Herbs Can Heal Neurotransmitters

Most of us are aware that the brain is not an island. It is not floating in our heads by itself but instead forms connections with many functions throughout the entire body. Forming a close tribe rather than being a distant relative to various bodily processes.

The blood brain barrier is also not a Berlin Wall where nothing can reach the brain itself, there are plenty of herbs and nutrients that do in fact cross the blood brain barrier to directly influence brain health.

Neurotransmitters are the key to this whole-body communication being chemical messengers throughout your nervous system that carry, boost and balance signals between neurons aka nerve cells and other cells in the body. When you are exposed to external stress for example, your body ideally will try to send signals for calming neurotransmitters to be released to help you remain focused and on point but problems in this communication are common. Imbalance of any neurotransmitter be that too much or too little can mean that a signal or message is not received, and our body may react to traffic the same way it did historically to being chased by a dinosaur.

So how many neurotransmitters are you familiar with? Let’s take a quick look at just a few and the herbs that can support your bodies natural pathways to maintain balance of these important messengers.

Serotonin seems to be the neurotransmitter we are most familiar with as its associated with happiness, wellbeing and just generally feeling good; when in balance this can be true. However deficient and excess can cause dysregulation of mood, appetite and sleep, particularly sleep onset. Were you aware that it is also involved in learning and memory, which is why in some mood disorders the ability to retain information is inhibited. Serotonin is primarily found in the enteric nervous system located in the GI tract which is partly why we hear that gut health is so integral for good mental health. Low serotonin can also present with the symptom of constipation and high serotonin can present with tendency to runny stools. Two herbs that support production of Serotonin are Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus) and St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) useful for irritability and fatigue that comes with low mood.

GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that is commonly linked to anxiety where panic attacks form a large part of the picture, this is because Gaba prevents neurons from being overstimulated and overfiring. It also involved in regulation of muscle tone so low Gaba can translate to poor muscle tone despite specific muscle training exercises. Made in the nervous system and the pancreas, Gaba is the perfect example of why health practitioners warn against excessive sugar consumption in managing anxiety and stress. Two herbs that support GABA production are Kava (Piper methysticum) and Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) perfect for both panic attacks, emotional stress and waking throughout the night.

Dopamine is both a hormone and neurotransmitter and is involved in reward motivated behaviour giving it a strong link to addictions and addictive behaviours. Low dopamine can result in restless leg syndrome and a 3pm slump in energy. Produced in both the cells and adrenal glands, long term adrenal stress can deplete dopamine levels. Two herbs that are beneficial in balancing dopamine might be surprising as they are commonly used for other conditions and they are Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) perfect for reducing inflammation and reducing heavy metal toxicity which can affect dopamine production making us crave rewards such as sweet treats, alcohol or other addictive behaviours.

Epinephrine or adrenalin as its more commonly known is involved in the fight or flight response, which is a necessary biological response when we are in real danger but not when the external stressor is mild in its threat. This heightened response to everyday life events is common in anxiety disorders and adrenalin is considered to play a role when symptoms such as excessive sweating and palpitations are present. Made in both the adrenal glands and neurons it once again shows the link between healthy adrenal glands and the health of neurons. Two herbs that help to balance Adrenalin are Withania (Ashwaganda) and Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) are ideal tonics that keep balance and support physical stress, improve performance and debility.

With all herbs it is best to seek the professional advice of a naturopath or herbalist to ensure there are no interactions with medications and that they are the most suitable herbs for your individual biochemistry. Nature does hold many healing herbs in its medicine cabinet that can help us find the difference between surviving and thriving at times.