Keeping Your Cool with Herbs: Summer Allies for Heat & Stress
Summer in the South, even here in the elevated mountains of Appalachia, comes in hot and heavy—sun high, cicadas abuzz with singing. And sometimes, despite visions of a 'chill' holiday or a stress-free summer, our nervous system frazzles and tempers rise right along with the humidity. It’s the season of fire, and for many of us, that means more than just sunburn and sweat. Our bodies can overheat, our minds flame up and short circuit, and the nervous system takes to an herbal 'chill pill' just like the skin sighs with relief at a cool breath of A/C on a hot afternoon.
Luckily, the herb world knows exactly how to meet this moment of overheating and overwhelm. Let's look at a few cooling herbal allies—plants that don’t just act as 'refrigerants' for the body, but also help us ground, unwind, and ride the heatwave with a little less fiery tension.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
This lemony member of the mint family is like the nervous system's version of a cold cloth to the forehead. Uplifting Melissa helps ease anxiety, tension, and restlessness without sedating. Think of lemon balm when you’ve had too much caffeine, sun, or, paradoxically, too little of either. Infuse fresh or dried lemon balm in cool water for a gentle sun tea or take a dropper of the fresh tincture when you're feeling frayed.
Tulsi (Holy Basil) (Ocimum sanctum/africanum)
Tulsi is the kind of summertime friend who fans your face and hands you a popsicle. A sacred plant in Ayurvedic tradition, and one of the tastiest teas in the herb world, hands down, tulsi is deeply restorative for balancing both mind and body. Adaptogenic and refreshing, tulsi helps modulate stress responses and clear the mental cobwebs that the less structured days of summer may invite. A tall tulsi iced tea or squeeze of tincture into a beverage is a beautiful daily ally in hot, hectic times.
Milky Oats (Avena sativa)
If you’re running on empty or feel like you might snap, milky oats are your steady support. The 'milk' of milky oats is a cooling latex that soothes and chills the nervous system, resetting it from the ground up. Think of milky oats extract as nerve food—deeply nourishing, especially for those who are burned out, overstimulated, or teetering on the edge of summer meltdown. Use milky oats long-term in tincture form for the best results.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
This dreamy, tendrilled flower thrives in our southeastern summers and, contrary to its name, actually downplays passion and heat like no other. Passionflower offers a gentle ear to those with racing thoughts, tension headaches, and hot, sleepless nights. Her approach is cool, calming, and quieting—perfect for combatting the kind of heat and discomfort that can take over your presence of mind in the summertime.
Take It Down a Notch: Your Go-To Summer Stress Tincture Blend
When you need a pocket-sized team of herbal allies, Take It Down a Notch is a ready-made rescue. We blended this tincture with skullcap, milky oats, motherwort, tulsi, and blue vervain—and each one does wonders at taking the edge off and cooling inner angst. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, overheated, or just over it, this blend helps bring you back to baseline. Keep it in your bag, your car, your kitchen drawer—wherever you might need a moment of grounded calm.
Flash Dance to Cool You in a Flash
When your experience of heat is coming from inside you—those sudden uncomfortably warm waves that hijack and leave you fanning yourself in the wellness aisle--Flash Dance here to help. This cooling blend of chickweed, motherwort, and yellow dock supports temperature regulation and hormonal balance, especially during perimenopause and menopause. Balancing, grounding, and gently detoxifying, it’s a steady herbal companion for riding out those internal infernos with a lot less sweat. Flash Dance can be taken in the moment of a hot flash, or, for best results, daily during times of hormonal transition.
Flower Power for Cooling Floral Hydration
Need a way to cool down from the inside out? Flower Power is your summer sipping ritual. With yaupon holly (contains a little caffeine), hibiscus, holy basil, red clover, and calendula, this vibrant blend is as beautiful as it is functional—antioxidant-rich, nerve-soothing, and gently cooling to the fires of both body and mood. The hibiscus, in particular, is considered one of the most refrigerant and refreshing plants on the planet. Brew it strong, chill it in the fridge, and serve over ice with a little sweetener to taste for an herbaceous, energizing tonic that eases the nerves while resetting the body's internal temperature. It's a perfect midday reset or porch-swing wind-down when the heat (or the stress) gets to you.
This summer season, take your cues from the plants that thrive despite the heat. Drink your herbal tea cold and icy. Jump in the sprinkler as often as you can. And let these herbal allies help you stay soft, steady, and cool—inside and out.
Find all these freshly handcrafted herbal extracts, teas, oils, salves, vinegars (and more) here in our herb shop at Red Moon Herbs or growing wild along your path.
