiety is associated. For adolescents, the pressures of social life online and ‘IRL’ can cause great distress. If it turns nasty, added to the hurt is bewilderment at the unprovoked cruelty of peers and even trusted friends. Cool-leaved, tough and flexible, Mistletoe helps sort through such painful discoveries. For younger children making similar discoveries in kindergarten and primary school, Chamomile, Lemon Balm, and Rose should be all that is needed. But for the more sophisticated worries of high school, Mistletoe is an excellent remedy. I use it a lot, too, for my neurodivergent patients— especially when they also have epilepsy —to regulate neurological function and relieve anxiety. It works very well combined with Betony, Lemon Balm, Rose, Lavender, Chamomile, and, in more extreme cases, Valeriana officinalis (Valerian).

Traditional remedies for strange times Lemon Balm is used all over Europe, and wherever Europeans have settled in large numbers, for its beneficial effects on anxiety, sleep, digestion and, in elders, memory. Here are two venerable methods for enjoying its benefits:

Melissa and Mint tea Blending equal parts of dried Lemon Balm and Mentha piperita (Peppermint) gives you a fragrant tea that opens airways and relaxes smooth muscle in the gut, allowing wind to dispel and tension to disappear. The SNS clocks out, the PNS comes to the fore, digestion burbles away, and sleep comes easily. For teens, use a teaspoon of the blend per cup, and steep it, covered, for fifteen minutes before drinking at bedtime.

Lemon Balm bath In addition to herbal baths being delightful— assuming you strain out the bits —they are an excellent way of getting herbs into people of all ages. Put two or three generous handfuls of dried Melissa, or 4-5 of fresh herb, into your largest pot or bowl, and fill with boiling water. Infuse, covered, for fifteen minutes, and then strain into the bath. Soak for as long as reasonably possible, and then go to bed. Use a Lemon Balm bath to bring calm, restful sleep, and to ease windy, painful, cramping digestion. For both conditions, dissolving a couple of handfuls of Epsom salts in the hot water will also help relaxation of both the muscles and the mind.

Happy herbing!